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Dr. Elise Fallucco, child psychiatrist and host of the ADHD Anxiety and More podcast, shares parent-focused tips for raising resilient, capable children.

She talks about 3 contrasting parenting styles—rescuer, laid-back, and coach— and talks about when each style makes sense.

The Rescuer Parent - wants to FIX problems FOR their child

The Laid-back Parent - lets their child sort things out on their own

The Coach Parent - Workings WITH the child to help them solve problems

She explains common age-based struggles (emotional regulation in preschool, frustration with academics and skills in early grades, and social dynamics in grades 3–5) and reframes disappointment and failure as normal developmental opportunities.

Using the “fail, try, succeed” cycle, she shows how rescuing can stunt growth, then offers coaching steps—validate feelings and ask how to support or guide with questions—through examples like not getting a desired role in a play, homework meltdowns, and forgetting water bottles.

00:00 Welcome and Goals

01:02 Parenting Styles Quiz

02:17 Why Kids Struggle

04:30 Fail Try Succeed Cycle

05:41 Stop Rescuing Start Coaching

07:26 Case Study School Play

10:08 Case Study Homework Meltdown

11:36 Case Study Forgotten Water Bottle

12:41 Final Takeaways and Wrap Up

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Check out PsychEd4Peds.com for more resources!

SOCIAL @psyched4peds

On-demand CME Course online at: Pediatric Mental Health CME Toolkit - Cracking the ADHD Code: Essentials for Pediatric Clinicians.

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Depression screening and suicide screening are not the same thing—and relying on the PHQ-9 alone can miss youth who are at risk for suicide.

In this episode, I break down a quick, practical approach to suicide screening and risk assessment in primary care —including what to do when a screening tool comes back positive.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• 🚨 Why the PHQ-9 isn’t enough — and how many at-risk youth can slip through the cracks when you rely on depression screening alone.
• 🔎 Who deserves extra attention — including youth with ADHD, anxiety, depression, substance use, trauma, self-harm, or a family history of suicide.
• 📝 The quick, free screening tool I recommend — the ASQ (Ask Suicide-Screening Questions), which can be used alongside your usual depression screener.
• 🧭 What to do when the suicide screen is positive — without automatically sending every child to the ER.
• 🚦 The 4-step framework for deciding: ER or outpatient?
  1. Ask about current suicidal thoughts
  2. Assess plan, intent, and previous attempts
  3. Check whether the child can be safe at home
  4. Decide whether they need emergency evaluation or outpatient management
• 🏠 The two home-safety questions you should always ask before sending a higher-risk child home.
• 💡 How to make suicide screening actually work in a busy pediatric practice without adding another impossible-to-manage task to your day.

The big takeaway:
Depression screening ≠ suicide screening. Adding a brief, validated suicide screening tool can help you identify kids who might otherwise be missed—and give you a structured way to decide what to do next.

Resources mentioned

• ASQ (Ask Suicide-Screening Questions) Toolkit, including the PHQ-9 + ASQ screening tool available at https://www.nimh.nih.gov/research/research-conducted-at-nimh/asq-toolkit-materials
• Brief Suicide Safety Assessment Worksheet
• https://www.nimh.nih.gov/research/research-conducted-at-nimh/asq-toolkit-materials/youth-asq-toolkit#outpatient

24/7 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

En Español: 1-888-628-9454

24/7 Crisis Text Line: Text “HOME” to 741-741

References

Horowitz LM et al. Screening Pediatric Medical Patients for Suicide Risk: Is Depression Screening Enough? J Adolesc Health. 2021 Jun;68(6):1183-1188.

Kemper AR et al. Depression and Suicide-Risk Screening Results in Pediatric Primary Care. Pediatrics. 2021 Jul;148(1):e2021049999.

Kim Y, Krause TM, Lane SD. Trends and Seasonality of Emergency Department Visits and Hospitalizations for Suicidality Among Children and Adolescents in the US from 2016 to 2021. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Jul 3;6(7):e2324183.

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SOCIAL @psyched4peds

On-demand CME Course online at: Pediatric Mental Health CME Toolkit - Cracking the ADHD Code: Essentials for Pediatric Clinicians.

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Where are YOU on your pediatric mental health journey?

If you’ve ever felt nervous when a child’s mental health screen comes back positive, frustrated when straightforward ADHD treatment suddenly becomes complicated, or overwhelmed because you’ve become the “mental health person” in your practice—this episode is for you.

In this episode, Dr. Elise Fallucco introduces the 4 phases of the Pediatric Mental Health Champion Journey:

Phase 1: Running Scared →

Phase 2: Basic Treatment Frustration →

Phase 3: Mental Health Overload →

Phase 4: Champion Mode.

She walks through the signs and challenges of each phase and, most importantly, the practical steps you can take to move forward—from building confidence with ADHD evaluation and treatment, to managing anxiety and more complex comorbidities, to creating systems, boundaries, and workflows that prevent burnout.

The goal isn’t to become a child psychiatrist. It’s to become a confident, competent pediatric clinician who can recognize, evaluate, and treat the mental health problems you’re equipped to manage—and know where your boundaries are. Listen to discover which phase you’re in and your next step toward becoming a pediatric mental health champion.

00:00 Pediatric Champion Journey

01:34 Phase One Running Scared

04:25 Phase One Action Steps

07:13 Phase Two Frustration

08:46 Phase Two Level Up

12:20 Systems Templates Boundaries

16:19 Phase Four Champion Mode

17:18 Recap and Next Steps

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Check out PsychEd4Peds.com for more resources!

SOCIAL @psyched4peds

On-demand CME Course online at: Pediatric Mental Health CME Toolkit - Cracking the ADHD Code: Essentials for Pediatric Clinicians.