Ways to Help Your Lonely Teen

Gene Beresin, MD, MA, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and clinical educator with more than 40 years of experience working with youth, has focused his career on prevention, early intervention, and treatment of teens and young adults. Dr. Beresin is often called upon by news media to weigh in on societal issues relevant to this vulnerable population, and has published numerous papers and chapters on a variety of topics, including mental health and media, eating disorders, personality disorders, and child and adolescent psychiatric treatments. Among his publications, Dr. Beresin is a regular contributing author to Psychology Today, and in 2022 released authored the book Music (Arts for Health) on the healing power of music as a fundamental aspect of individual identity and personal well-being.

As a clinician with a passion for the power of arts to reach diverse audiences on various aspects of youth mental health, Dr. Beresin is well-versed in speaking with the media and has contributed to many reputable news outlets including The New York Times, BBC News, Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and NPR. Dr. Beresin has consulted to a variety of television shows including ER and Law & Order: SVU. He was Consultant to the Emmy Award winning HBO children's specials Goodnight Moon and Other Sleepytime Tales (2000), Through a Child's Eyes: September 11, 2001 (2003), and Classical Baby (2005). He was script consultant, expert, and actor in Brains on Trial with Alan Alda, produced by Chedd-Angier, a PBS broadcast (2013). His Clay Center short films Looking for Luke and Bipolar Disorder and the Arts: Mark Vonnegut's Story have been nationally recognized as official selections of several film festivals, including the 2023 NYC Mental Health Film Festival.

Dr. Beresin has served as a leader of many national organizations and has won a number of local and national teaching awards. He is currently serving a term as President of the American College of Psychiatrists, and previously served as President of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training. Past awards include the Vestermark Award for Outstanding Teaching by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the National Institute of Mental Health; the Parker Palmer Courage to Teach Award by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education; and The Nancy Roeske Award for Outstanding Medical Student Teaching by the APA. He is Distinguished Life Fellow of the APA, and Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Dr. Beresin is executive director for the Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a full Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and the Director of Education for the Division of Professional and Public Education in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is co-host of the Clay Center podcast Shrinking It Down: Mental Health Made Simple.