Episode Details

Phyllis L. Fagell, LCPC, is a school counselor in Washington, DC, a therapist who works with children and teens in private practice, and an author and journalist. She is the author of Middle School Matters: The 10 Key Skills Kids Need to Thrive in Middle School and Beyond – and How Parents Can Help, and her new book is Middle School Superpowers: Raising Resilient Tweens in Turbulent Times.

Here are some highlights from the show

Phyllis is a frequent contributor to The Washington Post and freelances for publications such as Psychology Today, CNN, Working Mother, U.S. News & World Report, and Your Teen. Her ideas have been shared in outlets including The New York Times, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Edutopia, Mindshift, The Chicago Tribune, and NPR. She has three children and lives with her husband in Bethesda, Maryland.

Addressing Anxiety in Youth

Phyllis shares insightful strategies to combat the rising anxiety rates among middle school kids. She remarks, “Educators are all counselors now…we must understand the developmental stages and become equipped to respond…”

Individual Responses

• One-on-one interactions.
• Observing and understanding.
• Adopting mindfulness practices.

Collective Responses

• Identifying as helpers.
• Defining what anxiety truly means.
• Demonstrating how to ask for help.
• Encouraging adults to cope out loud.

Superpowers Discussion

• The “Forcefield” superpower and its benefits.
• “Optimism” as the antidote to the “Eeyore Syndrome.”

Other Discussions

I reference a couple of other research pieces that Phyllis and I discuss, including:

Jean Twenge’s book Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents―and What They Mean for America’s Future

Hidden Brain’s podcast with Anna Lembke and her book Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence, by Anna Lembke, 2021. Check out that episode here.

Finally, Phyllis suggests three questions for helping students think about their use of social media

• What for? (Identify the purpo