“Throat Punching the Youth Mental Health Crisis” | Andrea Mata, Ph.d.

Описание: In this episode of the Make It Happen Podcast, I sit down with Andrea Mata, Ph.d.—clinical child psychologist and founder of BrightSpot Families—for a conversation that hits hard (in the best way).

We talk about the youth mental health crisis and the uncomfortable questions surrounding it:

Why anxiety and depression feel like they’re everywhere
How parenting trends (and swinging the pendulum too far) can backfire
What COVID did to families—and why it widened the gap
Why schools and colleges are overwhelmed and under-equipped
The “mental health day” debate (and what actually helps)
Phones, social media, and why AI chatbots as “friends” is a problem
The real-life skills kids aren’t learning—and how that shows up in college + the workplace
What solutions actually look like: family values, community, mentorship, and practical coping skills

If you’re a parent, educator, coach, or leader—this one is for you.

Guest: Andrea Mata, Ph.d.
BrightSpot Families: https://www.brightspotfamilies.com/
Andrea’s website: https://andreadmata.com/
LinkedIn:   / drdremata  

Filmed at: Toledo Tech Loft (Downtown Toledo)

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#MakeItHappenPodcast #MentalHealth #Parenting #Education #GenZ #aiagents

00:00 – Intro: “Cool people doing cool things” + why this topic matters
00:57 – The “Throat Punch” headline controversy (and why Andrea stands by it)
01:17 – The scale of the problem: youth mental health stats + what’s showing up most
04:27 – How we got here: the pendulum swing into “gentle parenting”
07:20 – COVID’s impact: the “family functioning gap” (strong families got stronger)
09:53 – Schools: SEL, trauma-informed practices, and what teachers are being asked to carry
11:48 – Mental health days: when they help vs when they worsen avoidance
17:30 – Phones + social media: age recommendations and what kids actually need
18:38 – AI chatbots as “friends/therapists”: why this scares both of us
23:07 – Suicide and loneliness: “we’ve known this for years” and the research/practice gap
27:24 – What families can do: values, belonging, autonomy, competence
28:47 – Rebuilding “the village”: neighbors, community, and getting off the screens
32:20 – The lost life skills: landlines, phone calls, ordering food, confidence
35:07 – Gen Z in the workplace: why businesses are struggling with readiness
35:55 – AI cheating in school: motivation is the real root issue
39:18 – Mentorship + direction: helping young adults find a “North Star”
44:07 – Helping the families who need it most: collaboration and breaking nonprofit silos
46:33 – Events + sponsorship ideas: date nights, family nights, board games with skills
48:41 – Why businesses should bring in parenting experts (it’s leadership training too)
50:26 – How to connect with Andrea (Bright Spot Families + her channels)
51:10 – Andrea’s origin story: the moment that shaped her mission
54:04 – Wrap-up + closing