Duke Expert Welcomes Surgeon General’s Advisory on Parents and Stress

The Office of the Surgeon General issued an advisory Wednesday, calling attention to rising levels of parental stress as a matter of public health.

Quotes: “This advisory is incredibly timely as children of all ages head back to school and stress may go up for both children and their parents, caregivers, and teachers,” said Robin Gurwitch, Ph.D., a Duke clinical psychologist and director of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy and Child Adult Relationship Enhancement (CARE) Training at the Center for Child & Family Health.

“A strong, positive relationship between young people and the adults in their lives not only serves as a protective factor against stressors,” Gurwitch said.

The CARE Program is a universal program for all adults interacting with children under age 18 to improve relationships. The program teaches skills that have been shown to make a significant difference in homes, schools, and mental health. The program is free to help youth in areas considered high-risk for disasters as well as communities that have been impacted by such events or mass violence.

Bio: In addition to her roles at Duke Center for Child & Family Health, Gurwitch is a co-investigator of a new grant from SAMHSA for the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative focusing on disasters, terrorism, and mass casualty events. She is an internationally recognized expert in supporting children after trauma and disasters.