BUA Parent Education Series
The Boston University Academy Parent Education Series offers parenting-specific workshops from a variety of experts in their fields.
Upcoming Events:
“Digital Advice and Connection: How and Why Our Kids Turn to AI Chatbots and Influencers for Guidance” with Dr. Jill Walsh
Tuesday, September 30, 2025 | 2:15-3:15 p.m.
BUA Black Box Theater
Kids and teens are turning to AI chatbots and influencers for guidance on everything from how to dress and act in social settings to advice on managing mental illness. In this talk, Dr. Walsh will address the positive and concerning aspects of these relationships. Dr. Walsh will highlight what we need to look for in our children’s parasocial connections and offer suggestions for approaching these important conversations with teens. She will also provide practical strategies for encouraging healthy digital connections.
Bio:
Jill Walsh is a researcher and lecturer at Boston University. She obtained a PhD in Sociology from Boston University in 2014, and earlier earned a Masters in Public Policy from Brown University and a B.A from Harvard University. Prior to completing her graduate coursework, she taught, coached, and mentored high school students at the Noble and Greenough School for five years.
Her recent work examines the way that social media, and the need to document the self online, has altered the paths to adolescent development. Her dissertation entitled The Highlight Reel and Real Me: How Adolescents Construct the Facebook Fable, is a multi-method study arguing that Facebook has become a public space where adolescents engage in self-reflection and dialogue.
This work has been developed into a book, “Adolescence and Their Social Media Narratives: A Digital Coming of Age”, published in 2017 by Routledge. She currently teaches undergraduate and graduate levels courses on the intersection between society and technology, with an emphasis on the millennial generation.
She was a member of a research team on a two year grant commissioned by schools to examine the relationship between high achieving students and stress. She was brought into this project as the technology and adolescent expert to study the role that technology plays in the stress processes. This work is beginning again as the research team is commencing a longitudinal study examining mentors’ ability to foster purpose in teens as a buffer to stress.
Previous Events:
“Helping Teens Grow Up Healthy, Smart, and Kind in a Screen-Saturated World”
with Dr. Michael Rich, MD, MPH
Wednesday, February 19, 2025 | 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Bio:
Michael Rich, MD, MPH practices adolescent medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital and is an associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Rich is the founder and director of the Digital Wellness Lab and the Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders (CIMAID), the first evidence-based medical program addressing physical, mental, and social health issues associated with digital technology use. Known as “The Mediatrician,” Dr. Rich offers research-based, actionable, and practical answers to parents’, educators’, and clinicians’ questions about children’s and adolescents’ media use and the positive and negative implications for their health and development. Dr. Rich is recognized for his acclaimed work as a pediatrician, child health researcher, and children’s media specialist and is the author of The Mediatrician’s Guide: A Joyful Approach to Raising Healthy, Smart, Kind Kids in a Screen-Saturated World.
“Embracing the Teen Years: The Struggles, the Joys, and the Reality”
with Dr. Olivia Moorehead-Slaughter
Tuesday, October 1, 2024 | 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Dr. Moorehead-Slaughter will discuss the realities of ‘good enough’ parenting for teens in today’s world, offering her insights and answering your questions.
Bio:
Olivia Moorehead-Slaughter, PhD is a child clinical licensed Psychologist with over 35 years of experience working with children, adolescents, families and adults across a range of settings including outpatient mental health clinics, schools, child care centers, juvenile and probate courts, community health centers, and social service agencies. For 26 years, Dr. Moorehead-Slaughter was the Psychologist at The Park School (a pre-kindergarten through grade eight independent school) in Brookline, Massachusetts where she is known as “Dr. O.” Since 2004, she has been a faculty member of the Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology (CMTP), an APA accredited predoctoral internship program at Boston University Chobanian and Avedesian School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center. She is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University Chobanian and Avedesian School of Medicine. Dr. Moorehead-Slaughter is the former Chair of the Massachusetts Board of Licensure for Psychologists and the American Psychological Association (APA) Ethics Committee. She is Past President of APA’s Division 35 (The Society for the Psychology of Women) and in 2014, received the Division 35 Bonnie R. Strickland and Jessica Henderson Daniel Distinguished Mentoring Award. In 2019, she was the recipient of APA’s Division 35 Foremothers Mentorship Career Excellence Award. She was given a National Multicultural Conference and Summit (NMCS) Distinguished Elder Award in 2024. Dr. Moorehead-Slaughter is the former Chair of the APA Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest (BAPPI) and a former member of the APA Board of Educational Affairs (BEA). She was elected to serve on APA’s Council of Representatives (COR) representing Division 35 from 2021-2024, and served as Chair of COR’s Women’s Caucus (2023). Dr. Moorehead-Slaughter was recently elected Recording Secretary of the APA Board of Directors and will serve from 2025-2027. She has a private consulting practice which includes working with faculty and administrators in independent schools throughout the country on issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion; professional mentorship; and clinical consultation, presentations, workshops, and retreats. Since 2004, Dr. Moorehead-Slaughter has served on the faculty of the Diversity Directions Independent School Seminar (held each summer at Brooks School in North Andover or virtually) and also consults to independent schools with Diversity Directions throughout the year. She has served as a board member of the Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE) and Domestic Violence Ended (DoVE). She identifies as a cisgendered, African-American/Black female, feminist, heterosexual, cisgender, married, mother of 2 adult sons. Her pronouns are she/her/hers.
“Navigating AI: Responsible Tech Use for Teens”
with Dr. Jill Walsh
Tuesday, February 27, 2024 | 7:30-8:45 p.m.
With the rise and rapidly changing landscape of AI and Chat GPT, what are ways in which it can be used in academically enriching ways and how can we model and talk about productive tech use with our children? Additionally, how can we steady ourselves, and model for our kids, responsible tech use?
Bio:
Dr. Jill Walsh is a sociology professor at Boston University. She is also the founder of Digital Aged, a consulting group that educates students, families, and educational institutions about positive technology use. She earned a PhD in Sociology from Boston University, a Masters in Public Policy from Brown University and a BA from Harvard University. Before going to graduate school, she taught 9th-12th grades at an independent school in the Boston area.
Her research looks at the way that digital media use impacts psychosocial well-being and development. Her book Adolescents and their Social Media Narratives: A Digital Coming of Age was published in 2017 and she publishes academic research on youth development and emerging media. Her research interests include social media and identity work, parasocial relationships, and the links between technology and mental health.
“Growing Up Mindful: Navigating Anxiety, Stress, and Mental Health with
Real-Life Strategies for your Busy Students”
with Dr. Chris Willard
Tuesday, October 24, 2023 | 12:30-1:30 p.m.
BUA is honored to host Dr. Chris Willard for a special Parents Day edition of our Parent Education Series. Dr. Willard is a clinical psychologist, faculty member at Harvard Medical School, author, consultant, and a leading practitioner on implementing mindfulness programs that enhance emotional regulation and resilience in schools. This event, will take place on Parents Day, Tuesday, October 24 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the GSU Auditorium, and is a unique chance to hear from an expert in the field of mindfulness and meditation while you wait for your parent-advisor conference.
“Raising Resilient Teens”
with The Resilience Project, a Newton-Wellesley Hospital program
Tuesday, April 25, 2023 | 7:00 p.m.
Parents have a pivotal role in building and supporting healthy habits, resiliency and positive coping in their children. We recognize the powerful ways parents shape their children, as well how difficult it sometimes is to be a parent: managing conflict, having difficult conversations, knowing when and how to set limits, even worrying about how to best support a child. The Resilience Project, an innovative school- and community-based initiative based at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, is designed to complement schools in providing education and support to parents in their efforts to raise healthy, resilient children.
“Behind their Screens: What Teens are Facing (and Adults are Missing)”
with Dr. Carrie James and Dr. Emily Weinstein, authors of Behind their Screens
Tuesday, January 17, 2023 | 7:30-8:45 p.m.
As new information emerges about the impacts of social media and screens on young people, so do new strategies to guide and protect teens. But what do adolescents themselves have to say? Harvard University researchers Dr. Emily Weinstein and Dr. Carrie James interviewed over 3,500 teenagers for their latest book, Behind Their Screens: What Teens are Facing (and Adults are Missing). Much of what they found — from the teens’ own fears and concerns, to the unique ways in which they use technology — is surprising.
“Inclusion and Belonging in High Schools: Recent Trends and What Parents Can Do”
with diversity and inclusion strategist Dr. Derrick Gay
Thursday, November 17, 2022| 8:00-9:00 p.m.
Dr. Derrick Gay is a Diversity and Inclusion Strategist who consults with schools and organizations, both domestically and abroad. He has consulted with BUA on a number of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives, and has spent time with our students and faculty. Dr. Gay will share an update about recent trends and the role of parents and guardians in fostering inclusion and belonging.
“Anxiety in Adolescence: Evidence-Based Ways to Support Your Child”
with BU Child Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders doctoral students Alicia Fenley and Kristine Lee
Wednesday, May 4, 2022
Alicia Fenley and Kristine Lee, doctoral students and researchers at Boston University’s Child Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, will share clinical insights and research on anxiety and how parents can best support their teenage children.
“The Science of Diverse Communities”
with Stanford University Professor of Psychology Dr. Claude Steele
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
Drawing on stereotype threat and social identity threat research, this talk will address the why, what and how of diverse learning communities: why they are important, a working hypothesis about what is critical to their success and what research reveals about how to achieve that success. The talk’s practical aim is to identify features of diverse learning communities—schools, universities and academic disciplines—that while good for all students, are especially helpful for minority students generally, and for women in STEM fields. The talk will also explore the psychological significance of community and its role in learning.
“Helping Teenagers Manage Anxiety, Stress, and Other Powerful Emotions”
with clinical psychologist and author Dr. Lisa Damour
Monday, January 31, 2022
In this virtual presentation, Dr. Damour will address: teens’ heightened emotional concerns in the context of the pandemic; how to best support psychological wellbeing; how parents can help teens manage emotions effectively.
“Teenagers and Technology: Best Practices in the Pandemic”
with Dr. Jill Walsh
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
“The Double-Edged Sword: Reframing Diversity to Drive Equity and Inclusion”
with Dr. Derrick Gay
Thursday, February 18, 2021
The murder of George Floyd served as a watershed moment, highlighting longstanding racial injustice in the United States. This increased awareness manifested in independent schools last spring, when students, faculty, and alumni shared sobering personal experiences of racial and other forms of discrimination in independent schools. As schools aim to create more inclusive environments, what conversations should parents and guardians have with students to advance inclusion in meaningful and enduring ways? During this session, Dr. Derrick Gay will share insights gleaned from over 25 years advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in independent schools and across a number of industries.
“Parenting in a Pandemic”
with Dr. Rob Evans and Dr. Michael Thompson
Thursday, January 7, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit families hard. Many families are dealing with disruption to routine, threats to employment, and the loss of social supports; parents are worried that their children will emerge traumatized from this long disruption. In this talk, Dr. Evans and Dr. Thompson will address the issues and fears affecting families and will offer psychologically sound suggestions for steadying their children and themselves in this difficult time.