In the tradition of authors like Judy Blume, Dr. Holstein pushes the envelope in covering the challenges girls really face, without sugar coating it or downplaying the feelings or passions young girls experience, regarding things that are important to them at this stage of their development.
Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein's mission is to nurture the resilience and self-esteem of young girls. This effort resonates not only with mental health professionals, but also parents, grandparents, and educators alike. Today however, a formidable obstacle looms large: the pervasive influence of social media. Social media unleashes a host of challenges, making Dr. Holstein's mission more vital and urgent than ever before.
Excessive use of social media can lead to anxiety, depression, and feelings of loneliness and inadequacy, as children may compare themselves to others and face cyberbullying. Children can be targets of online harassment, which can have serious emotional and psychological consequences, affecting their self-esteem and overall mental health. Exposure to idealized and unrealistic images on social media can contribute to body dissatisfaction and unhealthy attitudes toward body image and appearance. Young children may feel pressured to conform to societal standards and engage in risky behaviors to fit in with their peers on social media. There is no end to the negative impacts social media has on young people. Dr. Holstein addressed these challenges in a recent video. In that video, she stated in part:
"When I was in elementary school. There may have been a bully on the playground who said something mean to me once in a while. There may have been a girl in my classroom, or maybe several girls that became a little gang, and when they had a birthday party, I wasn't included. Things like this did happen.
"However, think about the way it happens today. Now, when a young person is bullied, she may be checking social media every few minutes. Hour after hour to see if this person is continuing to bully her. She may even resort to try to hold her cell phone in the bed with her so she can see if anyone is still bullying her. Her life has become totally contaminated with the pressures of realizing that she is being bullied. She can carry that with her for hours and hours and days and weeks. So my advice to you, if you're a parent or responsible for a child, is to be totally involved in what your son or daughter are dealing with on social media. Make sure they understand you are here to help them. And you can. After all, you are a parent, you have every right to monitor what they are seeing and how they want to respond. In fact, it's your responsibility and it will make you feel good to take the responsibility your child will feel safer and it will lead to less extreme problems happening because of social media."
The video can be viewed at https://youtu.be/04MT1SZzqEs.
Dr. Holstein hopes to bring parents, teachers, librarians, grandparents and media together to accomplish one goal: Change in the lives of young people who suffer from anxiety and a growing sense of hopelessness and despair.
Dr. Holstein wraps Positive Psychology concepts in forms of media that young people find engaging, relatable and inspiring. These include:
Four bestselling, award-winning books (perfect for school libraries)
Four self-esteem workbooks for girls 8 and up
Award-winning films and coming of age selfie films
Podcasts
Dedicated websites
Stage plays
A library of articles
Ted-style talks
As a school psychologist and in her private practice, Dr. Holstein has worked with many children and parents, helping them to develop life skills in decision-making, recognition of their own talents, feel more courageous, and helping both kids and parents develop more successful inter-generational skills. Her last book, ‘Conflict and a Bit of Magic’, helps kids build self-esteem though reading the journal of a girl, identifying with the girl, and understanding they have more courage and resiliency than they thought they had. The book is based on the experiences of the already famous “girl” from 'The Truth, Diary of a Gutsy Tween' and 'Secrets, Diary of a Gutsy Teen', and achieved bestseller status in the multi-generational families category.
Dr. Holstein’s latest workbook for kids, ‘Secrets’ achieved bestseller status in the ‘Teen & Young Adult Nonfiction on Depression’ category.
Dr. Holstein's cutting-edge presentations, most recently based on the Covid-19 pandemic issues, can be found on both YouTube, Vimeo and on the Roku channel and Amazon Fire TV, titled as 'The Enchanted Self Presents'.
Dr. Holstein recently created The Selfie Showcase, a new project emerging from The Selfie Project, that allows young people to voice their opinions on subjects that matter to young people, including the pandemic.
The Selfie Showcase allows kids, teens, and young adults ages 13 to 18 to candidly express their concerns, worries, observations and possible solutions by creating selfie videos or films around important subjects using a smartphone. Dr. Holstein's mission is to help rectify, in several ways, some issues young people face by giving them a chance to engage with others in meaningful ways about the anxiety and stress they must grapple with constantly.
Dr. Holstein is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at barbara.holstein@gmail.com.More information about the Selfie Showcase is available at http://www.selfiefilmmakers.com. Selfie videos and selfie films can be uploaded at the site. Potential podcast guests can contact Dr. Holstein by email. More information is available at her primary website at http://www.enchantedself.com.
Profile:
Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein, internationally known Positive Psychologist is the creator of The Enchanted Self ®, a positive psychology method for happiness and a pioneer in Selfies as Film. Dr. Holstein's Enchanted Self website was included as one of the best websites in positive psychology. She is in private practice in Long Branch, New Jersey with her husband, Dr. Russell M. Holstein.
Dr. Barbara can be found on the web, interviewed, writing articles and posting video 'TED' style talks on Happiness, Positive Psychology, Relationships and Parenting. Her Roku channel is: The Enchanted Self Presents.
She has been a contributor to Your Tango, Heart and Soul, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Honey Good, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Redbook, Real Simple, Women’s World, The Wall Street Journal, Psychcentral.com, Time online, the Today Show and Family Circle Magazine.
Contact:
Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein
170 Morris Ave.,
Long Branch, New Jersey 07740
barbara.holstein@gmail.com
732-571-1200
http://www.enchantedself.com
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