Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein is a bestselling author and visionary filmmaker who uses positive psychology concepts to help kids deal with bullying, anxiety, depression, loneliness, school shootings, and social media issues. In the tradition of authors like Judy Blume, Dr. Holstein pushes the envelope in covering the challenges girls really face without sugarcoating it or downplaying the feelings or passions young girls experience.
Unlike their predecessors, today's youth confront vulnerabilities unimaginable merely decades ago. Seismic shifts demand a re-calibration of our perspectives. Sadly, due to these modern-day pressures, a very large percentage of girls today have seriously considered suicide. That qualifies as a seismic shift, and that alone demands we take action.
The realities faced by previous generations were vastly different. They did not include things like school shootings, climate change, and non-stop social media bullying. One thing has not changed, however. Advice given to kids, if it contains any semblance of "old-school," is met with swift rejection by those who would benefit most. So how do we reach this generation of girls and provide them with the resources they need to build self-esteem and resilience?
Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein is a visionary psychologist and filmmaker whose unprecedented selfie films have garnered over 200 placements and awards. Her singular vision is to help girls build resilience, self-esteem, and discover their own talents, abilities, and self-worth. She recently announced a groundbreaking podcast series featuring parents, educators, authors, and thought leaders endeavoring to cultivate these critical qualities in children. Every episode will present ideas regarding how self-esteem can be woven into the fabric of our children's daily experiences. Through insightful discussion, she hopes to find innovative ways to help our kids navigate life's trials with courage and confidence.
"As a positive psychologist and among many other roles in life such as a grandmother, I shiver when I think of what stresses we put on today's children," Dr. Holstein stated. "My mother was a stay-at-home mom until I was 6, when she started college. That meant she and I had long days of going to the park, going downtown to New Haven to Malley's, the big department store where I had delicious lunches and we met up with my grandmother. Other than getting lost one day when I wanted to weigh myself on the 5 and 10 cent scale, which resulted in my mom screaming and finally a tall lady holding me high until my mom saw me, life was containable and understandable.
"I had parents and grandparents and neighborhood kids to play in the dirt with and even a little boy who terrorized me by always telling me he was going to put me in the giant mailbox and I would never see my parents again. Well, it wasn't a perfect world, but I did learn math early from my dad, and made endless puzzles with my mom and loved lunch out and the giant elevator at the department store which was to me at 3 and 4 amazing. No it wasn't perfect and there wasn't much money. When I wanted a baby doll I saved pennies for months in a piggy bank. But there was safety. There was no TV, one radio, and a four way phone. Parents weren't worried about letting their kids cross the street to the park and kids being there unattended. Neighbors could be relied upon to care for each other's children.
"There was a sense of safety that existed and has now been destroyed. How will we repair the world so that normal safety and caring can be assured to our children? Does anyone know at this point? I'll do my best. I hope that if everyone pitches in, we can calm our country down so that good values and caring attitudes can be shared once again. I'm trying through podcasts and films and books to do my part. What will you do?"
The new podcast series is now available at https://www.enchantedself.com/resilience-self-esteem-podcast/.
Dr. Holstein has spent decades developing tools and techniques to help girls enhance self esteem and resilience. One of those tools, a workbook for girls titled, 'Looking Good, Feeling Good', just achieved bestseller status, an honor that many of her other books have achieved. The ebook hit the top of the Teen and Young Adult Self Esteem eBooks.
In this workbook, Each girl is offered an engaging opportunity to develop her creative talents and potential as she processes and better understands the angst of growing up and how it can be successfully handled. She can bring her own talents to her thoughts and responses to the issues presented which will further take her along a road of enhanced resilience and better self esteem. She can share her creative thoughts and answer questions, and even create poetry, start a play, draw a picture, or she can get out her phone and use it as a diary, or a means of sharing ideas about growing up with a friend, her mom or grandma. Or she can actually make selfie films with her phone which can be a great enhancer for self esteem and sharing one's creative talents.
She has also announced the release of a new selfie film series. The new series includes 7 films:
Self Esteem And Resilience Series - Video 1. The Truth - A Short Film
A young girl shares her diary - falling in love, hating her mother, hating her parents fighting, being afraid to grow up, being upset that they may move, loving the locket her aunt gives her and feeling loved in ways by her aunt that her parents can't seem to muster, wishing the boy she is in love with would grow taller, confronting her disappointment that she has no relationship with him, sharing her glee at having a best friend and confiding in each other, coming to terms with growing up, letting go of her first love, getting ready to move and more.
Self Esteem And Resilience Series - Video 2. Falling In Love - A Coming Of Age Selfie Film
A young teen talks to 'you' via Selfies on her smart phone. In these conversations the girl shares her loneliness moving, losing her best friend, her beginning friendships with new kids, and her realization that she has fallen in love again.
Self Esteem And Resilience Series - Video 3. Secrets - A Coming Of Age Selfie Film
Based on Secrets, Diary of a Gutsy Tween, this 10 minute film takes the audience on the complicated roller coaster ride of being 13. The 'girl' hates her parents, falls in love, has puberty and body concerns, realizes that secrets matter and finds herself in a miserable accidental situation. But all ends on an upbeat note with the girl realizing she is most in touch with happiness and a sense of joy when she is being true to herself.
Self Esteem And Resilience Series - Video 4. Conflict And A Bit Of Magic - A Coming Of Age Selfie Film
The 'Girl' is traumatized by being ditched by a boyfriend, a bully, alcohol and kids taking drugs. Who can understand and help her? Maybe her aunt, who she gets to visit. A seance with a Medium in which the 'girl's' great-grandmother comes through gives her the courage she needs to ask her mom questions and in turn to learn some family secrets.
Esteem And Resilience Series - Video 5. The Medium - A Coming Of Age Selfie Film
The girl, unhappy, goes to visit a favorite aunt who takes her to see a medium. The girl's great grandmother is channeled in and changes happen for the better. Was this real of a set-up? Does that matter?
Self Esteem And Resilience Series - Video 6. Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction - A Coming Of Age Selfie Film
Two traumatic events structure the 'Girl's' high school year: a lockdown and a family secret. She is shocked yet manages to recover and to understand the importance and value of family and the complexity of truth.
Self Esteem And Resilience Series - Video 7. Lockdown
Three teens find themselves in the girls' bathroom during a lock down in school. Each respond emotionally differently. All are affected.
All the films are available at https://vimeo.com/showcase/10863899, and on the Roku channel, The Enchanted Self Presents.
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:
Five bestselling, award-winning books (perfect for school libraries)
Five 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 workbook for kids, ‘Secrets’ also 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 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, Readers Digest, Parade, 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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