Emily Wernick Gordon, Psy.D.

02/28/2024

02/26/2024

It’s Eating Disorder Awareness Week, so I will be sharing important information about what ED’s are, who they impact and what we can do. Please reach out if you have questions or need resources.

10/10/2023

Today is World Mental Health Day 2023, a day to call awareness to the fact that mental health is important and we must break the stigma of silence. How are you doing, really? Do you need help or support? Can you check in with others in your life?

09/08/2023

I had a wonderful conversation with Lisa Dahl on her TV show, Getting Healthy Without Rules; our episode is Parenting, Breaking the Diet Cycle." Here, you learn more about how diet culture promotes disordered eating and unrealistic beauty standards. We discuss ways parents can protect kids from these harmful messages and foster positive body image instead. Lisa is a Certified Health and Well-Being Coach, and our conversation will support anyone wanting to learn how to improve their health and well-being through a non-diet, no-rule approach to health and wellness.

I'm honored to have been a guest on Lisa's show and to be able to add to the discussion about how to prevent eating disorders in our youth. To give you a tidbit, I believe the most important thing you can do as a parent to prevent eating disorders in your children is to make sure they know that they are loved for who and what they are on the inside, not for what they look like on the outside.

I'd love for you to listen to the full episode here:

Rules

In this episode of Getting Healthy Without Rules, we dive into the impacts of diet culture on mental health, parenting, and body image. Expert guest Dr. Emil...

11/22/2022

This is an important read for the holidays and really anytime. Lots of important ideas and useful tips for how navigate family gatherings and other social events in our current culture. If you have other ideas of what to say and how to direct conversation away from body and appearance, please share below!!

As we enter the winter holiday season, shame-based diet culture pressure, often wrapped up with toxic positivity to appear encouraging, increases. The good news is that parents can take an active role in helping teens craft an emotionally healthier narrative around their eating habits.

11/08/2022

What a great resource!

Take a look at MCSP's new website. It just launched and it is filled with new resource information! www.mcspnow.com

11/07/2022

How to Vote for Mental Health at the Ballot Box

It’s election week in the United States, and mental health is on my mind, specifically how we can prioritize mental health at the voting booths. The rates of anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and overall stress are on the rise across our country and especially in our young people. We really need politicians and lawmakers who are willing to address healthcare coverage and policies, access to mental health treatment and the issues that are fueling the rise of mental illness and suffering that we are facing.

What happens at the polls really matters. In the most basic sense, elected officials make decisions about health care access, coverage and treatment. These decisions impact us as individuals, as families and as communities. Every policy decision that is being debated has mental health implications, some more obvious than others.

First and foremost, we must show up to vote. This means make sure you are registered to vote according to the regulations of your state. And make sure you have a plan as to when and how you will cast your ballot. Second, laws impact criminal policy which can affect mental health. Third, we need laws and policies that support health and wellness rather than policies that cause trauma, stress and anxiety and therefore perpetuate the cycle of trauma.

There are several bills currently in process in the House and the Senate relating to mental health. For example, the Anna Westin Legacy Act of 2022, the Mental Health Services for Students Act of 2020 or the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-being Act of 2022. Do some research on which lawmakers have supported these bills and what your candidates are saying about supporting this legislation. Vote for people who support these important measures.

When you vote, the candidates you vote for and the officials who are elected are important. Look for those who have demonstrated a commitment to equitable health care, personal safety, the right to personal freedoms and the protection of all human rights. Now more than ever, we need politicians who demonstrate empathy, compassion, intelligence, critical thinking, and integrity. While no candidate is perfect, you can and should show prioritize those who are committed to the health and wellness of individuals in our society.

But voting is not enough. We must do more. Philanthropy, activism and volunteerism are all critical. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you pick something and do it. Not only does your individual vote matter, but our collective vote in support of mental health matters greatly.

There are a lot of issues we need to address around mental health and healthcare, and we are going to need elected officials who understand and prioritize these issues. Our votes must send the message that we are valuing health and wellness. Please vote for mental health at the ballot box.

10/10/2022

What I Learned About Mental Health Care From A Bike Accident I recently spent the better part of a Sunday in the Emergency Room in a reknown Boston hospital after my daughter crashed into a tree while biking. She received excellent care and has recovered remarkably well.

10/10/2022

TODAY is WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY

What an opportunity to check in with yourself and those around you. How are you, really? What do you need? Mental health is real and requires cultivation and action. Mental health is the ability to deal with difficult feelings, it is not the absence of stress and pain. What will you do today (and every day) to take care of your own mental health?

05/18/2022