Jacqueline Corcoran publishes “Your Child’s Mental Health Diagnosis”

New book by SP2’s Doctorate in Clinical Social Work Program director described as “go-to guide for those raising children with mental disorders”

According to the National Institutes of Health, 20 percent of youth ages three to seventeen in the United States have a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral disorder, and mental health challenges were the leading cause of death and disability in the age group. Suicidal behaviors among high school students also increased more than 40 percent in the decade before 2019.

Responding to this troubling landscape, the book “Your Child’s Mental Health Diagnosis: A Comprehensive and Compassionate Guide for Parents” by Dr. Jacqueline Corcoran provides valuable information, support, and strategies for parents navigating their children’s mental health conditions and emotional well-being.

“I have clinical experience and lived experience with this subject, and I have worked with many children and their families,” says Corcoran, a professor at Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) who is also a private practice psychotherapist. “Not surprisingly, youth mental health evolved as a scholarship interest of mine, and I’ve done many systematic reviews on disorders and well-being.”

Rowman & Littlefield published the book in June 2024, describing it as “an empathetic guide backed by up-to-date research” with several facets:

• Draws back the curtain on how diagnoses are determined in the U.S. and both the limits and benefits of labels
• Addresses the overwhelming emotions parents may feel when witnessing their child suffer and emphasizes the importance of parents looking after their own mental health and relationships
• Provides comprehensive information about each condition’s symptoms, frequently co-occurring disorders, contributory factors, evidence-based treatments, medication options, working with your child’s school, and parents’ own insights

Corcoran hopes to address a gap between diagnosis and support. She says, “Fifty percent of youth with a disorder don’t get needed treatment, so my hope with this book is to reach parents who are struggling to help their children and provide them with information, support, and resources.”

Corcoran has been a master’s level social worker for over 33 years and has enjoyed 25 years of productive academic scholarship. She is director of the Doctorate in Clinical Social Work (DSW) Program at Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice and has written 18 books and over 100 journal articles and book chapters. Corcoran was the first person in social work to publish a book on evidence-based practice, “Evidence-Based Social Work Practice with Families,” which she wrote in 2000 as an assistant professor. Her areas of scholarship include adult and youth mental health, and her methodological specialty involves systematic reviews. Corcoran is committed to continuing the compilation of knowledge to further the evidence basis of social work with the mission of bringing relevant services to oppressed and vulnerable people.