Anthony L. Rostain, MD, MA is currently Chief and Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Cooper
University Health Care and Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at Cooper Medical School of Rowan
University in Camden, NJ. He is also Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania. He and Dr. B. Janet Hibbs are co-authors of The Stressed Years of Their Lives, a guide for parents who want to support the mental health of their college students. The co-authors teamed up again, with You’re Not Done Yet: Parenting Young Adults in an Age of Uncertainty (2024). Parents and families are the primary safety net for today’s young adults, who increasingly rely on them to support their educational, personal and career choices. This book offers the support and solid guidance needed for this complicated stage of parenting.
An internationally renowned speaker and educator, Dr. Rostain has lectured throughout North America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East on a variety of topics ranging from neurodevelopmental disorders across the life span, child and adolescent mental disorders, stress in college-aged students, and parenting in the new millennium, to professional development, ethics, communication skills, wellness, and resilience education. He has led dozens of career development workshops for research and clinical fellows in medicine and has facilitated retreats for pediatric and medical residents for over 35 years. An energetic and engaging speaker and workshop leader, Dr. Rostain is highly valued for his ability to engage his audiences and stimulate discussion regarding salient topics. He has appeared frequently on local NPR radio shows (“Voices in the Family” and “Radio Times”), local television stations, and has been quoted in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Dr. Anthony Rostain’s primary area of expertise is “lifespan neurodevelopmental psychiatry,” which includes disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Tourette Syndrome, Autistic Spectrum Disorders, Academic Skills Disorders, Intellectual Disabilities, Nonverbal Learning Disabilities and other neurologically based conditions that adversely impact cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning. Dr. Rostain has been an innovator in developing integrative, multidisciplinary, collaborative mental health services for people with these disorders. He has played a major role in advancing the study and treatment of child, adolescent, and adult ADHD including launching the first programs in the Delaware Valley and leading the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders. He is currently involved in NIMH-funded research evaluating the effectiveness of a group-based CBT intervention for college students with ADHD. He is also co-leading a major NJ Department of Health sponsored effort to improve the training of health care providers in delivering pediatric mental health services to youth and families.
In addition to The Stressed Years of Their Lives, he has co-authored two books on adult ADHD, entitled The Adult ADHD Tool Kit: Using CBT to Facilitate Coping Inside and Out and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Adult ADHD: An Integrative Psychosocial and Medical Approach.
Dr. Rostain served as Vice Chair of Education for the Department of Psychiatry at Perelman School of Medicine from 1998-2017 and was Co-Chair of the University of Pennsylvania’s Task Force on Student Psychological Health and Welfare from 2014-16.
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 Hardcover
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 You're Not Done Yet
Parenting Young Adults in an Age of Uncertainty
St. Martin's Press
A clear-eyed, optimistic guide for parents with adult children who need help navigating the challenges to launching an independent life.
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 Trade Paperback
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The Stressed Years of Their Lives Helping Your Kid Survive and Thrive During Their College Years
St. Martin's Press
From two leading child and adolescent mental health experts comes a guide for the parents of every college and college-bound student who want to know what’s normal mental health and behavior, what’s not, and how to intervene before it’s too late. |
Launch Delays: Supporting Parents of Youth and Young Adults Drs. Hibbs and Rostain discuss youth’s educational journeys and the launch into young adulthood, through the lens of learning differences, executive functioning difficulties, mental health challenges and neuro-atypical development. We share professional and personal experiences, and impart important lessons about the specific challenges faced by parents, educators and youth that encounter these issues, amplified by the demands of online learning. The talk offers effective strategies for addressing screen time and social media, time and task management, anxiety and depression. We emphasize the vital importance of self-care activities that promote resilience, which parents, educators and youth need for healthy coping.
The Stressed Years of Their Lives: K-12 Childhood is evaporating into a life filled with over-scheduled activities and screen time, and adolescence has become a high-stakes, time-starved pressure cooker of stress, fear, and perfectionism for kids. The pandemic has amplified these secular trends. Many parents experience anxiety, wondering, "Will my child be OK?" and "Will they be ready for the challenges ahead?" We believe that parents can provide a sturdy safety net, supporting their child's resilience. Based on The Stressed Years of Their Lives, this talk provides practical advice and information for parents as they partner with educators to ready their students for a successful launch to college and early young adulthood. We review the unique stressors of this age and reveal the keys to health promotion and harm reduction.
The Stressed Years of Their Lives: College Parents today wonder, "What's going on?" as they absorb the daily reports of campus hazards, and skyrocketing rates of college mental health problems. Increasingly, both generations also stress over higher college costs and worry, "Is college worth it?" We share how educational leaders debate balancing the traditional emphasis on academic excellence with the value of non-cognitive, resilience-building instruction; while building college to career linkages. This illuminating talk provides plenty of tips for key conversations that both parents, college counselors, faculty and administrators can use to discern normal adolescent and young adult development, and better support the emotional well-being of students.
ADHD in Adults Drawing on over 35 years of clinical experience and research, Dr. Anthony Rostain explains how to improve clinical outcomes for patients with neuropsychiatric disorders of all ages, and how to create effective service systems for these patients and their families.
Dr. Rostain on the Adderall shortage for NPR’s On Point.
Watch Dr. Rostain speak about how to help students cope with college disappointment, in a talk with College Guidance Network.
Check out Dr. Hibbs and Dr. Rostain in The New York Times.
Listen to Dr. Hibbs and Dr. Rostain on the Free Library of Philadelphia podcast.
Dr. Rostain and Dr. Hibbs named as Plenary Speakers for the 2020 ACPA Convention.
Read Dr. Rostain’s and Dr. Hibbs’s article on preparing for the transition to college in The Wall Street Journal.
Dr. Rostain and Dr. Hibbs give advice on how to do well and be happy in college on NPR Life Kit.
Dr. Rostain and Dr. Hibbs talk about helping your college-bound child learn independence on NBC10 Philadelphia.
Dr. Rostain provides tips on how to get students emotionally ready for college on NBC10 Philadelphia.
Dr. Rostain and Dr. Hibbs discuss the campus mental health epidemic on NPR Fresh Air.
Dr. Rostain and Dr. Hibbs talk about “Stressed Generation Z” on The Lisa Show.
Interview on WBYU radio 1.24.2019 Dr. Rostain gives advice on how to balance your emotions while your child is away at college and struggling with their own.
Dr. Rostain and Dr. Hibbs talked with BYU Radio on why Generation Z is stressed.
Read why most of Generation Z is stressed out in an op-ed by Dr. Rostain and Dr. Hibbs.
Read Dr. Rostain’s commentary for Thrive Global on the need for increased campus resources for mental health.
Healio interviews Dr. Rostain about prescribing stimulants to treat ADHD.
Listen to Dr. Rostain discuss ADHD in adults on Voices in the Family.
Listen to Dr. Rostain talk about kids and meds on Voices in the Family.
Listen to Dr. Rostain speak about parenting children as they enter adulthood on Radio Times.
-Jan Sigmon, YPO Big Apple Gold Board Member and CEO/Founder of The University Playbook
"We have received numerous compliments as to the material that [Drs. Rostain and Hibbs] presented here at Alvernia University. The presentation on mental health and well-being was timely and relevant to the student populations that we serve, well done."
- Dr. Rudy Ruth, Executive Director of the Holleran Center for Global and Community Engagement, Alvernia University
"[Tony and B] did a wonderful job sharing with our attendees! Their slides and commentary were right on target for what our educational leaders needed to hear and take back to their schools for impact. Indeed, mental health is so incredibly important as we teach and develop students for college and life."
- Margaret ‘Sissy’ Wade, Ed.D., Executive Director, The Heads Network
"We have been receiving wonderful feedback about [Tony's and B's] talk. Folks found it to be informative, engaging and helpful! I'm so glad [they] were able to join us."
- Natan Gottesman, Ph.D., Psychologist, Friends Select School, k-12 Quaker School
"The speakers today were outstanding. I loved their presentation, their delivery and their expertise. Thank you for finding them and bringing them to campus. Our lunch conversation was one of the best we have ever had after a speaker."
- Kate O’Donnell, LCSW, Lower School Counselor, Colorado Academy
Praise for You're Not Done Yet "Rostain and Hibbs reference the latest research, integrated with their own professional and personal experiences, to dispense soothing assurance and solid advice for those struggling during a complicated stage of parenting ... Deeply researched ... this valuable resource offers compassionate, actionable advice for families going through a transition increasingly beset with unprecedented challenges."
— Booklist
“Hibbs and Rostain excel at explaining large-scale social trends, and the empathetic explorations of how parents and adult children perceive the world will help both find common ground. Not-quite-empty nesters will appreciate the guidance.”
— Publishers Weekly
“A must-read guide for parents of grown children who are not yet adulting. Hibbs and Rostain explain what our kids are up against, and the role parents play in helping them continue to grow and ultimately thrive. This book could not be more timely, and it delivers game-changing advice that parents are yearning for.”
—Julie Lythcott-Haims, author of Your Turn: How to Be An Adult and How to Raise an Adult
“A compassionate and sensitive look at the mental health challenges faced by twentysomethings in today’s rapidly changing world that will help parents of people this age better understand and communicate with their kids. It’s a terrific resource for parents, and their young adult children will have much to learn from it, too.”
—Laurence Steinberg, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Temple University and author of You and Your Adult Child: How to Grow Together in Challenging Times
Praise for The Stressed Years of Their Lives "This is the type of book every parent should read before discussions of college even begin. Packing in just the right amount of statistics and real-world scenarios, two doctors offer sound advice on how parents can better prepare their children for the challenging college years that lie ahead of them."
- Kirkus
“This book is a hopeful and essential guide that promotes emotional health and mental fitness in young people. The authors address mental illness and offer models for prevention, treatment, and recovery. A must-read for parents, educators, and clinicians.”
— Patrick J. Kennedy, former U.S. congressman, author of A Common Struggle, and sponsor of Paritytrack.org
“Childhood is disappearing for young adults, with the pressure to perform, the seductions of social media and the fears of an uncertain future, as stress, anxiety and depression are reaching epidemic proportions. I can think of no better guide than The Stressed Years of Their Lives for overwhelmed parents and stressed-out kids for navigating these turbulent times. This is required reading for the college set.”
— Brigid Schulte, author of the New York Times bestselling Overwhelmed: Work, Love and Play when No One Has the Time, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, director of The Better Life Lab at New America
“College-related anxiety and pressure on both parents and children begins long before the admissions process, changes and intensifies in college and has been escalating, alarming educators, mental health professionals and, of course, families themselves. Drs. Hibbs and Rostain have battled in this arena with courage, insight and a wealth of professional training and experience. This wonderful book defines and explores the many, varied minefields of the college years with candor and compassion, and provides parents with practical advice and support about what to look for, what to ask and say, and when and how to intervene. Having seen these pressures both as a parent and university president, I am grateful that there is now this long-overdue and extraordinary guide. It should be required reading for all parents.”
— Judith Rodin, former Provost of Yale University and President Emerita of the University of Pennsylvania
“Hibbs and Rostain have done a great service for parents trying to guide their kids through the transition to adulthood and college life in this high stress world. They’ve written an engaging and accessible book full of common sense guidance and tremendous clinical wisdom. They provide both specific advice about the important issues to consider and what parents and kids can do to be best positioned to address those issues in order to succeed and thrive.”
— Victor Schwartz, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at The Jed Foundation and Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine
“Drs. Hibbs and Rostain have a national reputation as highly knowledgeable and skilled adolescent psychotherapists, and for good reason. This book is filled with both clinical vignettes and research findings to help illuminate the very personal stories of what these young people struggle with, as well as some disturbing statistics about the mental health crisis in high schools and colleges. If you want to learn about adolescents and how to help them, please read this book first.”
— Daniel Gottlieb, psychologist, nationally-bestselling author of Letters to Sam and host of "Voices in the Family"
“The Stressed Years of Their Lives is an informative, thought-provoking and—perhaps most importantly—conversation-starting curation of mental health information that all parents need to read. With robust research woven throughout deeply compelling stories of real young adults and their families, the book paints a clear picture of the struggles that young adults of today are facing; the way parents, and young adults, and schools can be partners in success; and the message that help is available and there are so many reasons to have hope.”
— Alison K. Malmon, founder and executive director of Active Minds