By Philippe Rey, Psy.D. Executive Director of Adolescent Counseling Services Let’s start this second part of our conversation by making sure that we all understand that middle school is a time for fluctuations in physical and emotional energy. During this time, kids experiment with risk taking, have an increased sense of curiosity, love danger and […]
By Philippe Rey, Psy.D. Executive Director of Adolescent Counseling Services The goal for this blog series on middle schoolers is to provide you with the tools and information you need to have a more open and genuine conversation with your child. Additionally, this blog series will prepare your family for the difficult topics of conversation […]
By Chris Chiochios, MFT, ATR-BC, Site Director at JLS Middle School I attended the “From ZZZZ’s to A’s” event last Thursday evening and was thinking about all the different issues, worries, and concerns being discussed. I had wanted to attend this event to hear Dr. Amy Saltzman talk about the issue of mindfulness and how […]
Puberty can bring an onset of mixed emotions which can surface as unique traits and characteristics you probably had never seen before in your child. Becoming less social, less talkative, and overall more introverted is actually common among many teens. The heightened fear of falling into a social faux pas causes many teens to dodge […]
How to Manage School Refusal Behaviors (aka when ‘playing hooky’ becomes a serious situation) by Christina Walker, Psy.D., Site Director at Menlo-Atherton High School “I don’t want to go to school today.” Is there a parent who hasn’t heard this plaintive cry from a child or adolescent? Children and teenagers can and will miss […]
Child Trends is an organization that focuses its attention on current news and trends that affect our youth. The most recent newsletter by Child Trends discusses an annual event hosted by the organization. The event is in honor of Child Trends Senior Research Scholar and former Child Trends President, Kristin Moore. The focus of this […]
when trying to find the influence behind a teen’s fixation with alcohol, there are the usual suspects- their closest friends, the boyfriend/girlfriend, or the environment at home. But recent studies are showing that the linkage between teens and alcohol may not be as direct as it seems. Studies show that if a teen is in […]
The school year is in full swing, but your child’s transition into the new school year may not be. Whether its the tall girl whose growth spurt hit early in 6th grade, or the the late bloomers in their entering their junior year of high school- transitioning can be rough. The transition is not just […]
Living with a Teenager by Robyn Alagona, MFT It can be difficult to predict daily life with a teenager. Teenagers have a reputation for being unpredictable, capricious, even inflexible. As an adult, living with an adolescent, it can feel frustrating, anxiety-producing and worrisome to experience the erratic changes teens go through in a week, a […]
Teen mental health has gone beyond school walls and its importance is being emphasized by local city officials to the rest of the community. On August 29th, Palo Alto Mayor Sid Espinosa, spoke with The Campanile about the academic pressures Palo Alto teens face. Mayor Espinosa stressed the importance of Project Safety Net (which ACS is actively […]