Mental Health

Trust: A Two-Way Street

in E-News / Helicopter Parenting / Mental Health / Parent Role Models / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Setting Boundaries  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Written By: Laura Cole, ACS Clinical Intern, Community Counseling and Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Programs In relationships trust is an essential component.  But, what is this sometimes seemingly “intangible” thing we call trust among parents and teens?  How is it built and maintained on this two-way street?  How does one repair when a breach occurs? […]

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Wellness Focused for Teens

in E-News / Mental Health / On-Campus Counseling / Stress / Stress Management / Teaching Mindfulness / Teen Self-Image  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Written By: Kyle Yamasaki, MFT, ACS Site Supervisor Wellness has been around for millennia, but it feels like a refreshing approach to helping teens with social-emotional problems in our schools.  As the site supervisor for ACS at Redwood Continuation High School (RHS) in the Sequoia Union High School District (SUHSD), I can share some of […]

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Probing The Complexities Of Transgender Mental Health

in Anxiety / Depression / E-News / Gender / Gender identity / LGBTQ Issues / LGBTQ rights / Mental Health / Mental Health / Outlet / Risky Behaviour / Stigma / Transgender  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Written By:  Tara Haelle, for NPR Experiencing the world as a different gender than the one assigned you at birth can take a toll. Nearly all research into transgender individuals’ mental health shows poorer outcomes. A new study looking specifically at transgender women, predominantly women of color, only further confirms that reality. What’s less clear, […]

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A Conversation With Your Teens

in Behavioral Norms / Community Counseling / Cyberbullying / E-News / Facebook / Mental Health / Monitoring Media / Online Monitoring / Online Safety / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Setting Boundaries / Social Media Abuse / Tumblr / Twitter  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Written By:  Monica Ippolito, ACS Clinical Intern, Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment and Community Counseling Programs If any parents of teenagers happen to be of Generation X, then you can reminisce with me about the cartoons we grew up watching. Cartoons like G.I. Joe, She-Ra, He-Man, The Care Bears, The Smurfs, and Inspector Gadget all had […]

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Resilience – How to Help Our Teens Stay Strong

in E-News / Mental Health / On-Campus Counseling / Parent Role Models / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Perfectionism / Teaching Mindfulness / Teen Motivation / Teen Self-Image  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Written By: Charlotte Villemoes, ACS Site Supervisor, On-Campus Counseling Program I have the privilege and the pleasure of listening to teens every day. They tell me stories about their lives, stories that often move and inspire me. Many of them describe hardship that seems close to unbearable, yet the vast majority somehow perseveres and moves forward. […]

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LGBTQQ Youth and Health

in E-News / LGBTQ Issues / Outlet / Recent Trends / Risky Behaviour / Sexuality  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Written By: Rodrigo Garcia-Reyes, Outlet Program Spanish-language and Education Coordinator  22 states, including California and the District of Columbia require public schools teach sex education. 35 states and the District of Columbia allow parents to opt-out on behalf of their children.  A 2011 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey indicates that more than […]

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ACS Practices Mindfulness!

in Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment / Co-Occuring Disorders / Community Counseling / Drugs & Alcohol / E-News / Mental Health / Parent Tips / Prevention / Recovery / Treatment  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Written By: JoAnn Kukulus, MFTI   |  ACS’ Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Program & Community Counseling Program Recently I had the opportunity to become trained and certified to implement a group and individual curriculum called “Mindfulness-Based Substance Abuse Treatment for Adolescents,” which the ACS programs are beginning to utilize.  This relatively new evidence-based curriculum, founded by Sam Himelstein […]

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Understanding and Coping with Anxiety

in Anxiety / E-News / Mental Health / On-Campus Counseling / Stress / Stress Management  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Written By:  Deborah Sloss, LCSW  |  ACS Site Supervisor, On-Campus Counseling Program  Most of us have experienced anxiety at some point in our lives. Some people even feel a moderate amount of anxiety spurs them to action.  However, for others, anxiety can start to interfere with their day-to-day functioning.  According to the National Institute of […]

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Is the Change in Weather Making You Feel SAD?

in Disorders / E-News / Mental Health  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

By: Christine Miller, ACS Clinical Intern, Community Counseling Program and Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Program   Have you ever noticed that your friends, family, children, or even yourself, feel “down” when the days grow shorter and the weather becomes colder? Maybe you feel irritable, sad, experience a change in appetite or sleeping patterns, or have […]

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Dear Parents: Being a “Good” Parent is Not About Being Perfect!

in Academic Stress / Anxiety / E-News / Mental Health / On-Campus Counseling / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Perfectionism / Stress / Stress Management / Teaching Mindfulness  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Written By: Kelly Sumner, LMFT, ACS On-Campus Counseling Program Site Supervisor     I need to start here by acknowledging that I am not a parent and thus do not understand first hand the pressure parents face to raise their children into well-adjusted, successful, happy, moralistic, responsible members of society in today’s world. It’s a […]

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