Resources for LGBT Teens

An interview with TeenVogue Magazine and Steve Mehdelsohn of the Trevor Project According to the Trevor Project, a young person contemplates suicide every 95 minutes. Beyond that, LGB youth are four times as likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers, and LGBTQ youth are eight times more likely to attempt it if they’ve been thrown […]

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Understanding differences in mental health symptoms in the LGBTQ community

Reported By: News-Medical  |  Study By: Drexel University  A study exploring the prevalence of mental health symptoms in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and questioning (LGBQ) community, found that the oft-overlooked questioning and bisexual youth face their own significant challenges, particularly when it comes to depression, anxiety and traumatic distress. “I think the failure to include […]

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Probing The Complexities Of Transgender Mental Health

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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Alternative Coping Strategies for Teens Turning to Drugs to Reduce Anxiety and Stress

Written By: Ann M. Stillingfleet, ACS Clinical Intern, Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment and Community Counseling Programs Image: Torben Hansen, Marijuana Joint   We all too often hear teens tell us that anxiety and stress are their most persistent issues at home, in school, with peers and with their perception of themselves.  We also hear the […]

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A Different Method to Coping with Stress in High School Academics

Image: CollegeDegrees360, Stressed Student  Author: Mayra Vargas, MFTI, Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Program   It’s not news that academics have become a stressful full-time job for teens as they compete to be the best of the best for the top colleges in the country. This may cause stress, anxiety, and/or depression due to the overwhelming feelings of trying to […]

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Part 2: Inside the Mind of a Youth Facing Depression: Recovery

image: Laura Smith “How Fun” Continuation of “Part 1:Inside the Mind of a Youth Facing Depression” Note: This essay was authored by a local student to document a personal experience with depression. The writer, with parental support, was able to access professional help. Significantly, the author felt they could not share this experience openly, fearing […]

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Part 1:Inside the Mind of a Youth Facing  Depression

image: Carlos Perez “Teen Dreams” Note:This essay was authored by a local student to document a personal experience with depression. The writer, with parental support, was able to access professional help. Significantly, the author felt they could not share this experience openly, fearing stigma.   I don’t know how it started, or how it took over […]

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Co-Occurring Disorders: Diagnosis

By: JoAnn Kukulus, M.S. Clinical Psychology BBS Registered Intern at Adolescent Counseling Services Increasingly at Adolescent Counseling Services, we are encountering clients who are struggling with both alcohol or substance use/abuse and mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, bi-polar disorder, and the effects of trauma (PTSD). The intersection of these conditions is rapidly gaining […]

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How to Spot the First Signs of Teen Depression

Recently About.com posted a really helpful post about the “First Signs of Teen Depression.” The post was written by About.com’s resident teen health expert Denise Witmer. Here is the beginning of Denise’s post. Many times parents of teens who have tried to or have committed suicide struggle with the idea that there were signs of […]

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From the Inside-Life As An ACS Intern

By: Ildiko Ran On-Campus Counseling Program Intern at Menlo-Atherton High School “I feel so much better that I got all that off my chest. I can go back to class now” – said one of my clients after a session when she unloaded the overwhelming stress that surrounds her everyday life. She keeps up the […]

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