What Should I Do When I Grow Up?

Written By: Chandler Cole, Clinical Trainee at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program It’s a big question,and a lot of young people have the same worries about what they should do as a future career path, what they should study in college, or if they even want to go to college. “What if I don’t like what […]

Read More

First-Generation American Teens

Written By: Patricia H. Scherer, MS, Clinical Intern at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program Growing up the child of immigrants can have numerous advantages for some individuals. Immigrant parents from many cultures, including LatinX, Asian, and Eastern European backgrounds, emphasize the importance of family, collectivistic values, and cultural and religious heritage, all of which can buffer […]

Read More

Being Mindful of Depressing Thoughts

Written By: Alonzo Howard, BS, Clinical Intern at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program negative thoughtsare the leading cause of future episodes of depression. Depressive episodes may occur at any point of the year. However, findings show higher rates of major depressive episodes during November and December. During this season there is an increase in conflict between […]

Read More

Youth Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: What You Can Do

Written By: Patricia H. Scherer, MS, Clinical Intern at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program The COVID-19 pandemichas been raising concerns about mental health around the globe. Research indicates that since the onset of the pandemic, psychological distress, including symptoms of anxiety and depression, have been rising in the general population. However, adolescents during the pandemic experience […]

Read More

Supporting Adolescent Immigrants

Written By: Ruby Ortiz, Clinical Trainee at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program a CHILD’S EXPERIENCEwhen immigrating to the United States and adapting to a new reality is often one that is overlooked. However, it is important to know that from 1989 to 2001, the U.S. accepted approximately 400,000 refugee children (Xu, 2007). We should recognize that […]

Read More

Supporting Adolescents Through Grief

Written By: Melissa Boutsy, Clinical Trainee at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program adolescentsexperiencing grief may be at their most vulnerable point in their lives as they work through adolescent challenges and bereavement challenges. The grieving process in adolescents is similar to adults, but we must be mindful of the difference of expression that may show through […]

Read More

Social Media & Self-Confidence

Written By: Wendy Ortiz-Rodriguez, Clinical Trainee at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program SOCIAL MEDIAhas become popular over the years and it has become one of the main sources for communication and entertainment. As much as we love to scroll through our electronic devices and keep up with our favorite role models, friends, family and so much […]

Read More

The Benefits of Journaling

Written By: Madeline Lee, Clinical Trainee at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program journalingis a great, cost-effective therapeutic tool that can be beneficial for a large range of situations. There are studies showing that different populations ranging from young school children to expecting or new mothers benefit from journaling. For instance, the school students reported that journaling […]

Read More

Orthorexia: When Healthy Eating Becomes An Unhealthy Obsession

Written By: Megan Collom, Clinical Trainee at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program ALTHOUGH IT IS NOTas well known as other eating disorders, orthorexia is just as damaging and dangerous. Orthorexia is not formally recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel and is not an official diagnosis, yet, it is still a form of disordered eating. Orthorexia […]

Read More

Practicing Compassion to Balance Masculinity

Written By: Cristian Lemus, Clinical Trainee at ACS, Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Program TRADITIONAL MASCULINITYis a social construct that presents itself in many different forms across the world. In the U.S., masculinity typically embodies winning, hyper-sexuality, controlling one’s emotions, risk-taking, violence, dominance, and dislike of being perceived as gay (Mahalik et al., 2003). When masculinity […]

Read More