Disorders | Adolescent Counseling Services

Irritated or Debilitated: Helping your Teen Identify their Depression

in Academic Stress / Anger Management / Behavioral Norms / Co-Occuring Disorders / Depression / Disorders / Mental Health / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Stress / Stress Management by Adolescent Counseling Services April 5, 2023April 4, 2023 0 comments

Written By: Brett Trace, Clinical Trainee at ACS, Outlet Program If You’rea parent of a teen or someone who works with teens, odds are you’ve encountered teenage irritability. What may have felt like an easygoing, straightforward comment might cause your teen to become angry or withdraw from the conversation. Friends that they’ve had for a […]

Social Media & Self-Confidence

in Anxiety / Behavioral Norms / Depression / Disorders / Facebook / Mental Health / Monitoring Media / Online Monitoring / Online Safety / Parent Tips / Parenting / Perfectionism / Self care / Setting Boundaries / Social Media Abuse / Teen self-esteem / Teen Self-Image by Adolescent Counseling Services November 4, 2021January 27, 2022 0 comments

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 […]

Orthorexia: When Healthy Eating Becomes An Unhealthy Obsession

in Anxiety / Behavioral Norms / Disordered Eating / Disorders / Eating Disorders / Mental Health / OCD / Orthorexia / Parent Tips / Teen Self-Image / Teen Therapy by Adolescent Counseling Services October 6, 2021January 27, 2022 0 comments

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 […]

Body Image in Adolescence

in Behavioral Norms / Disorders / Eating Disorders / Mental Health / Middle School Behavior / Perfectionism / Self care / Teen self-esteem / Teen Self-Image by Adolescent Counseling Services May 19, 2021January 27, 2022 0 comments

Written By: Tucker Chopp, Clinical Intern at ACS, Outlet Program for many young people,the teenage years become increasingly fraught with highly self-conscious thinking. It is typical for adolescents to become preoccupied with how they are perceived by others and how they fit into society. How teens present themselves physically often becomes a significant concern in […]

An Athlete’s Toughest Competitor…

in ACS Institute of Psychotherapy & Training / Anxiety / Depression / Disorders / Mental Health / Perfectionism / Stress by Adolescent Counseling Services February 3, 2021January 27, 2022 0 comments

Written By: Grant Robinson, Clinical Intern at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program what would you say is an athlete’s toughest competitor? Their opponent? The playing field? The other side’s coaches or parents? What about an athlete’s own body and mind? There are so many different opponents that an athlete has to deal with on a daily […]

Here’s How Schools Can Support Students’ Mental Health

in Academic Stress / Anxiety / Behavioral Norms / Co-Occuring Disorders / Depression / Disorders / E-News / Mental Health / On-Campus Counseling / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Perfectionism / Stigma / Stress / Stress Management / Teen self-esteem / Uncategorized by Adolescent Counseling Services October 4, 2016January 27, 2022 0 comments

Written By: Meg Anderson, nprED About one in five children in the United States shows signs of a mental health disorder — anything from ADHD to eating disorders to suicide. And yet, as we’ve been reporting this month, many schools aren’t prepared to work with these students. Often, there’s been too little training in recognizing the […]

Oppositional Defiance Disorder: A Breakdown

in Co-Occuring Disorders / Community Counseling / Disorders / E-News / Mental Health / Parent Tips / Parenting by Adolescent Counseling Services May 18, 2016January 27, 2022 0 comments

Written By: Alex Basche, ACS Clinical Intern, Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment & Community Counseling Programs Through my work in ACS’ Substance Abuse Treatment program, it is not uncommon to see co-occurring behavioral disorders in youth struggling with substance abuse. Anxiety, mood and behavioral disorders top the list of the most common adolescent mental health diagnoses, so […]

Is the Change in Weather Making You Feel SAD?

in Disorders / E-News / Mental Health by Adolescent Counseling Services December 8, 2015January 27, 2022 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 […]

Opinion:Destigmatize Counseling in the Palo Alto Community

in Academic Stress / Anger Management / Behavioral Norms / Co-Occuring Disorders / Depression / Disorders / Grief / Mental Health / mental illness / Post Traumatic Stress Disorder / Risky Behaviour / Self-Harm / Sleep / Social Anxiety / Stigma / Stress / Suicide / Teen Peer Groups / Teen self-esteem by Lindsey Leason November 13, 2014January 27, 2022 0 comments

Image: Cascadian Farm Source: palyvoice.com by: Lydia Barry Published November 9, 2014 Counseling at Palo Alto High School is highly stigmatized, and is a concept many students are ignorant towards. Some do not know what Adolescent Counseling Services (ACS) is or exactly what it does. “I don’t think people utilize [counseling] as much as they could,” senior […]

Co-Occurring Disorders: Diagnosis

in Alcoholism / Co-Occuring Disorders / Cocaine / Depression / Disorders / Drinking / Drugs & Alcohol / Marijuana / Mental Health / Molly-Ecstasy / Other / Recovery / Risky Behaviour / Self-Harm / Stress by acsteens July 8, 2014January 27, 2022 0 comments

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 […]