Adolescents in Middle School: Part 3

Image: Herald Post Originally Published March 2010 Commentary by ACS Executive Director, Dr. Philippe Rey Encourage choice •Allow your child plenty of opportunity to become a confident decision-maker. An 8-year-old is capable of deciding if she wants to invite lots of friends to her birthday party or just a close pal or two. A 12-year-old can […]

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Adolescents in Middle School: Part 2

Image: darcyadelaide “Depression please cut to the chase” Originally posted March 12, 2010 and has been updated By: Philippe Rey, Psy.D. Executive Director Let’s take a look at data from the California Adolescent Health Collaborative, which sheds light on issues affecting adolescents during the ages they are in middle school. Source: http://www.californiateenhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Mental_Health_Fact_Sheet.pdf Major depression strikes about 1 […]

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Adolescents in Middle School: Part 1

Image: Peter Ihlenfeld “Sicherheitshinweis Teenager im Haus” Originally Posted March 10, 2010 and has been updated By: Philippe Rey, Psy.D. As adolescents go through the physical changes of puberty, they also must deal with a variety of psychological changes. As a parent of an adolescent entering middle school it’s a good idea to get acquainted with a […]

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Cultivating Mastery and Success WITH Your Teen

by Chris Chiochios, LMFT, Site Director at JLS Middle School With so much emphasis on achievement and concern about our children being prepared and “ready” to enter adulthood and be “successful”, there is a hidden cost that many youth can experience.  This cost involves developing a mindset that becomes fixed on what success means and […]

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Empathy in Communicating with your TechWorld Teen

Taryn Bogonovich, MFTI ACS’ Marriage and Family Therapist Intern As a co-facilitator of the ACS weekly parents support group, I often hear parents share that the world their kids are growing up in is so vastly different than their experience.  They just don’t understand their teen’s behavior and sometimes they don’t know how to manage […]

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Parent Education Night at PAUSD on April 24, 2014

Join ACS’ Program Director of On-Campus Counseling and other Professionals, Parents and Students to discuss “Is it Normal Or…? Understanding My Teen’s Emotions and Behaviours” on Thursday, April 24th from 7-9 pm at the PAUSD Board Room (25 Churchill Ave, Palo Alto). Professional panelists include: Susan Shultz, Guidance Counselor at Palo Alto High School; Meg […]

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What Mindfulness Means

By: Jennica Janssen Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Program Intern “The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.” – Buddha Mindfulness is a broad term that is […]

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Did you know it’s “National Catch Your Teen Doing Something Right” Month?

By Merrett Sheridan, LMFT Site Director at Palo Alto High School Ok so I made that up, but why not?   Ask yourself when was the last time you gave your teen a truly heartfelt “atta boy” for something significant and for no reason other than to make them feel good?  By significant I don’t mean thanking them […]

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Facebook and Its Effects on Our Mood

By: Sophia Dyer, M.Ed Marriage and Family Therapist Registered Intern After School Counseling Program (2012-2014) Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Program (2012-2013) “Are you on facebook again? Why don’t you go outside and play?” Sound familiar? The” facebook argument” is a common one between parents and their teens. With the relatively new rise of social media, […]

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Teens and Parties

By: JoAnn Kukulus, MS, MFTI ACS Intern When our children were young, we parents had a hand in just about everything they did. We took on the responsibility of organizing and structuring their time in such a way that we knew what they were doing each minute of each day. If we couldn’t actually oversee the […]

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