Mental Health

Creative Arts in Therapy: How Drawing, Music, and Drama, Can Help Kids Express Themselves

in Art Therapy / Emotional Regulation / Expressive Arts Therapy / Mental Health / Mental Health / Play Therapy  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Written By: Faith S. MacDonald, Clinical Trainee at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program WHEN PEOPLE THINK OF THERAPY,     they may think it consists of sitting in a room talking about their feelings, or perhaps not talking at all. But typically when they think of therapy, they don’t usually think of children. Maybe because there’s […]

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Supporting Adolescents Through Grief

in Anxiety / Depression / Grief / Mental Health / Mental Health / Pandemic / Parent Tips / Parenting / Risky Behaviour  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

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 […]

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Video Games: Harmful or Helpful?

in Gaming Addiction / Internet gaming disorder / Mental Health / Mental Health / Online Monitoring / Pandemic / Parent Tips / Parenting / Risky Behaviour / Self care / Teens and Technology  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Written By: Kayla Hernandez, Clinical Trainee at ACS, Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Program more and moreAmericans are playing video games every year, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. About two thirds of adults and three quarters of children and teens reported regularly gaming, with reported use going up by six percent within the past year, according […]

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Finding Strength: An ACS Newsletter – Issue 3

in ACS Institute of Psychotherapy & Training / Anger Management / Anxiety / Mental Health / Mental Health / Mental Health Apps / Parent Tips / Stress / Stress Management / Teaching Mindfulness  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Adolescent Counseling Services (ACS) has started a new weekly newsletter as a resource for young people and parents through shelter-in-place. Articles include content written by our clinicians and young clients. Please click below to view or print!

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Parenting Teens: Some Secrets to Staying (Somewhat) Sane

in Anxiety / Excercise / Mental Health / Mental Health / Parent Role Models / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Perfectionism / Setting Boundaries / Sleep / Stress / Stress Management / Teaching Mindfulness  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Written By:  Charlotte Villemoes, LMFT, Site Supervisor, ACS On-Campus Counseling Program The cuteness is gone, and so is the desire to hold your hand on the way to school and cuddle up at bedtime. The kid who used to look to you for answers for anything from “Why does the earth spin?” to “Why do […]

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Talking to Teens about Violence and Tragedies

in Community Counseling / E-News / Grief / Mental Health / Mental Health / Monitoring Media / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Recent Trends / Stress  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Written By: Ann Stillingfleet, ACS Clinical Intern, Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment and Community Counseling Programs Every week the news brings stories of seemingly senseless and random acts of violence — either globally or locally.  How do we talk to our children, especially our teens, about these events when the source of much of what they […]

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Adolescents in Middle School: Part 2

in Depression / Mental Health / Mental Health / Middle School Behavior / Parent Tips / Parenting / Recent Trends / Self-Harm  by acsteens 0 comments

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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May 9th is National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day

in Mental Health / Mental Health  by acsteens 0 comments

May 9th, 2013 is the National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day and SAMHSA wants everyone to participate. National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day is a key strategy of the Caring for Every Child’s Mental Health Campaign, which is part of the Public Awareness and Support Strategic Initiative by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services […]

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Study Shows that Treating Depression in Teens Wards off Future Substance Abuse

in Depression / Drugs & Alcohol / Mental Health / Uncategorized  by acsteens 0 comments

A study recently released in the  Journal of Consulting and Clinicial Psychology found a correlation between the treatment of severe depression in teens and the likelihood of future substance abuse. Nearly 200 youths at 11 sites across the United States were studied for five years. The participants analyzed by the study were ages 17-23 at the […]

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National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week-Speak Up for Your Child’s Mental Health

in Academic Stress / Anger Management / Behavioral Norms / Depression / Disorders / Eating Disorders / Mental Health / Mental Health / mental illness / Self-Harm / Sleep / Stress / Suicide / Suicide Prevention / Teen Motivation / Upcoming Events  by acsteens 0 comments

May 6-12 is National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week organized by the Child Mind Institute and supported by a number of adolescent health and substance abuse organizations. The following is a message from the president of the Child Mind institute, Harold S. Koplewicz, M.D., a leading child and adolescent psychiatrist. Why is it important to […]

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