Studys Show Substance Abuse Use Higher in Teens with Mental Health Issues

Two studies have recently come out showing a higher prevalence of substance abuse and cigarette use amongst adolescents with mental health disorders. The first study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry revealed a significantly higher prevalence of substance abuse and cigarette use by adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity […]

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2012 Monitoring the Future Results on Alcohol Abuse

Monitoring the Future is an annual survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th-graders conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, under a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health. Since 1975, the survey has measured drug, alcohol, and cigarette use and related attitudes in 12th-graders […]

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ACS’ Program Directors Words of Advice for the Holidays

With the holidays quickly approaching, many parents wonder how to survive this time of year with their troubled teens.  Here are some words of advice from Adolescent Counseling Services’ experienced program directors: Roni Gillenson, LMFT On-Campus Counseling Program Director In my work with teens and families over almost 20 years, probably my favorite moments have […]

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20 Things Teens Don’t Have To Sweat About-Yet!

Between exams, college applications, friend drama and dating angst, you have enough to worry about as a teenager without constantly stressing out about your future. Although there are some things in high school that can be genuinely anxiety-inducing (the common app! landing a prom date!), other concerns — like a getting a credit card or […]

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Bay Area Tasting Week 2012

Held from October 12 to October 21, Bay Area Tasting Week is expanding from its original location of Palo Alto to now include the cities of San Francisco, Sunnyvale, East Palo Alto and Los Altos. Tasting Week will kick-off at the San Francisco Metreon on October 12 with an event for adults developed in collaboration […]

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Blog Series:Nutrition and Mental Health – Teaching Teens Mindfulness About Their Diet

By: Philippe Rey, Psy.D. ACS Executive Director   With all the recent news about the importance of nutrition and the increase in childhood and adult obesity and diabetes, have you ever wondered if nutrition could also possibly affect the mental/emotional state of people? Let’s think about this one for a minute! We know that sugars […]

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Fall Parent Education Session hosted at Stanford University

Challenge Success.org, a research-based organization that develops refreshingly practical curriculum, conferences and other programs for parents, schools, and kids looking for a healthier and more effective path to success in the 21st century. Offers a FREE Parent Education Session The Knowledge to Navigate: Strategies for Raising Healthy & Motivated Kids September 28, 2012, from 7:00pm-9:00pm […]

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Blog Series: Nutrition and Mental Health – The Importance of Sharing a Family Meal

Article by Philippe Rey, Psy.D. Executive Director of ACS I would like to begin this series by quoting Marion Cunningham, an advocate of home cooking who just recently died in her 90’s: “Too many families seldom sit down together; it’s gobble and go… eating food on the run, reheating it in relays in the microwave […]

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Use of Pot in Teen Years Linked to IQ Decline by Age 30

As recent studies have shown that marijuana use is extremely popular with adolescents, more so than alcohol and tobacco, further research, just released in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, finds that habitually smoking marijuana before age 18 showed an eight-point drop in IQ between the ages of 13 and 38, a considerable […]

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