Adolescent Behavior

New Study Shows Decrease in Mid-schooler Problem Behaviours When Parents are Given Guidance Before the Child Enters Middle-schoosl

in Behavioral Norms / Drugs & Alcohol / Mental Health / Mental Health / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Recent Trends / Setting Boundaries / Substance Abuse / Teaching Mindfulness  by acsteens 0 comments

At Adolescent Counseling Services, one of our key philosophies is that when the entire family is involved in resolving an issue faced by an adolescent, the outcome is positive and lasting. A recent study published in the February 2012  Journal of Adolescent Health put this theory to test. The study“Engaging Parents in the Family Check-Up […]

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Teens, Brains and Behavior

in Behavioral Norms / Mental Health / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting  by acsteens 0 comments

by Debbie Landi LCSW Site Director at Jordan Middle School As parents of kids in middle and high school, we can often feel confused by their behavior and expression of emotions.  We may think they reached a certain point of maturity in their emotional and social life in elementary school and are then morphed into […]

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New Study: Blogging Can Help Teens with Social Anxiety

in Academic Stress / Behavioral Norms / Bullying / Depression / Disorders / Eating Disorders / Facebook / Mental Health / Mental Health / mental illness / Online Safety / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Recent Trends / Stress / Suicide  by acsteens 0 comments

We have all heard the phrase “Get it off your chest,” encouraging one to talk about what is troubling or concerning them. With the advent of the computer age and all of the social media that has followed, this phrase has become much easier to follow, on a regular basis.  Sites like Facebook and Twitter […]

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National Cancer Institute Speaks Directly to Teens Using Texting and Social Media Technology

in Depression / Drugs & Alcohol / Facebook / Mental Health / Mental Health / Other / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Prevention / Recent Trends / Recovery / Sleep / Smoking / Stress / Substance Abuse / Teaching Mindfulness  by acsteens 0 comments

Most adults know by now that smoking cigarettes is caustic to our health, partially because of the warning information printed on cigarette boxes and the intense media buzz provided by anti-smoking agencies and the United States government. Despite all that we know about the dangers of smoking, the prospect of smoking nicotine cigarettes is still […]

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Everything You Wanted To Say To Your Middle Schooler, But Didn’t Know How-Part IV

in Cocaine / Drugs & Alcohol / Marijuana / Methamphetamine / Other / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Prescription Drugs / Prevention / Recent Trends / Setting Boundaries / Substance Abuse / Teaching Mindfulness / Uncategorized  by acsteens 0 comments

By Philippe Rey, Psy. D. Executive Director of Adolescent Counseling Services So now that we have a good idea about what is really going on with drugs and alcohol, let’s look at more ways we can help our teens. As I mentioned last week, as parents your task is to encourage choice. That means that […]

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Some Tips for Getting Through the Holidays With a Troubled Teen

in Academic Stress / Anger Management / Behavioral Norms / Depression / Disorders / Eating Disorders / Mental Health / Mental Health / mental illness / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Recent Trends / Sleep / Stress / Suicide  by acsteens 0 comments

By Ronni J. Gillenson ACS Program Director, On-Campus Counseling Progra Just because there is ‘holiday cheer’ in the air doesn’t mean that life for a teen has changed all that much.  In fact, the holidays can be a trying time for them.  During the season that everyone is to be happy and giving, this could […]

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New High School Trend: Beer Mile

in Drugs & Alcohol / Facebook / Parent-Teen Communication / Recent Trends / Substance Abuse / Uncategorized / Videos  by acsteens 0 comments

A dangerous college activity has made its way to high school students and campuses.  Adolescent Counseling Services (ACS) has seen a new trend in our programs: teens participating in a Beer Mile.  What is a beer mile?  According to the “official” Beer Mile website, “The most common format of the beer mile requires a single […]

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Everything You Wanted To Know About Your Middle Schooler But Were Too Afraid To Ask – Part 2

in Behavioral Norms / Depression / Mental Health / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Stress  by acsteens 0 comments

By Philippe Rey, Psy.D. Executive Director of Adolescent Counseling Services Let’s start this second part of our conversation by making sure that we all understand that middle school is a time for fluctuations in physical and emotional energy. During this time, kids experiment with risk taking, have an increased sense of curiosity, love danger and […]

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New Series: Everything You Wanted To Know About Your Middle Schooler but Were Afraid To Ask

in Behavioral Norms / Mental Health / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Setting Boundaries / Teaching Mindfulness  by acsteens 0 comments

By Philippe Rey, Psy.D. Executive Director of Adolescent Counseling Services The goal for this blog series on middle schoolers is to provide you with the tools and information you need to have a more open and genuine conversation with your child.  Additionally, this blog series will prepare your family for the difficult topics of conversation […]

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Ten Ways to Foster Resilience in Your Child/Adolescent

in Mental Health / Parent Tips / Parenting  by acsteens 0 comments

By Chris Chiochios, MFT, ATR-BC, Site Director at JLS Middle School I attended the “From ZZZZ’s to A’s” event last Thursday evening and was thinking about all the different issues, worries, and concerns being discussed.  I had wanted to attend this event to hear Dr. Amy Saltzman talk about the issue of mindfulness and how […]

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