Parent Tips

Nature and Mental Health

in Anxiety / E-News / Mental Health / On-Campus Counseling / Parent Tips / Parenting / Recent Trends / Stress / Stress Management / Teaching Mindfulness  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Written By: Marlina Selva, LMFT, ACS Site Supervisor, On-Campus Counseling Program The demands of school and daily routines can be a source of mental fatigue for students as well as for parents.  Fortunately, there are ways of alleviating mental stress.  One such way is through encounters with nature.  Outdoor activities can help relax and restore […]

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Back to School Stress Management Tips

in Academic Stress / Anxiety / Community Counseling / Depression / E-News / Excercise / Mental Health / Monitoring Media / On-Campus Counseling / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Stress / Stress Management / Teaching Mindfulness / Teen Therapy  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Written By: Katie Luce, LMFT, ACS Site Supervisor – La Entrada Middle School  School is back in session, which can create considerable stress for students and their families. The transition from summer vacations, relaxed schedules and no homework to packed schedules can be challenging. Here are some ideas to reduce stress for yourselves and for […]

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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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How Parents Can Help Their Underage Kids Resist Alcohol

in Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment / Binge Drinking / Drinking / Drugs & Alcohol / E-News / Marijuana / Parenting / Prescription Drugs / Prevention / Recent Trends / Recovery / Risky Behaviour / Smoking / Teen Partying / Treatment  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Reported By: Aimee Cunningham, NPR Health News    “Parental monitoring and warmth are a protective device against kids’ binge drinking.”   While a sense of inevitability often surrounds the topic of teen drinking, adults can play an important role in preventing underage alcohol use. Two recent studies provide guidance for parents. One finds that parents […]

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Rituals in Therapy

in Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment / Community Counseling / E-News / Mental Health / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Stress / Stress Management / Teaching Mindfulness / Teen Self-Image / Teens and Technology / Uncategorized  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Written By: Ann Stillingfleet, ACS Clinical Intern, Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment and Community Counseling Programs What comes to mind when you think of rituals? Perhaps you visualize a religious ceremony, a celtic gathering in an oak grove,  a medicine man or sage woman conducting a healing or a centuries old tradition passed down through generations. […]

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Praise Goes A Long Way

in Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment / Community Counseling / Drugs & Alcohol / E-News / Mental Health / Parent Role Models / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Recovery / Stigma / Teen Self-Image / Treatment  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Written By: Christine Miller, ACS Clinical Intern, Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment and Community Counseling Programs Too often teens feel like they are constantly being told “No” by their parents, teachers, coaches, or other adults, and that they do not hear “Great Job!” enough. Being a teen is hard enough. But, being a teen that has […]

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Trust: A Two-Way Street

in E-News / Helicopter Parenting / Mental Health / Parent Role Models / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Setting Boundaries  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Written By: Laura Cole, ACS Clinical Intern, Community Counseling and Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Programs In relationships trust is an essential component.  But, what is this sometimes seemingly “intangible” thing we call trust among parents and teens?  How is it built and maintained on this two-way street?  How does one repair when a breach occurs? […]

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A Conversation With Your Teens

in Behavioral Norms / Community Counseling / Cyberbullying / E-News / Facebook / Mental Health / Monitoring Media / Online Monitoring / Online Safety / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Setting Boundaries / Social Media Abuse / Tumblr / Twitter  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Written By:  Monica Ippolito, ACS Clinical Intern, Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment and Community Counseling Programs If any parents of teenagers happen to be of Generation X, then you can reminisce with me about the cartoons we grew up watching. Cartoons like G.I. Joe, She-Ra, He-Man, The Care Bears, The Smurfs, and Inspector Gadget all had […]

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Additional Support for Parents when Adolescents Lie about Drug Use

in Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment / Drugs & Alcohol / E-News / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Prevention / Recent Trends / Treatment  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Written By: Mayra Vargas, MFTI, Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Program Parental instinct is key to supporting their teens with their drug use/abuse. Parents sometimes ignore their “gut instinct” that lets them know something is happening with their adolescent.  Often a parent will tentatively ask about these issues, and the teen will say ‘everything is fine’ — […]

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ACS Practices Mindfulness!

in Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment / Co-Occuring Disorders / Community Counseling / Drugs & Alcohol / E-News / Mental Health / Parent Tips / Prevention / Recovery / Treatment  by Adolescent Counseling Services 0 comments

Written By: JoAnn Kukulus, MFTI   |  ACS’ Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Program & Community Counseling Program Recently I had the opportunity to become trained and certified to implement a group and individual curriculum called “Mindfulness-Based Substance Abuse Treatment for Adolescents,” which the ACS programs are beginning to utilize.  This relatively new evidence-based curriculum, founded by Sam Himelstein […]

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