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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
By: Beverly Reyes After-School Counseling Program Intern As teenagers grow and start to individuate it is sometimes difficult for parents to find that fine line between parent and friend. Parents with loose boundaries and rules may find it easy to get along with their teen because there is no power struggle and no arguments. The teen […]
By: Connie Mayer, LMFT Director of Outpatient Counseling I often answer phone calls from parents who want to know how to get their teenager to come to counseling. I have been a therapist for 30 years and I have heard the same fears and hesitations. “My son told me he wont get in the car”,”I […]
by Rom Brafman PhD. & Ali Rodriguez, MFT Trainee Site Director and Intern at La Entrada Middle School With so many demands placed on kids these days, school gets more and more competitive every year. Parents feel compelled to help out their kids by getting them prepared for the years of education that lie ahead. […]
By Pamela Garfield, LCSW Site Director at Gunn High School Our kids just got through the end of the semester and finals. Finals, holidays, college applications and the many other pressures of this time of year can be very challenging. Sometimes life just takes over and we have to go into “survival mode” to get […]
By: Charlotte Villemoes, LMFT ACS On-Campus Counseling Site Director at Woodside High School Before I make a call home to a parent, I always ask the teen I have been seeing if they have any messages for mom and dad that they would like me to deliver. They always do. Most of the time the message […]
by Martha Chan, LMFT Site Director at Terman Middle School By now the saying that “It takes a village to raise a child” has entered our language, but what does it mean for the parents of teenagers? When our children enter adolescence, one of their primary developmental tasks is to branch out beyond the immediate family […]
by Rom Brafman Ph.D., Site Director at La Entrada Middle School It recently occurred to me that few people I have come across truly believe that they are great. Women appear to be even more apt to have difficulties owning their greatness. Ask someone whether they think they are great and they’re likely to look […]
