Parental Control Apps: Ensuring Online Safety or Eroding Trust?

Written By: Noosha Nafarzadegan, Clinical Trainee at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program WITH THE EVER-INCREASINGprevalence of smartphones among teens and pre-teens, parents often turn to parental control mobile applications (apps) to protect their children from online risks. These apps can block, filter, and monitor a wide range of online activities, providing parents with the tools to […]

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Supporting Teens on Social Media

Written By: Michael Burks, Clinical Trainee at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program TECHNOLOGYand social media play complex roles in the lives of teenagers. Teens are at a developmental stage where social relationships have foremost importance in their lives. Social relationships and group memberships contribute to identity formation and self-esteem. Social media has tremendous value to teens. […]

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Youth Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: What You Can Do

Written By: Patricia H. Scherer, MS, Clinical Intern at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program The COVID-19 pandemichas been raising concerns about mental health around the globe. Research indicates that since the onset of the pandemic, psychological distress, including symptoms of anxiety and depression, have been rising in the general population. However, adolescents during the pandemic experience […]

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Social Media & Self-Confidence

Written By: Wendy Ortiz-Rodriguez, Clinical Trainee at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program SOCIAL MEDIAhas become popular over the years and it has become one of the main sources for communication and entertainment. As much as we love to scroll through our electronic devices and keep up with our favorite role models, friends, family and so much […]

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Body Image in Adolescence

Written By: Tucker Chopp, Clinical Intern at ACS, Outlet Program for many young people,the teenage years become increasingly fraught with highly self-conscious thinking. It is typical for adolescents to become preoccupied with how they are perceived by others and how they fit into society. How teens present themselves physically often becomes a significant concern in […]

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Tech-Positive Parenting

Written By:  Deborah Sloss, LCSW, ACS Site Supervisor, On-Campus Counseling Program   Teenagers today are constantly “plugged in”– gaming, texting, tweeting, or posting on Snapchat and Instagram.  As parents, we worry that our kids are addicted, detached, and distracted by their digital devices.  We struggle with how to set appropriate limits and how to keep […]

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Technology and Teen Dating

Written By:  Sarah McLaughlin, LMFT, Site Supervisor, ACS On-Campus Counseling Program Teen relationships can often seem mysterious in this digital age. It’s not always easy for a parent to ascertain the nature of their child’s relationships or to keep track of the ups and downs that take place during these romantic relationships. How are teens […]

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A Conversation With Your Teens

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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Empathy in Communicating with your TechWorld Teen

Taryn Bogonovich, MFTI ACS’ Marriage and Family Therapist Intern As a co-facilitator of the ACS weekly parents support group, I often hear parents share that the world their kids are growing up in is so vastly different than their experience.  They just don’t understand their teen’s behavior and sometimes they don’t know how to manage […]

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Your Kids May Be Tweeting

In the United States alone Facebook.com has over 155 million users, with the largest percentage represented by the 25-34 age group.  This may be why more and more teens are also beginning to use Twitter.com. According to a survey conducted in July 2011 by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 12- to 17-year olds […]

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