Search
Close this search box.

Getting Help

Addiction

I Don’t Believe in God. Are the 12 Steps For Me?

If you’re a teen who has struggled or is struggling with alcohol addiction, drug abuse, or other mental health issues, you’ve probably heard of the 12-Step approach to recovery. The 12 Steps were originally founded in 1935 to treat alcohol addiction—hence the start of Alcoholics Anonymous. Now, myriad groups and organizations have adopted their tried-and-true addiction recovery method. For example, there’s Narcotics Anonymous, Heroin Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Crystal Meth Anonymous,

Read More »

Military Families, Military Teens: Unique Families, Unique Challenges

The 21st century news cycle keeps our attention piqued all day every day. Scandals pop up and disappear before our eyes. Issues come and issues go. During this incessant media rollercoaster, regular citizens of the U.S. could not be blamed for missing the fact that we’re living through a period in history that our children’s children will read about years from now. At this moment, our country is involved in

Read More »

National Single Parent’s Day

Some people say parenting is the hardest job on earth. If that’s true, then single parenting is in a category all by itself. And if that’s true, then being the single parent of teenage children – well, let’s just say anyone doing that job alone deserves special recognition. This post will focus on them. But first, we’ll talk about single parents in general. The Common Stereotype What most people picture

Read More »
Getting Help

Why Is My Teen so Mean to Me? Part 2: Causes of Adolescent Behavioral Issues

In part one of this series, we discussed the difference between normal teen defiance and behavior that necessitates serious help. While some noncompliance is normal during adolescence, chronic verbal or physical aggression is not. In this article, we’ll explore why some teens develop serious behavioral issues that involve temper tantrums, verbal aggression, and/or physical outbursts. If your teen is being physically and/or verbally aggressive towards you on a consistent basis,

Read More »

So, You Don’t Want to Go to Teen Rehab

So, you just heard you need treatment at a teen mental health or addiction treatment center. Your first thought is No…No way. That’s understandable. Maybe you don’t think you need treatment. Maybe you can’t imagine your life being any better, or don’t think going for treatment will even help. Perhaps you’re embarrassed of the “stigma” around mental-health treatment centers, and are worried about what your friends or neighbors will think.

Read More »

I’m Going to Drug Rehab: What Should I Expect? Part III: A Typical Day

Let’s recap the first two installments of this blog series on what to expect when you’re heading to a residential treatment center to address a mental health issue such as an alcohol use disorder, a substance use disorder, or an emotional disorder: Part One gave the you the heads up that the biggest thing that’s going to happen is you’re going to change the way you think about rehab (you’ll

Read More »

I’m Going to Drug Rehab: What Should I Expect? Part II: Day One

Part One of this blog covered something not too many teenagers realize before going into rehab: the biggest thing to expect is that you’re going to change the way you think. You’re going to change the way you think about rehab itself – you’ll end up calling it treatment – and you’re going to change the way you view yourself, your family, and the world. In an ideal scenario, all

Read More »

I’m Going to Rehab: What Should I Expect? Part I: Changing the Way You Think

Countless questions spin around in your mind before you go to rehab. You’re curious about details about where you’ll sleep, whether the food will be good or bad, and what the other teenagers are going to be like. They’re all related to the big one: what should I expect? That really is the million-dollar question. At first glance, it seems like it should be an easy one to answer. And

Read More »

How Therapists Can Help Parents Accept the Need for Teen Residential Treatment

Therapists who treat teenagers struggling with mental health problems, addiction, and/or substance abuse disorders tend to encounter resistance from their clients at some point during the therapeutic process. Typically, resistance comes from the individual in question – the teenager – but if you’re a therapist working with adolescents on these issues, be prepared: parents may offer stiff resistance during the recovery journey, too. One area where you can expect push-back

Read More »