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Parents

Parents

Parents

Anxiety & Mood Disorders

How to Treat Psychosis or Schizophrenia in Teens

If your teen has a mental health issue involving psychosis, it’s undoubtedly a nerve-wracking time.  Schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, PTSD, and even depression or anxiety can involve frightening psychotic episodes. Teens can start hallucinating. They can start entertaining delusions, such as thinking they have certain powers, or someone is watching or following them. They can become extremely paranoid. In their out-of-control experience, they can threaten to hurt themselves or others. Their

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Anxiety & Mood Disorders

9 Surprising Signs of Teen Depression

Sometimes the signs of teen depression are easy to recognize. Your teen is sad most of the time. Their sleeping and eating habits change. They don’t care about their friends, hobbies, or much else anymore. Other times, the signs are harder to detect and can be easily confused with other issues. Here are a few lesser known signs that might point to depression in your teen: #1 Irritability or Anger

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Parents

Help! I Think My Teen is Hallucinating

When a teen sees, hears, or feels things that aren’t real, they are hallucinating. “When we say reality, we mean ‘consensus reality,’ because everyone’s reality is different, of course,” clarifies Lauren Cona, LCSW, Program Director at Evolve Residential Treatment Center in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. Cona has years of experience working with adolescents struggling with hallucinations and delusions, which are beliefs that aren’t rooted in reality. Hallucinations and delusions

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Prevalence of School Bullying in Santa Barbara: How Parents Can Help

Public school students in most school districts in California take the California Healthy Kids Survey every year. This is a confidential, anonymous self-report survey that asks elementary and secondary school students about safety at school, support, academic involvement, substance use, and mental health issues. Many of the questions ask students about their experiences of bullying and harassment on school property. Below are some highlights of the data taken from the

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Holiday Season at Evolve: Our Chefs Bring More Than Food to the Table

Thanksgiving and the winter holidays are often associated with special meals and old-fashioned comfort food. The on-site chefs at our residential treatment centers understand this and bring in the holiday cheer by preparing delicious Thanksgiving meals for our teenagers and staff. We’re thankful for our chefs all year round because they bring comfort and warmth into our treatment homes. We’re extra thankful for them during the holidays – and you’ll

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Parents

How We Celebrate the Holiday Season at Evolve

Everyone here at Evolve is getting excited about the holidays. We understand that when your teenager is in treatment over the holiday season, you want them to have the best holidays possible. We want that for them, too – and we do everything we can to make that happen. For practical reasons, holiday days are still treatment days. That means clinically speaking, and according to our licensing, accreditation, and operating

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Diwali at Evolve

Last week, our teenagers at Evolve Ojai participated in a fun and interesting diversity and cultural awareness group. This group coordinates with our gardening group and culinary creations group to introduce our teens to various aspects of the many different cultures around the world. They learn about celebrations and rituals that people hold dear. This group can spark interest in world geography, spiritual beliefs, cuisine, and customs. Our goals for

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How to Manage Thanksgiving With A Troubled Teen During COVID

If you have a troubled teen in the house, you’re more than aware they can throw a monkey wrench into the works during the holidays. You want everyone to be happy and you want everything to run smoothly, but you’re worried sick your unruly teen might throw a tantrum during dinner, embarrass you in front of your own parents and relatives, and embody the exact opposite of gratitude and warm

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Get Your Teen Interested in Thanksgiving Again, Despite COVID

The winter holidays are upon us – but this year the holidays are going to be different than any year in recent memory. In the U.S., the six-week period between mid-November and New Year’s Day – in a typical holiday season – is the most publicly festive time of the year. These holidays take over normal life. Almost everyone gets involved in some way or another. Cities and towns across

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5 Ways to Help Your Tired Teen Wake Up in The Morning 

If you’re like most parents, you struggle to get your teenager up in the morning. Bleary-eyed and grumbling, they can’t seem to get out of bed before 10am. Obviously, this creates problems. You become frustrated they’re asleep 10 minutes after the alarm goes off. They’re unwilling to leave the comfort of their bed, so you – because you have to choose your battles – decide to leave them alone. But

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