November is National Gratitude Month. Please take the time to click the link above and read our article on gratitude. It contains useful information about what gratitude is, the benefits of gratitude, the research behind gratitude, and how we can practice gratitude in our lives. Thank you in advance for reading that article – we think it will help you learn the importance of gratitude in your daily life. Now
In the words of the famous Roman orator and philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero: “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the mother of all the others.” The ancients knew about gratitude. We know about gratitude today, too. It’s one of the first big lessons we learn when we’re kids. Our parents tell us to be grateful for what we have. They tell us to be grateful for our
During the coronavirus pandemic, many things that used to happen in-person have shifted to online platforms such as Zoom. For teens, that includes school, birthday parties, get-togethers, and yes – therapy. So, in this virtual world, how do therapists ensure teens make it to their virtual therapy sessions? One of our clinicians developed a system, put it in place – and it worked. Our virtual therapy programs now have a
Okay, seriously. We need to start this post by saying what we’re all thinking: “Stress Awareness Day? Are you kidding me? We need a Stress Awareness YEAR!” According to recent studies, stress levels are on the rise, and we all need a break. National Stress Awareness Day, on every first Wednesday in November, is a day dedicated to shining a light on stress, how it affects us, and why managing
What are the rates of suicidal ideation for teens in Beverly Hills? What percentage of high school teens in Beverly Hills use drugs? We have the answers. Every year, the California Department of Education Coordinated School Health and Safety Office administers a survey to public school students in school districts across the state. This annual survey – the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) – is anonymous and confidential. The survey
Just when you thought your teen couldn’t spend more time online, COVID-19 struck. Researchers were already documenting unprecedented levels of teen screen time prior to the pandemic. Early data suggests those rates have increased significantly. In a report from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, sixty-three percent of parents reported their teens are using social media more often during the pandemic. Eighty percent said they’ve relaxed the
It seems like your teen is always shopping. At the mall or the outlets, alone or with friends, whether there’s a big sale going on or not. They come home with myriad purchases that seem unnecessary and trivial. Worst of all, they never use the things they buy or get any satisfaction out of them, and the shopping never stops. Simply put, you think your teen is addicted to retail
Teens in the Santa Barbara Unified School District (SBUSD) took a survey last year to gauge their rates of substance use and mental health issues. This survey, called the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS), asked public school students statewide about a number of different issues in their lives: family connectedness, safety and crime at school, bullying, academics, mental health, substance use, and more. Officials administered this anonymous, confidential survey to
Hannah Smith, fourteen years old, received waves of horrible, abusive messages on ASKfm, a social media site popular with teens. On August 6, 2013, she committed suicide. Her parents immediately blamed cyberbullies, until an investigation proved that the aggressive posts hadn’t come from peers: She wrote them herself. Self-Bullying Hannah is not the only one. A similar story happened in Texas to someone named Natalie. But it wasn’t on ASKfm.
by Toby LaPlant October is LGBTQ History Month in the United States. While one month isn’t nearly enough time to learn the names of every person who marched, spoke, took action, wrote, organized, and dreamed of a better life for themselves, their friends, or their family, it’s a great chance to get to know some of the key figures who worked for progress and how much they’ve achieved. LGBTQ history
