Parents Archives | Page 88 of 107

Wilderness Camp vs Boarding School vs RTC and More

If your teen received a recommendation to attend a rehab center for his or her diagnosed substance abuse, mental health, or behavioral issue, you might be a bit overwhelmed at all the available options. Residential treatment centers, inpatient hospitalization, wilderness camps, therapeutic boarding schools, military schools…What’s the difference? Read on as we delve into some of the common options for struggling teens. Inpatient Treatment Cases of severe emergency require inpatient

February 23, 2019

Depression in Boys: Challenges in Diagnosis

Not long ago, schools kept boys and girls separate. Many private schools still do. Take a quick look online and you’ll find a sizeable list of schools with names ending in “…School for Boys” or “…School for Girls.” While the notion of separate boy’s and girl’s schools seems archaic, their fouding principles are logical. At the risk of oversimplifying things, the basic idea is that boys need men to teach

February 22, 2019

Comprehensive DBT vs. DBT-Informed Teen Rehab Centers

There are many rehab centers that offer Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) treatment for teens. But you may notice that some treatment centers specify that they are “comprehensive,” while others note that they are “DBT-informed.” What’s the difference? When Dr. Marsha Linehan developed Dialectical Behavior Therapy in the 1980s, she delineated four components of treatment. These four treatment delivery requirements were originally meant to be implemented in the standard outpatient setting.

February 22, 2019

How Can Parents Tell If a Teen Is a Perpetrator of Dating Violence?

Teen Dating Violence: One Part of a Bigger Problem Relationship abuse is an issue that eats at the very core of our society. The long-term consequences of abuse are almost too many to list: PTSD, alcohol and substance use disorders, depression, difficulty forming healthy relationships – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In the words of former President of the United States, Jimmy Carter: “Without any equivocation…the number

February 21, 2019

If a Parent Thinks Their Teenager is a Victim of Dating Violence, How Can They Be Sure?

It’s every parent’s worst nightmare: their child being abused. Sexually, emotionally, or physically, it doesn’t matter which – they’re all virtually unbearable to conceive. And that’s for us, the adults, thinking about it from the outside. We have life experience, we have perspective, and we have a fully developed prefrontal cortex that enables us to use reason, control our emotions, and process disturbing information and the associated emotions. We’re not

February 14, 2019

So Your Teen Has A Valentine’s Day Date (And You Don’t Like It)

Parents: So Your Teen Has A Valentine’s Day Date You’re there. The day you knew was coming. Your teenager is going out on their first real date, and it’s on February 14th: Valentine’s Day. You’re freaking out. You tell your friends about it, and they say things like: “How cute!” “That’s adorable!” “Exciting!” And all you’re thinking is: No. Not cute, not adorable, not exciting. I don’t want my kid

February 13, 2019

The One Thing to Do to Increase Your Self-Love

February 13th is International Self-Love Day. The fact that this day of self-love comes right before Valentine’s Day, the day of showing love to others, conveys an important message to struggling teens and their families: Taking care of yourself first is a prerequisite to showing love to others. In honor of the day, we’re sharing the most important thing you can do to increase your self-acceptance and self-love. As psychologists,

February 13, 2019

The Seven Core Issues of Adoption

One thing most people don’t know is that the issues around adoption apply to three groups of people: the adoptive children, the adoptive parents, and the birth parents. These three groups are know as the adoptive triad. Each of the issues below are present for all three groups. While every child, adoptive family, and birth family is different, researchers have identified the following group of challenges common to almost all

February 11, 2019

Parents

Teen Dating Violence: Eleven Signs to Watch For

Teen Dating Violence Warning Signs in Victims Unexplained bruises or injuries Discoloration, pain, or bleeding in, on, or around genitals Pain during urination or bowel movements Symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases. Visit the CDC website for a fact sheet on STDs. Abrupt changes in academic performance Increase in anxiety Mood swings Symptoms of depression: persistent sadness, withdrawal from friends or activities, changes in sleep patterns, loss of appetite Talk of

February 8, 2019

Five Myths About Parenting by Same-Sex Couples

As a companion piece to our post, “Top Five Facts About Adoption by Same-Sex Parents,” we decided to offer this post. We’ll debunk common myths about parenting by same-sex couples. We’ll address facts about same-sex parents and the children they raise. Hopefully, we’ll clear up some misconceptions left over from generations of opposition to even the idea of same-sex parents raising children. Same-Sex Parenting: Top Five Myths Myth: Same-sex parents

February 7, 2019