Among the most frightening, and dangerous mental health issues teens struggle with are eating disorders. In this blog I hope to to share the basic facts, statistics, causes, and strategies for coping with this wide-spread problem.
Read MoreOne of the most difficult responses my parents get stumped on is when their child makes a statement “I’m feel fat” or “Do I look fat?”
Read MoreAs a health care provider working in reproductive health for 23 years, I am surprised at how difficult it is for me to discuss sexual health and sexuality with my boys. Even with access to current research, professional mentors, clinical practice and Google, I find myself floundering to adopt the right approach.
Read MoreAs if we didn’t have enough to worry about, there is a new major problem targeting teenagers: VAPING. The Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) has declared youth vaping an epidemic, and is trying to ratchet up the control of these devices and substances to teenagers. Vaping has become the most popular tobacco product among teenagers…
Read MoreAs the parent of your own Teenage Events you probably know that I spend way more time fixing than I do clicking- it's part of the job. Looking back on my four years as a high school parent, even the best planning couldn't have prepared me for the following fixers:
Read MoreOver the past year, Dr. Gelbart's advice and insight has resonated for so many in the Families Connected Parent Chat, and the strategies he outlines in this blog are tried and true, both in terms of helping us guide our child in a healthy direction, as well as in reducing stress and anxiety within our homes.
Read More“…Leah ran into the bathroom crying. She stuck her head in the toilet and began throwing up. I didn’t know it then, but she was having her first panic attack. I followed her and sat on the bathroom floor holding her for twenty minutes, trying to calm her down, but her body trembled as she kept crying.”
Read MoreAs a parent trying to teach my children about responsible, balanced use of social media, I have conducted serious soul searching about my own scrolling habits. Am I modeling appropriate behavior? If I am being honest with myself, am I preaching against the very patterns that I myself am guilty of?
Read MoreYouth today are facing an unprecedented mental health crisis with levels of depression and suicide that are unlike anything we have previously encountered.
Read MoreKids are back in school. Maybe your child, or their classmates, have a brand new phone. At the beginning of every school year, there tends to be a lot of bullying and other problematic behavior happening online. For this reason, at the beginning of every school year, I suggest parents do a cyber safety tune-up of their child's digital safety. Whether you have already done some of the suggestions below, or you are new to your child's digital world, cyber safety is an on-going conversation and these issues deserve our attention. As parents, we need to stay engaged in our children's lives and the digital world is a big part of it.
Read MoreHow can parents and schools combat this trend? For one thing, we can connect our students with the real facts about the chemicals and nicotine that are in most e-cigarettes and in JUULs, a popular stealth vape device. Edutopia reported that a recent survey by the Truth Initiative found that 63 percent of 15- to 24-year-old previous 30-day users surveyed did not know that vapor pods, which come in hundreds of kid-friendly flavors like gummy worms, cotton candy, and unicorn puke, contain highly addictive nicotine—a single pod containing 200 puffs can have just as much as a pack of Marlboros or Camels.
Read MoreAs parents or caregivers, we all want to enjoy a meaningful connection with our kids. Interestingly, research now provides proof that maintaining and nurturing this bond is one of the most significant protective factors when it comes to our children's long-term social and emotional wellness. According to the Harvard Center on the Developing Child, “The single most common factor for children who develop resilience (the ability to overcome serious hardship) is at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive parent, caregiver, or other adult.”
Read MoreGrowing up is getting harder and harder these days, and it’s happening a lot sooner than it once did. Parents want and need to talk to their kids about life topics like self-esteem and confidence, friendship, safety, peer pressure, sex, alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, and healthy relationships. We need to be sure to have meaningful conversations like these often and spend quality time together. As parents know, this is easier said than done. Below are some specific evidence-based reasons to try to establish a positive connection and meaningful communication with your teen, and strategies that will help you succeed.
Read MoreWe are sharing this helpful article originally published in Forbes and Psychology Today with our SBFC audience. Amy Morin is a psychotherapist and the author of, Thirteen Things Mentally Strong People Don’t do.
Read MoreThe workshop instructor, Kimberly Digilio can relate to the pressure that today's youth experience. She shares that, “Growing up, I was never very kind to myself. I worked incredibly hard and achieved many successes but never took the time to celebrate them." For Kim, meditation was the key. "Meditation changed the way I saw myself in the world around me, and it taught me to accept the highs and lows in my life with more compassion and less judgment.” Our hope is that all youth can find that self-compassion and perspective.
Read MoreAfter my oldest daughter was diagnosed with ADHD her freshman year of high school, I began to worry—and for good reason. She was fourteen and I’d witnessed what happened when someone self-medicated through high school and beyond. My adopted brother, who was four years older than me, had ADHD growing up. I watched my parents worry about him from the time he started grade school. They'd get calls from his teachers complaining that he’d disrupted class or had a hard time focusing that day. His report cards reflected his struggles, and when Mom and Dad would talk to him about that, he’d have outbursts—sometimes unable to control his emotions.
Read More“Let’s stop judging. Please don’t say ‘not my kid.’ Please listen,” said Howorth to over 60 attendees at a panel titled “Our Kids and Opioids: It’s Time to Talk.” Joining Mayor Howorth were Cynthia Strand, a Manhattan Beach mom who lost her son to opioid addiction and Dr. Moe Gelbart, executive director of the Torrance Memorial Thelma McMillen Center for Alcohol and Drug Treatment.
Read MoreMy youngest brother became a stoner by his junior year in high school. By his senior year of college, he was a heroin addict. I will not bore you with my family history, but basically, great family, great parents, grew up in an affluent area.There did not appear to be any reason that my brother would become a heroin addict, none. But he did.
Read MoreI felt so many emotions. I felt sad for her and for the other girls in the friend group. There is that spot where I just wanted to fix it for her, but of course that”s not possible. I also felt grateful. Grateful that because of the journey with my first daughter, I would get a do-over of sorts. How could I support my 13 year old best?
Read MoreAs I watched my son walk toward me across the school lawn to my car, I studied his face and posture in anticipation of his report on how his day had gone at middle school. The afterschool pick-up routine had come to include a conversation about the mean remarks, dirty stares and shoves he’d received from the other students; boys he had grown up with since Kindergarten. Remembering the helplessness I felt in those moments causes my chest to tighten
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