Our family is currently fostering a cat who had been taken to an animal shelter. She is sweet, loving, hungry, and easily started. The noise associated with simply turning a page in a book will instantly cause her to jump. […]
Continue Reading While stress has become a ubiquitous experience for all of us, there are some unique developmental and neurobiological challenges for teens that heighten the impact of stress. Change is stressful. It has to be for humans to pay close enough attention to […]
Continue Reading Tasks, Goals, Bond. The 3 legs of the stool. Let’s review: we always start the process of bringing about change by identifying what the teen is looking for. What do they want to achieve? Some examples of GOALS for different […]
Continue Reading This is Suicide Prevention Week, a fitting time to reinforce the power of relationships as a literal life saving force. We all need connection with others; to feel valued, accepted as we are, with warmth and compassion. Teens especially, rely on connections, […]
Continue Reading The book What Works With Teens speaks to the importance of creating a strong bond with the young people we teach, treat, and coach. Research has shown that a strong relationship and good fit between teenagers and the adults who […]
Continue Reading Seems appropriate to address Independence in July. The celebration of a country free to manage itself, woohoo!! Growth and self-sufficiency however, is not easily earned. It requires persistence, sacrifice, and the ability to postpone instant gratification in pursuit of a larger goal and […]
Continue Reading Human beings are a unique species. For better or worse we have come to dominate the planet. One of the reasons for this is our unique to imitate each other. Consider the benefits, imitating allows us to learn quickly from […]
Continue Reading It seems that sometimes we (parents and professionals alike) can be so focused on teens achieving academically to get into college that we overlook the opportunities for teens to learn and grow in a work environment. Whether teens are self motivated […]
Continue Reading You may be familiar with the Maslow’s hierarchy of basic needs. First is basic survival — food, air, sleep, etc. Second is safety; we all strive to be safe and sound in a world that we often experience as relatively […]
Continue Reading March is Self-Harm Awareness Month. There have been reports of significant increases in self harming behaviors in teens ages 12-17 and for young adults, as a general trend, from 2006 to 2019. As has been reported widely (and in the […]
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