Posts

How Family Therapy Can Help My Troubled Teen

Image
The teenage years can be a difficult time filled with changes and challenges for both teens and parents. If your teen is struggling, it’s not to say they won’t make any gains from seeing a therapist but imagine the leaps they could jump if you as a parent work on your relationship with them and join them in therapy? It may seem like an impossible task since many  adolescents refuse to attend counseling , however sometimes if a  parent is willing to admit  they need to work on their issues too — it could encourage your teen to get started. How does family therapy work? During family therapy sessions, you’ll work with a therapist to examine how one family member’s  behaviors affect them  and their relationships with other family members. To help families work together toward a healthier home life, family therapists help family members develop new ways to communicate, improve family interactions, and  navigate challenging situations  as a team. What are the benefits of family therapy for
Read more

How to Help Your Teen Stop Smoking

Image
Teen smoking might begin innocently, but it can become a long-term problem. In fact, most adult smokers started smoking as teens. In order to dissuade your teen from smoking or even starting this habit, first you have to examine why young people begin smoking. Why do teens smoke cigarettes?  Desire to fit in with friends. Peer pressure – bonding.  Monkey see, monkey do. Copying their older siblings or  parents .  It’s on the screens! Imitating actors or models with appealing images in the movies, video games or social media.  They want to assert their independence.  They believe they appear to be more sophisticated or grown-up. Simple curiosity. Stopping or preventing your teen from smoking It is not always possible for parents to prevent their child or teen from trying cigarettes, but the use of various strategies can reduce the likelihood of a teen wanting to smoke and doing so  regularly . 1. Set a good example.   Teen smoking is more common among teens  whose parents smoke . Resear
Read more

The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping - Behind the Netflix Series

Image
  If you have watched the Netflix docuseries,   “ The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping , ” it can be chilling and disturbing to believe that this type of harm, torture and abuse of kids could happen in the United States — however sadly it did. The founder of P.U.R.E.™, Sue Scheff, was a  major factor  in the closure of these horrific programs by taking them to trial in 2004 and exposing their  neglect and abuse  to children, as well as  fraud and deceit  to the parents. She was the first one to bring this giant corporation to a  jury trial and WIN . Fortunately for parents today, we have learned so much since the  closure of the WWASP  ( World Wide Association of Specialty Programs ) which the  Academy of Ivy Ridge  was affiliated with. Ivy Ridge was one of nearly 22 programs that WWASP ran that not only enticed ( conned ) parents with their  slick marketing  and sales people, they also ran outrageous  cult-like  seminars that were designed to keep parents busy while “the program”
Read more

How to Find NATSAP Schools for My Troubled Teen

Image
  Searching for  schools for troubled teens online  can be tedious and confusing. If this is your first time searching for therapeutic boarding schools for your troubled teenager, learning the terminology will be one of your first lessons. 5 Tips to Untangle the Troubled Teen Industry Terminology “ My teen needs a Military school to teach them a lesson!”  WRONG. Military schools  are a privilege and honor to attend, they are not for defiant, drug-using, depressed, or other behavioral issues students. They do   not   provide mental health services – and if your teen is using drugs, drinking, or vaping now – by attending an open campus, it is likely s/he will consider the use again. However, this time when he is caught (typically three strike you are out) and the parents will forfeit their tuition. This is the same for any of the behavioral issues they are asked to leave or expelled for – you will be risking your tuition as well as  setting your child up for failure . 2.  “My teen needs
Read more

Schools for Troubled Teens Questions and Answers

Image
  Are you at your wit’s end with your defiant teenager? Find yourself online   searching for places to send troubled teens   and realize you have so many questions?   First you are bombarded with  websites, marketing and new terminology  that can be  confusing and overwhelming  especially when you are stressed out and exhausted by your teen’s behavior. After decades of helping families that are searching for the  right behavioral boarding school  for their struggling teen or young adult, we complied the top  5 most asked questions  and  answers  by parents. 5 Questions Parents Ask About Placing Their Teen in Troubled Youth Programs: 1. “Should our teen help us choose the therapeutic boarding program?” Absolutely, positively  not . Up until this point of their life, they have not been making the best choices, what would convince you that they would make the  right  one now? Again, with decades of experience, parents have attempted to work with their teens in hopes they would be  excited
Read more

Social Media and Teen Girls Mental Health

Image
  According to a new report by Common Sense Media,   Teens and Mental Health: How Girls Really Feel About Social Media , nearly half (45%) of girls who use TikTok say they feel “ addicted ” to the platform or use it more than intended at least weekly.   Among girls with moderate to  severe depressive symptoms , roughly seven in 10 who use Instagram (75%) and TikTok (69%) say they come across  problematic suicide-related  content at least monthly on these platforms.   The report surveyed more than 1,300 adolescent girls across the country to better understand how the most popular social media platforms and design features  impact  their lives today.   Among the report’s key findings, adolescent girls spend over two hours daily on TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat, and more than 90 minutes on Instagram and messaging apps. When asked about platform design features, the majority of girls believe that features like location sharing, public accounts, endless scrolling, and appearance filters hav
Read more