Outlet Program hosts FREE movie night: “Gunn Hill Road”

image: Joakim Wahlander “Popcorn” By: Dafne Luna Outlet Program Coordinator Films are an amazing tool for creating community. Films allow people of diverse backgrounds to come together in one space and indulge in one shared experience.  Movie nights for Outlet are important for this reason.  We provide a safe and open space for LGBTQQ youth and their […]

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National trends for substance use among adolescents parallels local youth opinions

image: Shay “Cigarettes and Alcohol” By: Monica Ippolito ACS Outpatient Counseling Services Intern Recently the National Institute on Drug Abuse released a study that the University of Michigan conducted in their Monitoring the Future Study on what trends are popular among middle and high school students across the country. The study looked at usage of […]

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The Poison of Perfectionism

Image:CollegeDegree360 by Merrett Sheridan, LMFT, Site Director at Palo Alto High School “I’ve failed over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed” – Michael Jordan “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly” – Robert F. Kennedy At Adolescent Counseling Services at PALY, the most common issue […]

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Do Not Expect a Stress Free Holiday Season

image: Adam Lederer  By: Ana Jimenez Adolescent Counseling Services’ Intern The holidays are here! The holidays are here! Lights everywhere, food and family!  For the young, the best part is school is out! Others are off work. It is December, the time when families celebrate holidays like Christmas, Hanukah, or Kwannza. When we think about the holidays, […]

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Internet Gaming Addiction: Perspectives From a Former Gamer

Image:Federico Morando “internet addiction” By: Evan Sahn After-School Counseling Program Intern   Internet gaming disorder (IGD) represents a relatively new and growing phenomenon in the fields of mental health and video games.  IGD is new largely because the ability to utilize the Internet to play addicting video games has only existed for about 15 years.  In […]

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A Surprise Day Treat for Your Teens

Images: J.K. Califf by Rom Brafman PhD. Site Director at La Entrada Middle School If you’re the romantic type you’ve probably planned a surprise date night or day-long event for your loved one.  Maybe you took them to a concert or even whisked them on a romantic getaway.  We take pride in putting thought into planning […]

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Executive Function and Substance Use

Image: CC0 Public Domain By: JoAnn Kukulus, MS Clinical Psychology; MFT Intern ACS Outpatient Counseling Services I went to the gym, got the kids off to school, walked the dog, and am now ready to head to work on time. As I’m reaching into the refrigerator to grab my lunch I receive a phone call from the […]

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Opinion:Destigmatize Counseling in the Palo Alto Community

Image: Cascadian Farm Source: palyvoice.com by: Lydia Barry Published November 9, 2014 Counseling at Palo Alto High School is highly stigmatized, and is a concept many students are ignorant towards. Some do not know what Adolescent Counseling Services (ACS) is or exactly what it does. “I don’t think people utilize [counseling] as much as they could,” senior […]

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Giving Week has begun with a 3:1 Match Opportunity!

Adolescent Counseling Services has started our first-ever Giving Week, November 2nd-November 8th. When you make an investment in ACS during this week, it can be doubled or tripled through the following match opportunities: Kick-Off Match Any gift received Monday, November 3rd will be matched 1:1, up to $10,000 dollars by the Esther Ting Foundation. Daily Match Gifts received Sunday, November 2nd […]

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