Adolescent Counseling Services (ACS) has long served the mental health needs of teens and their families on the Peninsula. In 1991, ACS launched the Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment (ASAT) Program to treat teens with substance abuse and dependency issues. In the past two years, the program has matured, encompassing multi-modal approaches to treatment for youth […]
Continuation of blog post ” Cutting As Pain Relief? Understanding and Helping Teens Who Self Harm” The following tips were excerpted from The Cornell Research Program on Self-Injurious Behavior in Adolescents and Young Adults, www.crpsib.com, Copyright 2012. How should I talk to my child about his/her self-injury? Address the issue as soon as possible. Don’t […]
By Jennifer Jones, LCSW Site Director, Palo Alto High School This article is intended to educate parents and the general public about an increasingly common behavior among adolescents called self-harm. Although brief, I hope to shed some light on some of the emotional issues and neurophysiology behind the behavior and to help families be able […]
Between exams, college applications, friend drama and dating angst, you have enough to worry about as a teenager without constantly stressing out about your future. Although there are some things in high school that can be genuinely anxiety-inducing (the common app! landing a prom date!), other concerns — like a getting a credit card or […]
Article from Palo Alto Weekly By: Chris Kenrick Palo Alto youth are emotionally healthier than they were two years ago, according to newly released data from the California Healthy Kids Survey. The percentage of ninth- and 11th-graders who said they had seriously considered suicide in the past 12 months dropped from 18 percent to 11 […]
Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light. ~Norman B. Rice The International Association for Suicide Prevention invites the world to light a candle in support of suicide prevention, suicide survivors and in memory of lost loved ones. Join your friends and neighbors in lighting a candle […]
Summer time for a teen can be a great time to unwind from a stressful school year, get a part-time job for extra spending money, or prepare for future challenges such as; college prep tests, college applications, AP classes or driving tests. For some teens it can also mean a plenitude of idle time without […]
An article published in the Saturday, June 9th, 2012, New York Times put a brilliant spotlight on the prescription drug abuse of Adderall, Ritalin, Vyvanse, and other medications prescribed to treat symptoms of A.D.H.D, by high school students pushing themselves to succeed in high school and get into top colleges. At high schools across the […]
A study recently released in the Journal of Consulting and Clinicial Psychology found a correlation between the treatment of severe depression in teens and the likelihood of future substance abuse. Nearly 200 youths at 11 sites across the United States were studied for five years. The participants analyzed by the study were ages 17-23 at the […]
May 6-12 is National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week organized by the Child Mind Institute and supported by a number of adolescent health and substance abuse organizations. The following is a message from the president of the Child Mind institute, Harold S. Koplewicz, M.D., a leading child and adolescent psychiatrist. Why is it important to […]
