Autonomy in Adolescents

Written By: Kenzie Bohnsack, Clinical Intern at ACS, Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Program A desire forautonomy is experienced at two critical stages in life, toddlerhood and adolescence. Autonomy can be defined as feeling, behaving, and thinking independently, a sense of self-governance or freedom to make choices. During adolescence, youth begin to separate from their parents […]

Read More

So You’ve Been Invited to Have a Family Session with Your Teen… An Attachment-Based Approach

Written By: Jaimie Sandlin, Clinical Intern at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program and Community Counseling Program family sessionscan be tense, but the expected outcome is that you all emerge stronger together. When your teen’s therapist asks you, their caregiver, to join them for a session, it can be nerve-wracking. You might feel defensive. You might feel […]

Read More

Boundaries – For You AND Your Teen

Written By: Elizabeth Rivera, Clinical Trainee at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program and Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Program   “Your no makes the way for your yes. Boundaries create the container within which your yes is authentic. Being able to say no makes yes a choice.” ― Adrienne Maree Brown, Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good […]

Read More

Tech-Positive Parenting

Written By:  Deborah Sloss, LCSW, ACS Site Supervisor, On-Campus Counseling Program   Teenagers today are constantly “plugged in”– gaming, texting, tweeting, or posting on Snapchat and Instagram.  As parents, we worry that our kids are addicted, detached, and distracted by their digital devices.  We struggle with how to set appropriate limits and how to keep […]

Read More

Technology and Teen Dating

Written By:  Sarah McLaughlin, LMFT, Site Supervisor, ACS On-Campus Counseling Program Teen relationships can often seem mysterious in this digital age. It’s not always easy for a parent to ascertain the nature of their child’s relationships or to keep track of the ups and downs that take place during these romantic relationships. How are teens […]

Read More

How do I talk to my kid?

Written By:  Kin Leung, LMFT | ACS Site Supervisor, Gunn High School Sometimes it can feel that teenagers are some of the most difficult people to understand on the planet. On top of that, being a parent makes it even more challenging to talk to your own teenage children. As a psychotherapist, my job is […]

Read More

Isn’t there an ‘App’ for that?! Real perspective on College Application Anxiety

Written By:  JoAnn Kukulus, MFTI, On-Campus Counseling Program Site Coordinator Cooler weather, changing seasons, shorter days, Autumn holidays…..COLLEGE APPLICATIONS!!! High school students in general are reporting greater stress than ever and with deadlines for submitting college applications. Admission to next fall’s academic term is rapidly approaching, and to be perfectly honest, now is possibly one of […]

Read More

Talking to Teens about Violence and Tragedies

Written By: Ann Stillingfleet, ACS Clinical Intern, Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment and Community Counseling Programs Every week the news brings stories of seemingly senseless and random acts of violence — either globally or locally.  How do we talk to our children, especially our teens, about these events when the source of much of what they […]

Read More

Rituals in Therapy

Written By: Ann Stillingfleet, ACS Clinical Intern, Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment and Community Counseling Programs What comes to mind when you think of rituals? Perhaps you visualize a religious ceremony, a celtic gathering in an oak grove,  a medicine man or sage woman conducting a healing or a centuries old tradition passed down through generations. […]

Read More

The Addict and the Enabler

Written By: Laura Cole, ACS Clinical Intern, Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment and Community Counseling Programs ACS’ Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Program depends on the participation of not only the teen struggling with substance abuse, but the family or guardian as well.  Addiction affects the entire family, and each family member has a personal responsibility to the […]

Read More