Audrie’s Law – Stricter Laws for Cyberbulling

After the devastating suicide of Audrie Pott in September 2012, a week after she drank too much vodka-laced Gatorade at a house party, passed out and woke up to find crude messages scribbled on her half naked body. Facebook messages she sent out looking for answers the next week suggested she knew photos had been taken […]

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Erasing the Stigma of Mental Illness

by Katie Luce, LMFT Site Director of Jordan Middle School and Redwood Continuation High School Stigma regarding mental illness is an issue that needs to be addressed, even in our educated and progressive community. We must be careful about the words we use, especially in front of our children, and work to educate others in […]

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When a Teen Needs Help, Now They Can Text For It

By Monica Ippolito MFTI Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment/After-School Counseling Program Intern Parents, have you noticed the way that your teens communicate with their friends and family?  If you have spent anytime on a middle or high school campus or seen a group of teens standing around at the movie theater, mall or amusement park then you have […]

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How Do I Get My Teen to Counseling?

By: Connie Mayer, LMFT Director of Outpatient Counseling I often answer phone calls from parents who want to know how to get their teenager to come to counseling. I have been a therapist for 30 years and I have heard the same fears and hesitations. “My son told me he wont get in the car”,”I […]

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“Sizzurp”- A Risky Drug Available at your Local Drugstore

By: Taryn Bogonovich Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Program Intern Teens have been known to experiment with new ways to get a “high”.  You may have heard the news recently about a new craze referred to as “Sizzurp” or “Purple Drank”, which is a mix of  soda, candy and prescription cough syrup with codeine.  While rap musicians […]

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How do we teach our kids to cope with stress?

By Pamela Garfield, LCSW Site Director at Gunn High School Our kids just got through the end of the semester and finals.  Finals, holidays, college applications and the many other pressures of this time of year can be very challenging. Sometimes life just takes over and we have to go into “survival mode” to get […]

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Asking For Help – It’s Ok

Jennica Janssen, LMFTI ACS Outpatient Counseling Intern Is there anything wrong with asking for help? As you read this question, you are probably thinking, “Of course not.” However, the truth is that most people do not want to reach out of their comfort zone and ask for help. Instead, people accept too much responsibility and […]

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