Sexuality | Adolescent Counseling Services

You Don’t Need to Have Everything Figured Out: Identity and LGBTQ+ Teens

in Gender / Gender identity / Identity Formation / Identity Formation / Parent Tips / Parenting / Sexuality / Teen Development by Adolescent Counseling Services June 3, 2026May 28, 2026 0 comments

Written By: Samantha Sicairos, Clinical Trainee at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program TO TEENS: Adolescence is a time of exploring who you are and teens are often exploring their sexual orientation and gender identities. Some may know exactly how they identify and some may question and change their labels over time (during adolescence and beyond at […]

Helping Parents Understand Different Relationship Structures

in Dating / Parenting / Relationships / Relationships / Sexuality / Society Norms by Adolescent Counseling Services May 13, 2026May 7, 2026 0 comments

Written By: Seren Moran, Clinical Trainee at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program IN EVERY GENERATION,parents encounter new topics and behaviors from their children that may feel unfamiliar or challenging. Many of us can remember moments when we tried to explain our perspective to our parents, hoping to be understood. And yet, when we step into the […]

Heterosexual Privilege Awareness: Active Allyship

in Gender identity / LGBTQ Issues / LGBTQ rights / Mental Health / Pride Month / Sexuality / Society Norms by Adolescent Counseling Services June 4, 2025May 30, 2025 0 comments

Written By: Anny Bae, Clinical Trainee at ACS, Outlet Program WHAT IS PRIVILEGE?The concept of privilege refers to any automatic, unearned benefits and advantages awarded to members of dominant social groups, such as racial, gender, or sexual orientation identities (Case et al., 2012a; McIntosh, 1998). These privileges then operate on further intersecting identities (i.e., gay […]

Validating and Including Bisexuality

in Bisexuality / Discrimination / LGBTQ Issues / Relationships / Sexuality by Adolescent Counseling Services October 16, 2024October 15, 2024 0 comments

Written By: Kennedy Rothenbuescher, Clinical Trainee at ACS, Outlet Program IN LIFEwe want to make sure that everyone feels included, but what happens when both the LGBTQ+ community and the heterosexual community exclude people who are bisexual? Individuals who are bisexual tend to be outcasted from the LGBTQ+ community, as well as the heterosexual community, […]

Teen Pregnancy

in Dating / Discussing Sex / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Relationships / Romance by Adolescent Counseling Services March 9, 2022March 4, 2022 0 comments

Written By: Ruby Ortiz, Clinical Trainee at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program ONE OF THE MOSTtransformative experiences that anyone can encounter in their lifetime is going through a pregnancy. Individuals go through a significant amount of physical, emotional, and psychological changes during this period in their life. It doesn’t only include the body changing throughout each […]

Teen Dating: 5 Tips for Parents

in Consent / Dating / Dating Violence / Discussing Sex / Mental Health / Parent Tips / Parent-Teen Communication / Parenting / Relationships / Romance / Setting Boundaries / Sexual Assault / Sexuality / Society Norms / Teen Peer Groups by Adolescent Counseling Services February 9, 2022February 4, 2022 0 comments

Written By: Wendy Ortiz-Rodriguez, Clinical Trainee at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program There comes a timein an adolescent’s development when friends turn into crushes and crushes turn into potential dating relationships. Dating can be tricky at any age in development, therefore it is worth having a conversation about this topic with your teen to guide them […]

Practicing Compassion to Balance Masculinity

in Academic Stress / Anger Management / Anxiety / Behavioral Norms / Depression / Mental Health / Parent Tips / Parenting / Relationships / Self care / Society Norms / Stress / Teen self-esteem / Teen Self-Image by Adolescent Counseling Services September 22, 2021January 27, 2022 0 comments

Written By: Cristian Lemus, Clinical Trainee at ACS, Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Program TRADITIONAL MASCULINITYis a social construct that presents itself in many different forms across the world. In the U.S., masculinity typically embodies winning, hyper-sexuality, controlling one’s emotions, risk-taking, violence, dominance, and dislike of being perceived as gay (Mahalik et al., 2003). When masculinity […]

Asexuality: An Explainer

in ACS Institute of Psychotherapy & Training / LGBTQ Issues / Mental Health / Mental Health / Relationships / Sexuality / Society Norms by Adolescent Counseling Services February 17, 2021January 27, 2022 0 comments

Written By: Tucker Chopp, Clinical Intern at ACS, Outlet Program what is asexuality? Broadly speaking, it refers to folks who do not experience sexual attraction to others. “Asexual” or “Ace” is often used as an umbrella term to refer to people who consider themselves to be included in the asexual community. A lack of sexual […]

What’s the Word?

in ACS Institute of Psychotherapy & Training / Gender / Gender identity / LGBTQ Issues / Pride Month / Sexuality / Society Norms by Adolescent Counseling Services June 17, 2020January 27, 2022 0 comments

Written By: Rey Boone, Clinical Intern at ACS, Outlet Program why is language important? Sharp (2015) emphasized the importance of language in the connection of people worldwide and how it ties them to their history and roots; this author also highlights how certain languages are in danger of dying out permanently and the connections being […]

Developing Healthy Relationships in Adolescence

in ACS Institute of Psychotherapy & Training / Intern / Puberty / Relationships / Teen Peer Groups by Adolescent Counseling Services April 8, 2020January 27, 2022 0 comments

Written By: Andrea Delariyala, Clinical Trainee at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program relationships are an important part of any person’s life. This is especially true for adolescents – they will often experience an increased desire to explore friendships and romantic relationships. This increased interest in friends and movement away from family is a normal part of […]