Adolescence and Suicide

Written By: Dylan Lockey, Clinical Trainee at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program For many, adolescenceis a period of intense change, be it physical, emotional, social, and cognitive. It can be simultaneously filled with the highs of endless possibilities and excitement over the future, and the low periods of doubt, frustration, anxiety, and intense stress. It is […]

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Understanding differences in mental health symptoms in the LGBTQ community

Reported By: News-Medical  |  Study By: Drexel University  A study exploring the prevalence of mental health symptoms in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and questioning (LGBQ) community, found that the oft-overlooked questioning and bisexual youth face their own significant challenges, particularly when it comes to depression, anxiety and traumatic distress. “I think the failure to include […]

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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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Adolescents in Middle School: Part 2

Image: darcyadelaide “Depression please cut to the chase” Originally posted March 12, 2010 and has been updated By: Philippe Rey, Psy.D. Executive Director Let’s take a look at data from the California Adolescent Health Collaborative, which sheds light on issues affecting adolescents during the ages they are in middle school. Source: http://www.californiateenhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Mental_Health_Fact_Sheet.pdf Major depression strikes about 1 […]

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Co-Occurring Disorders: Diagnosis

By: JoAnn Kukulus, M.S. Clinical Psychology BBS Registered Intern at Adolescent Counseling Services Increasingly at Adolescent Counseling Services, we are encountering clients who are struggling with both alcohol or substance use/abuse and mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, bi-polar disorder, and the effects of trauma (PTSD). The intersection of these conditions is rapidly gaining […]

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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 to Address Self-Harm with my Child

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 […]

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Cutting As Pain Relief? Understanding and Helping Teens Who Self Harm

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 […]

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National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week-Speak Up for Your Child’s Mental Health

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 […]

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Popular Blog Site Polices Harmful Content

Thanks to the Internet, today’s adolescents have a one-stop-shop for information of all types right at their fingertips. Websites like Wikipedia, Ask.com, About.com, etc. can tell them everything they need to know, from history to word definitions; and then there are blogs sites with information and how-to material on everything else they might be interested […]

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