As a parent, realizing that your child is experiencing bullying and harassment from their peers is a difficult and painful experience, and often one that leaves you feeling helpless. After all, you can’t be with your child every second of the day or control the behavior of others. But, there are ways that you can support your child, as well as empower them to stand up for themselves and others who are being bullied.
The teenage years are often met with a rollercoaster of emotions. Between hormones, school stress, and social pressures, this time can be a perfect storm for the development of mental health challenges, such as anxiety and depression. And with a new school year back in full swing, many teens may be struggling to juggle a variety of emotions, alongside their academic and extracurricular obligations. Fortunately, teens don’t have to navigate this rocky journey alone. With the help of family, friends, and therapy, teenagers can find ways to manage and cope with anxiety.
While screen time can be enjoyable, studies have suggested that it can take a toll on our emotions. Social media in particular, can wreak havoc with our mental health. However, it is possible to use your digital devices without your mental health suffering. Like many things in life, it’s about setting boundaries, working toward balance, and practicing moderation. Here are a few ideas to consider.
Previously known as “guidance counselors,” school counselors’ duties have evolved over time to take on a significantly more impactful role in educational settings. Professional school counselors are recognized for their expanded scope of practice, enhanced educational requirements, and increased level of responsibility and accountability. Yet many people still believe the purpose of a school counselor is predominantly to advocate for their students’ academic wellbeing. In celebration of National School Counseling Week, we shed light on some of the most common misconceptions of school counselors.
As teens struggle through the tough transition period of childhood into young adulthood, it can be difficult to decipher a teen’s behavior. Are their out-of-control emotions and conduct a result of the natural process of adolescence, or is it something more serious?
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is broken up into four modules: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal skills. Individuals who benefit from DBT often have difficulty controlling their emotions, want to improve their impulse control, may find themselves stuck in a pattern of rocky relationships, and/or want to be more grounded in the present.
Often, children and their caregivers do not realize anxiety can have physical effects. Children can experience various physical symptoms related to anxiety such as stomach aches, headaches, indigestion, muscle tension, nausea, fatigue, sleep disruption, and restlessness. Physical symptoms like these should always first be medically explored to rule out other underlying causes. That being said, these types of symptoms are often produced by anxiety.
When social media first took center stage back in the mid-2000s, it was largely intended as an avenue to help connect people near and far. However, there have also been unintended consequences. While the use of social media continues to be a heavily discussed topic, focus has shifted to bullying that can result from social media use.
