We heard it almost immediately when we told our teen or adolescent they’re going to treatment for addiction. I can’t. The list of I can’t’s is infinite. I can’t go. I can’t leave school. I can’t leave my friends. I can’t be without my phone. I can’t leave home. I can’t meet new people. I…
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Nothing hurts a parent’s heart more than watching a child obsess over their perceived failures while not giving any attention to their obvious accomplishments. We lament the fact that our children have gained such perfectionist qualities to the point of hurting their self-esteem. We want them to be able to recognize what good they do…
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Parents are just as familiar with catastrophizing as their teens are. Catastrophizing thought patterns tend to include a lot of “What if’s” followed by devastating assumptions. Parents who have watched their adolescent or teen struggle with active addiction have practically lived in a world of what if. What if they don’t come home? They’ll never…
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Why do we think the thoughts that we think? Why do we think our thoughts in the way that we think them? Until we go to therapy, we may never take the time to consider where some of our thoughts come from? Where did we pick up these narratives? When did we decide to believe…
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We are facing an unprecedented mental health crisis in our children, from elementary school age kids all the way to college. Increasingly, we are becoming aware of the many factors which are contributing to a decline in our children’s mental health. Modern issues like social media, phone, and technology addiction are causing tremendous problems for…
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The fixation on an event which caused trauma or anxiety is quickly remedied through EMDR practices and then transformed through the unique application of EMDR. Until that transformation can take place, you are at risk for being ‘stuck’ in the painful moment of the past. EMDR works because a skilled and licensed therapist knows how…
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Dialectical behavioral therapy was created as an alternative therapeutic approach to cognitive behavioral therapy. As CBT was gaining renown and praise for its efficacy in treatment, a small population of individuals were not finding any support from it. Individuals with mental illnesses which include extreme mood swings or intensified experiences of emotion needed more support…
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Cognitive behavioral therapy is considered the gold standard of therapeutic practices for recovery from addictions and mental health issues. Many teens and adolescents who are seeking treatment for addiction are experiencing secondary, co-occurring mental health disorders like an anxiety disorder. Numerous research studies are emphasizing that teens’ chronic interaction with technological devices and social media…
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Addiction changes the brain. We can read that sentence with an air of simplicity and imagine drugs and alcohol changing the way our boys think and behave. The brevity of the reality is a bit more impactful. Addiction changes the brain. Addiction changes the way our boys think, the way our boys behave, the way…
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The opioid epidemic which has spread among teens and adolescents has proven one thing to be certain: addiction belongs to nobody. Addiction is a disease which does not discriminate. Race, color, heritage, academic achievements, sports, social standing, socioeconomic bracket, and neighborhood don’t make a difference when it comes to addiction. There are some influencing factors,…
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