Over the course of two decades working therapeutically with adolescents and their families, I have observed countless young people as they reach a highly anticipated milestone in their lives: turning 18. I have also observed the parents of all those young people as they attempt to adjust to the transition that occurs when their “baby” […]
My Teen Is Lonely and Depressed. How Can I Help?
Do you find your teenager isolating themselves in their room? Does your teen struggle to keep up with and balance the normal everyday tasks? Is your teen feeling lonely despite having friends? Everyone feels lonely at one time or another. This feeling of loneliness can push people to reach out to others for support. However, […]
Loneliness, Depression, and Teens
Are Our Teens More Lonely and Depressed? Todays teens are feeling increasingly more lonely and current research suggests teens and young adults are lonelier than any other age group – even older adults. A large national survey of American teens found that four out of ten young people ages 15 – 24 were pretty lonely, […]
My Teenager Has Anxiety: Now What do I do?
Anxiety can be a challenge for anyone; however, adolescents have the additional stress of the constant changes that occur during this time period which heighten the experience of anxiety for a teenager. This anxiety can be overwhelming and there are ways to help your teen to make their anxiety smaller and more manageable. When teens […]
Top Ten Reasons Teens Have So Much Anxiety Today
We have fostered anxiety in our teens rather than helped them to build resilience. Many teens struggle with anxiety and it is a very common reason why parents and their teens come to my therapy office. Some teenagers are crippled by overachievement and expect to be perfectionists in every area. Other teens excessively worry […]
Navigating the Teenager/Parent Relationship
Your child is now a teenager and that sweet person has become a moody, challenging human being taking up space in your home. You long for the sweet child from years ago or just last year. The relationship between you and your child when they are young is a strong one placing the parent […]
Could I Be a Helicopter Parent?
To understand if you are a helicopter parent, you have to know what it means to be a helicopter parent. The term “helicopter parent” is used to define a parent who engage in over-parenting his/her children. Helicopter parents often are obsessed with their children’s education, safety, extracurricular activities, and other aspects of their children’s lives. […]
Why Do Teenagers Become Angry?
There are a multitude of reasons for teenagers to become angry and even stay angry. This time period is so confusing and unnerving for teenagers. They are trying to figure out who they are and how they are separate people from their parents and families. Sometimes their emotions get the best of them and just […]
Teenagers and the Emotional Roller Coaster
Does it feel like you never know which emotion your teenager will show at any one time? Can the emotions switch within one conversation? It is hard to know how to respond to the emotion – should you respond to the anger, the sadness, the frustration, or the despair? How do you respond? Will the […]
Teasing vs. Bullying
For several years I have given parent and child workshops on the topic of teasing versus bullying within a school environment. The first workshop I gave was at the school my daughters attended in Los Angeles Unified School District. This topic is almost more important today then it was several years ago when I started […]