If left untreated, mental illness and associated behaviors like self-harm can worsen over time. Thankfully, a variety of professional approaches and interventions exist to help teens struggling with their mental health. Therapy for teens who are cutting or self-harming offers an alternative outlet for overwhelming feelings and gives them tools for healthy emotional regulation and […]
Parent Articles for Teen Rehab
If left untreated, mental illness and associated behaviors in teens like self-harm can worsen over time. These articles detail how.
How to Talk to Someone Who is Self-Harming: 7 Steps Toward Healing
While it can be painful to discover that your teen is self-harming, the behavior indicates a need for support. Nearly 20% of teens worldwide have engaged in self-harm behavior—and most teens who hurt themselves do so because they are struggling with underlying mental health issues. It is also important to know that self-harm is not […]
19 Risky Teen Behaviors with Warning Signs and Questions to Ask Your Teen
In a 2021 CDC study, 2 out of 5 teens reported emotional distress during the year. Many of these teens turn to high-risk behaviors to cope, such as substance use, violence, or unprotected sex. These can lead to poor health outcomes and further exacerbate their emotional distress. It’s normal to feel concerned by troubling teen […]
Why Do Teens Engage in Self-Harm? The Underlying Mental Health Issues Explained
Self-harm behaviors can be painful to witness and difficult to understand. Why do teens self-harm? It’s generally because they’re in emotional pain—teens use self-harm as a coping mechanism for overwhelming feelings. If your teen has turned to self-harm as a way to cope with their pain, we’re here to offer hope and healing. Your thoughtful […]
The Vaping Epidemic Among America’s Teens
The use of e-cigarettes, or vapes, among teens has become so widespread and so troubling that the Food and Drug Administration has started to take drastic action to counter the trend. Last September, the FDA ordered five brands—Juul, Vuse, MarkTen, blu e-cigs, and Logic—to submit plans to address teen use of their products within 60 […]
Parentification Trauma: Working with Families and the Child
By Jennifer Golick, PhD, LMFT, Clinical Director, Muir Wood What is a Parentified Child? A parentified child is a term used to describe a child who takes on the responsibility of caring for their parent or family. This can happen when a parent is absent, unavailable, or unable to care for themselves or their family. […]
10 Parenting Tips for Raising Healthy Teen
Here’s some great advice for raising a healthy, happy teen: Be an engaged and hands-on parent to your kids. Discuss your family values and expectations about alcohol and substance use. Empower your children with facts to make good choices. Ensure they know the effects of alcohol and drugs on brain development, the law, and social/physical […]
Affluence Increases Kids’ Risk of Hookah Use, Says Study
A new study published in the journal Pediatrics found that though teenagers in the United States are avoiding cigarette use in larger and larger numbers, the rates of hookah use for tobacco and other substances has been on the rise. In fact, about one in five seniors in high school report having used a hookah […]
Glow Parties: What Parents Need to Know
They’re marketed as being teen-friendly with no alcohol or drugs and lots of positive over-18 support and supervision, but are so-called glow parties the wholesome and safe activity that they purport to be? Not according to ABC News. They report that these parties that are open to kids who are at least 16 (for a […]
What You Should Expect From Your Son’s Drug Rehab Program
In our last post, we looked at all the questions you should ask when looking for a drug rehab program for your son as he moves away from substance abuse and toward balance and stability. Here are the things that you should be looking for in the answers to those questions and what the rehab […]
Top 10 Questions You Should Ask Your Son’s Drug Rehab
A good rehab is hard to find, especially when the patient is a teenage boy. There are so few programs dedicated only to providing addiction treatment for teenagers, let alone teen boys specifically, and yet it is imperative that a boy struggling with substance abuse get treatment that is tailor-made for his level of development […]
Is Your Son Drinking at Your House? You’re Responsible
The summer months are the most common time for teenagers to drink alcohol, but if it’s happening at your house, then you are liable for what happens afterward—even if it’s not your child who was drinking, you didn’t supply the alcohol, and/or you didn’t even know it was happening. Law enforcement is cracking down on […]
Are Indoor Tanning and Teen Substance Abuse Linked?
Like the energy drinks described in a recent post, it appears that there may be a connection between teen use of indoor tanning and substance abuse, according to the latest research. A study recently published in the journal of JAMA Dermatology found that teens who often frequented indoor tanning establishments were more likely to indulge […]
Questions to Ask Your Teen About Alcohol and Drug Use
Talking to your teen about substance abuse doesn’t just mean lecturing him on the risks of getting high or driving while intoxicated. Though it is important to share this kind of information with your children from a relatively early age, monologues will do little to sway your son’s choices in behavior. Instead of talking at […]
Impulse Control, Dangerous Choices, and Your Son
Why is it that your son is excited by dangerous situations while you – and even him, when he was younger – shied away from anything fear-inducing? According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, it may be a biological issue. A recent study supports the idea that teens react more impulsively when […]
What to Do if You Notice Changes in Your Son
Changes are normal for kids of all ages, and during the teen years, the changes experienced by your son can be abrupt and disconcerting. Unfortunately, these changes can be as overwhelming and difficult to understand for your son as they are for you, and your child may not know how to handle the waves of […]
Identifying the Signs of Your Son’s Drug Abuse
Parents will see a number of changes in their teenage children when they hit puberty and as they grow and develop after the age of 12. Personality, mood, appearance, interests, friends—all these and more will be the subjects of those changes. However, because so many new things occur during this time, it can be hard […]
Social Media and Teens’ Photos: Are They Influencing Your Teen’s Choices?
When it comes to your child’s online activity, you already have plenty to worry about. You have to worry about whether or not your underage youngster is talking to someone much older, someone who might not have the best intentions in mind, and you have to hope your child isn’t being cyber-bullied or visiting offensive […]
Spotting Fake IDs? There’s an App for That
Think back to your high school or early college days. Did you ever use a fake ID to buy alcohol underage? Whether you did or didn’t engage in this trend, fake IDs are still used all too often by underage teens attempting to buy alcohol and/ or cigarettes. The good news, though, is that thanks […]
OTC Medication Abuse: What Parents Need to Know
Over-the-counter (OTC) medication abuse is on the rise for teenagers and young adults. When used as intended, these medications are safe, but when abused they can be very dangerous. Unfortunately, dextromethorphan is easy to access. It can be found in more than 125 OTC products. Some commonly known medications that contain the substance include Robitussin […]
My Son Is an Addict: One Parent’s Advice
No parent’s struggle with their son’s addiction is easy to deal with or overcome. In a recent column, one mother shared her experience with the hope of helping other parents dealing with the same issue. Her son, Joshua, was a happy and bright child. It wasn’t until his teen years that a much darker side […]
Is Your Son’s Computer His Drug Dealer?
A watchdog group named Digital Citizens Alliance launched an investigation into how difficult it would be for a teenager to purchase prescription medications online. The results of the investigation were shocking enough to propel the study into the media spotlight and gain the attention of parents nationwide. A teenage boy called several online “pharmacies” to […]
CA Social Hosting Laws: How They Affect You and Your Son
“A beer or two is normal in high school.” “I had my first drink when I was 14, and I turned out okay.” “He’s going to drink anyway. At least if I let him drink at home he won’t drink and drive.” Many parents justify teen alcohol use and even embrace it to the point […]
Close Bonds with Parents Decreases Rates of Teen Prescription Drug Abuse
We live in a busy world. Making time for friends and family is becoming increasingly difficult. While many parents feel that their responsibilities are growing and they are finding less time to spend with they kids, the kids are getting older and are more in need of parental attention than ever as they face the […]
Is Your Son Less Likely to Get High if Drug Tested Randomly at School?
In this day and age, it definitely takes a village to help raise a child. With all of the new ways our children have to put themselves in harm’s way—in addition to the old ones—any help we can get in keeping them safe can literally be a lifesaver. This is especially true when it comes […]
Thinking of Sharing Your Drug Stories With Your Son?
While it’s true that making your anti-drug stance clear to your teenage son is a positive step that can help him to make good choices, it’s also true that sharing your personal drug use and abuse stories may not have the effect that you want, according to a new study published in the journal Human […]
Safe Prescription Med Disposal to Reduce Teen Drug Abuse
Teen heroin abuse and addiction are rising across the country—and not just in urban areas. In fact, heroin overdose deaths are becoming more and more of a concern as heroin takes the lives of teens in suburban areas across the country. How did this trend begin, and why is it becoming an increasing issue? Most […]
20% of Parents Have Concerns Over Teen Drug Use: New Study
A national poll published by the University of Michigan Mott Children’s Hospital reported that only 33 percent of parents say they are concerned about the non-medical use of addictive prescription drugs by teens. Only 20 percent said they were worried about the misuse of prescription medications by teens in their families. Additionally, though prescription painkiller […]