Elevate Counseling: Supporting Kids and Teens Mental Health In The Greater Phoenix Area

Friday 5: Kids & Teens

Here’s What We’ve Been Reading To Support Your Family’s Mental Health

I’ve yet to meet anyone who says that they’d love to return to their middle school years.  The awkward time of fighting for independence, while searching for acceptance is a lot to handle.  It’s even more difficult if you find yourself “on the outs” with her social circle.  If you’ve got a struggling tween, check out this article to help them deal with social exclusion. (Greater Good Magazine: Berkeley)

While it may sound counterintuitive, some studies have found that adolescents in high-achieving schools can suffer significantly higher rates of anxiety, depression, substance abuse and delinquent behaviors, at least two to three times the national average. What’s accounting for this discrepancy, might your high-achieving teen be susceptible, and what can you do to provide support? Students in high-achieving schools are now named an ‘at-risk’ group, study says (Washington Post)

In one 2017 study in the journal Eating and Weight Disorders, researchers found that women who remembered their parents commenting about their weight in childhood reported greater dissatisfaction with their bodies well into adulthood — regardless of their actual body mass index. If you are concerned about your child’s weight, read this article. (Mindshift)
 
Why is it so hard to do something that should be easy? Enter “The Wall of Awful.” This video does a great job of explaining what happens when a person with ADHD gets overwhelmed and shuts down. FYI: the process is similar for anyone under emotional duress.
 
Many parents install tracking apps with good intentions. We want to PROTECT children from making unnecessary mistakes or reduce OUR OWN anxieties about the process of them growing up. But as with most technology, tracking apps can be taken to the EXTREME. How tight should the tether be when your child begins their first steps towards independence in high school or flies the coop for college? And are your efforts to remotely protect causing unintended emotional damage.
(Washington Post)
 
Jamie Dana

Jamie Dana

Jamie Dana, MC, LPC, helps teens and adults overcome mental roadblocks and achieve their goals to live an elevated life. Specialties include research-based interventions to address stress and anxiety, trauma, self-esteem, eating issues and struggles of the gifted and high-achieving population. For more information about her techniques, services and additional resources to help you succeed, check her out at www.elevatecounselingaz.com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram. You can also Contact her to schedule an initial appointment today