Here are some tips for anxiety management. It's a good topic for today because I am having an anxious kind of day (yes, even therapists get anxious). 1. It's not as bad as you think it is. Truly. You are worrying about something that is very unlikely to...
The benefits to volunteering are innumerable. For your teenager they are essential. Many of us automatically think of how great it looks on college applications to have a teenager who volunteers. However, there are reasons it's good for your child that span from...
If your teenage child gives you news that you never saw coming, there is a right and wrong way to deal with it. All of us have a sentence we hope we never hear, or at least aren't expecting. But, kids are people and the one thing predictable about people is that...
Depending on where you live this may or may not be relevant to you. Here in Orange County, California, youth sports are competitive. It's pretty tough to make the Little League All-Star team. It's intense if you play club soccer, especially if you're on the 1st...
Yes, your teenager knows someone hooked on vaping. Yes, your teenager has been offered a vape, probably multiple times. Yes, people are vaping at school. No, it's not simply fruit flavored water vapor. Yes, they can easily access "pods" even though they are...
Codependence, also known as co-addiction, can wreck havoc on a person's life. It is best explained through a hypothetical example: Karen is a 30 year old woman who has struggled for years with addiction to crystal meth. She first tried it when she was 20. She began...
Depression is a monster. It is a joy-sucking, energy-draining, hope-stealing beast that sits on your chest until even the effort to breathe is strenuous. Clawing your way out of depression takes a force of will equivalent to climbing the last 300ft. of Mt. Everest;...
Your teenager will end up feeling unfulfilled if the goals he or she is working towards are not actually meaningful. We expend a lot of energy working on goals that prove to ourselves we rank higher than others. We seek to have more money, drive a nicer car, etc. ...
It's late in the evening for me (9pm, and yes I know that makes me a whimp), but I had to get some thoughts down for you. This comes from a place of saddness, so bear with me. You seriously don't know how long you have with your teen. You think you know, but...
Hi, my name is Lauren and I'm a chronic worrier. I worry about the future, things I've said in the past, how I'll get through my to-do list, what direction society is heading, if my kids are growing up right, etc. It's fine to think about those things, but I...
Hello, I’m Lauren! If you notice your teen struggling, you might be feeling helpless, hopeless, frustrated or concerned as a parent. Try to remember, there is hope. I want to help your adolescent feel better. My hope is for them to enjoy their life again. I want them to feel confident they can handle whatever situations arise.
