By Youth Connections Staff There is so much false information about marijuana, it’s important to get the facts from sources who don’t benefit financially based on its legalization. With several states legalizing “medical” or recreational marijuana, there’s data to prove it does not benefit kids. Here’s what science and research know to be true: MARIJUANA …
By Daniel Champer, LCPC – Intermountain Clinical Director Deadened eyes stare. Pasty skin shimmers. Colorless tongues drool. Listless arms dangle. Guttural sounds emit. Rancid odors waft. Zombies? Not likely. There are many more believable explanations for all of these ghastly signs. Would you care to guess along with me? Teenagers? Parents of newborns? New night …
By Kelly Ackerman, LCPC For just a moment, close your eyes and let your mind wander back to childhood. What is it you remember growing up with the family you had? Stay there for as long as it takes to really identify what feeling is deeply rooted in your growing up: happy, sad, angry, afraid, …
By Kendall Small, LAC, Florence Crittenton There are many concerns with raising children in a technology heavy era, one concern being potential substance use. Symptoms of substance use can be difficult to recognize due to the commonality of behaviors that areassociated with being a teen such as mood swings, sleeping more than normal, and breaking …
Read More “Warning Signs of Substance Use and How to Address Substance Use With Your Child”
By Daniel Champer, LCPC – Intermountain Clinical Director When you have a headache, you can take ibuprofen to feel better regardless of the brand. This is because ibuprofen must follow a chemical manufacturing standard allowing it to be called ibuprofen. Unfortunately, psychotherapy (therapy) is not ibuprofen. While there are standards of care that accompany every …
By Katie Harlow, LCSW – Intermountain Clinical Director The truth is, screens play a part in shaping our children’s lives at home and at school, and they will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. While screens have benefits (access to greater global knowledge and educational resources being shared in real-time, just to name …
By Dr. Tim Elmore Self-esteem for kids has been a hot topic for fifty years. In the 1960s, books were written for educators and parents about the need to affirm young people; for teens to “find themselves,” believe in themselves and express themselves. As Baby Boomers became parents, we determined we would raise our children …
By Phyllis L. Fagell. LCPC “When Maia starts sixth grade in the fall, I’m putting you on speed dial,” my friend Jackie told me over lunch. “I was the mean girl in middle school, and karma is going to bite me. Tell me the truth—just how bad will it be?” As a school counselor who …
Read More “Five Truths About Middle Schoolers and How Parents Can Make the Most of a Critical Phase”
By Jennifer Miller, M.Ed. In those last sweet days of summer, Mom Margaret wanted to do something enjoyable with both kids in addition to the typical flurry of school supply shopping. But she hesitated to propose an outing when she noticed that ten-year-old Olivia was slinking around the house seeming down. When Margaret asked her …
Read More “Children’s Growing Identity: Cultivating Self-Awareness to Inspire Confidence”
By Matthew Quinn, LCPC, CADC Today kids as young as ten years old are beginning to experiment with alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco. Because the brain is not fully developed until the mid-twenties, young people are more likely to take risks compared to adults. When the brain is still developing, addictive substances physically alter its structure …
