For many parents, understanding a bit about their teenager’s brain development can be helpful in navigating the sometimes difficult adolescent years. But first, what exactly are the adolescent years? What does the term “adolescence” even mean? Researchers and scientists have had a pretty difficult time coming to a consensus definition. … Read More
Back to School!
Transitioning from summertime to a new school year can be a stressful time for both kids and parents. Children and teens must adjust to a new schedule, new teachers, friendship changes, new work expectations, and maybe even a new school! Parents must help them navigate all of those changes while … Read More
The College Experience – Learning How to Budget
Experience is a great teacher. We learn though successes, we learn through mistakes, and we even learn from the internet. This summer, we are helping our students learn before their college experience. We have pulled together our experience in working with some of the brightest students, experience from working on … Read More
The College Experience – Substance Use & Peer Pressure
Experience is a great teacher. We learn though successes, we learn through mistakes, and we even learn from the internet. This summer, we are helping our students learn before their college experience. We have pulled together our experience in working with some of the brightest students, experience from working on … Read More
Why Are Teens So Stressed Out? Part 2
In the first part of this blog, we looked at how chronic stress is beginning to impact teens in high school. Earlier this month, The Atlantic Magazine addressed this issue in their article “High Stress High School”. Teens are under increasing pressure/stress related to academic performance, intense focus on college applications/decisions, standardized test score performance and balancing their daily activities. In our previous post, we identified signs of chronic stress in teens and here are a few ways teens can cope with stress in a healthy manner. Developing healthy coping skills can be a lifelong goal, but parents can encourage and model good coping skills for their teens, right when they need it most!
Signs Of Mental Illness in Your College Student
Mental illness can go undiagnosed and untreated in college students, but can have a significant and negative impact on a college student’s functioning; this blog discusses early signs of mental illness in college students.
Supporting your child through their first year of college.
A young adult’s first semester of college, especially if they’re living outside the home, can be fraught with complications, excitement and challenges. Most teens and families are under equipped to deal with all the areas of transition that come with a teen starting college. There are a lot of moving pieces that come with starting college, and this blog seeks to provide a few tips to keep in mind as a teen starts college for the first time.
Homework, procrastination and the teenage brain.
It turns out, your child’s lack of time management might have less to do with laziness or forgetfulness and more to do with how their adolescent brain is developing. Complex cognitive tasks (like planning to complete a long-term or complicated school project) are primarily carried out in a part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain begins rapidly developing during adolescence. It doesn’t reach full maturation until the early to mid-twenties.
Starting Senior Year Off Right
Your teen’s senior year of high school is full of many experiences and emotions–it can be easy to allow the events, activities and pressures of your teen’s 12th grade year dominate your family’s lives. This blog suggests a few tips for families and siblings to keep stress at bay during their 12th grader’s senior year!
Back to Cool: Helping Your Teen Transition From Summer To School
Growing up, the marketing slogan that I used to hate was called ‘back to cool,’ as a way to get teens on board with leaving their summer activities to return to school. It’s a tough sell, getting kids and teens back to school from a summer of fun, but there are a few things families can do to help ease the transition.
