Adolescents/Teens Archives | S. Abigail McCarrel, LCSW, DCSW

6 Signs of Depression in Teens

July 19, 2021 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

Do you know the 6 signs of depression in teens? Ask any parent what their main job is and they will tell you it’s protecting their children and keeping them safe. New parents spend hours, if not days, baby-proofing the house. They research the best car seats and bike helmets and figure out ways to ensure their kids are safe online. But, no matter how hard parents work to keep their kids safe, it is very difficult to protect children against mental health issues such as depression. According to ...read more

Filed Under: Adolescents/Teens, Depression Tagged With: #Parenting, 2e, childhood trauma, depression, depression help, depression in families, depression symptoms, depression symptoms in teens, family therapy for giftedness, family therapy for teens, Family trauma, teen therapy, teens, therapy for teens, twice-exceptional

The Mental Health Dangers of an Overstuffed School Schedule

July 12, 2021 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

We all need reminders of the mental health dangers of an overstuffed school schedule, as we emerge from the pandemic. Many parents believe kids must be involved in numerous extracurricular activities to be successful adults. Perhaps we believe this abundance of activities will foster a sense of pride and accomplishment. But is this excessive involvement in activities doing more harm than good? According to a study published in the journal “Sport, Education, and Society,” the social demands of ...read more

Filed Under: Adolescents/Teens, Children, School & Academics Tagged With: #Parenting, 2e, advantages of family therapy, Family Conflicts, Family Connection, Family Counseling, Family Therapist, Family Therapy, family therapy for gifted, gifted students, online counseling, online family therapy, online therapy, overstuffed school schedule, stress of parenting

5 Reasons Why Parents Don’t Discuss Child Sexual Abuse

June 14, 2021 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

Child sexual abuse is not going away. According to the US Centers for Disease Control, 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused by the time they are 18, and 44% of rape victims are under age 18. Sadly, but not surprisingly, victims of sexual assault are three times more likely to suffer from depression, 13 times more likely to abuse alcohol, 26 times more likely to abuse drugs, and four times more likely to contemplate suicide according to the Rape and Incest National Network ...read more

Filed Under: Adolescents/Teens, Children, Parenting, Sexual Abuse / Trauma Tagged With: #Parenting, advantages of family therapy, child abuse, child sexual abuse, child sexual abuse prevention, child sexual abuse treatment, Family Connection, Family Counseling, family theapy, Family Therapy, Family trauma, how to handle child sexual abuse, online family therapy, why family therapy

Creative Expressive Therapies for Kids and Teens

April 26, 2021 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

Life hasn’t been the same for any of us for many months now. As we continue to try and adapt our lives to safely deal with this novel coronavirus, it has taken its toll on many, both financially and emotionally. Kids have been hit particularly hard during this time. At first, many might have thought the idea of no school was “awesome!” But as the weeks rolled on, and they found themselves away from their friends and their routine disrupted, many kids began to feel depressed and anxious about ...read more

Filed Under: Adolescents/Teens, Children Tagged With: #creative therapies, #expressive therapies, #familytherapy, #Parenting, 2e, Family Counseling, Family Therapy, family therapy for giftedness, Kids, online counseling, online family therapy, stress of parenting, teens, therapy for teens

5 Ways Teens Can Benefit from Therapy

April 12, 2021 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

Teens can benefit from therapy. Not many of us remember our teenage years as walks in the park. That’s because this time in our life is punctuated by uncertainties, social pressure, and a surge of hormones. Because of this perfect storm, many teens act out, which can cause a lot of chaos and disruption in the home and family. Here are 5 reasons teens can benefit from therapy: Self-Worth Issues: Most teens have a certain level of self-worth issues growing through this awkward phase. But ...read more

Filed Under: Addiction, Adolescents/Teens, Anxiety, Grief Tagged With: #adolescent and teen therapy, #counselingn for teens, #online family therapy for teens, #online teen therapy, #struggling teen, #teen conflicts, #teenage depression therapy, #teentherapy, #therapist for teen boy, #therapist for teen girl, #therapist for teen near me, #therapy for teenage depression, family therapy for teens, teens, therapy for teens

How to Talk to Your Young Child About the LGBTQIA+ Community

February 12, 2021 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

How to talk to your young child about the LGBTQIA+ community is a timely and essential question. As a parent or caregiver, it can be difficult to know the right thing to say when kids question what we deem to be adult topics. Broaching topics of sexuality can be awkward for both parents and kids alike. Yet, it is a necessary conversation to have. When it comes to talking about homosexuality and transgender individuals, children should be given age-appropriate information. This will help them ...read more

Filed Under: Adolescents/Teens, Children, LGBTQ Tagged With: #Parenting, Abigail, advantages of family therapy, Counseling for family problems, Family Counseling, family therapy sessions, gifted parenting, LGBTQIA+, LGBTQIA+ Children, LGBTQIA+ Family, LGBTQIA+ Parenting, LGBTQOA+ Community, online family therapy, online therapy, stress of parenting

How to Bring Up Resilient Children

January 29, 2021 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

How can parents bring up resilient children? Have you heard the phrase “helicopter parent?” It describes a mother or father that ‘hovers’ around their child 24/7, overseeing their life to keep them from every potential danger, pitfall and mishap. It looks good on paper, but this kind of parenting forgets one important fact of reality: life happens. Adversity happens to all of us. Those children who engage with adversity in their formative years learn how to handle it well and come up with ...read more

Filed Under: Adolescents/Teens, Children, Parenting, Resilience, Trauma / PTSD Tagged With: #Parenting, 2e, bring up resilient children, building resilience, Family Counseling, Family Therapist, Family Therapy, family therapy for gifted, family therapy for giftedness, family therapy sessions, gifted parenting, online family therapy, resilience, resilience in families, stress of parenting

How Learning Disabilities Affect a Child’s Mental Health

January 15, 2021 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

For many children and teens, learning disabilities are a frustrating part of life. Learning disabilities not only bring a sense of shame and isolation, but they can also lead to mental health issues in some children. What Are Learning Disabilities? According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a learning disability is any disorder of the fundamental psychological processes involved in understanding or using language. These can ultimately result in difficulties thinking, ...read more

Filed Under: Adolescents/Teens, Children, School & Academics Tagged With: #Parenting, 2e, Family Connection, Family Counseling, Family Therapist, Family Therapy, family therapy sessions, gifted and talented, gifted family therapy, gifted parenting, gifted students, giftedness, learning disabilities, therapy for learning disabilities, twice-exceptional

Helping Kids Cope with Loss

November 17, 2020 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

Parents do their best to shield their children from the harsh realities of the world. Even with forethought, however, parents can’t always protect their children from experiencing the pain of loss. Whether it’s the loss of a beloved pet, a childhood friend, or the loss of a family member, helping kids cope with loss is a journey parents will need to take at some point during the parenting years. Here are some ways for helping kids cope with loss. Share What They Can Handle: Children have ...read more

Filed Under: Adolescents/Teens, Children, Family Therapy Tagged With: coping with grief, family therapy for grief, family therapy for grief and loss, grief, grief and loss, grief comfort, grief counseling, grief support for kids, grief therapy, healing grief, normal grief, pet loss, prayer for loss, stages of grief, therapy for grief

5 Ways to Get Your Teenager to Talk to You

June 16, 2020 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

It's tough to get teens talking to parents. Science has shown that the teenager's brain has yet to fully develop the frontal cortex, which is the area that controls our ability to reason, and to think before we act. As your teen's brain develops, they're also learning new things about themselves and their surrounding world; simultaneously, they're dealing with hormonal changes out of their control. For all of these reasons and more, it can be difficult to find ways to talk to your teen, or to ...read more

Filed Under: Adolescents/Teens Tagged With: #Parenting, 2e, advantages of family therapy, Communication, Covid-19, Family Conflicts, Family Therapy, family therapy for gifted, family therapy for giftedness, family therapy for teens, gifted parenting, online family therapy, online therapy, teens, therapy for teens