ACA MEMBER BLOGS

Adolescent/youth mental health is important as suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people ages 10-24. Ignoring the suicide conversation is like taking your child to the beach without reviewing rip currents/undertow/water safety because discussion of drowning makes you uncomfortable.

Stephen Covey’s, “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”’ published almost 20 years ago is still relevant today. Covey’s 2nd habit, is based on the ability to envision in your mind what you cannot at present see with your eyes.

Generally, anxiety is a term used for nervousness, fear, apprehension and worry. Adults were more prone to an anxiety diagnosis; it was normal to experience anxiety due to a job change, divorce, money worries an illness etc. Today it’s not uncommon to see a child dealing with anxiety. Why?

We live in a society where monogamy is the norm, but monogamy is not for everyone. In recent years, the perspective on non-monogamous relationships has begun to shift. More couples are embracing the concept of consensual non-monogamy (CNM) as an alternative to traditional monogamous relationships.

As a researcher and facilitator of male adolescents; it’s a fact that all boys have a wound; it’s a “father wound,” whether systemically, emotionally or physically absent, it’s the greatest wound a boy can carry.

If you are an introvert (like myself), you might also have a challenging time navigating counseling conferences (particularly those as large in number as the annual ACA conference). While being amongst our colleagues and learning information may be exciting, conferencing requires a LOT of energy.

New to private practice and needing some guidance? Well we’ve got some for you, along with advice from seasoned clinicians in private practice on the mistakes they wish they could re do when starting their practices.

It’s a fact that empathy is learned. Are we doing all we can to teach, and educate parents on the importance of cultivating empathy with their kids?

As clinical professionals we often deal with grief. Losing someone close to you is never easy even if your personal and religious beliefs believe that your loved one is going to someplace far better and that our life here is but a stage of a much larger path.

As a committee, it has taken us time to respond to the events that have transpired in the past few months. Many committee members were impacted by the hateful acts and rhetoric toward communities of color and undocumented communities.