Eating Disorders in Teens | Orlando Counselor
Eating disorders can and typically are debilitating and cause extensive long-term damage to those suffering from them. Teens are at an even greater risk for developing eating disorders, with most of them occurring between ages 12 and 25. During these ages, teens can become preoccupied with food and develop a distorted body image from outside influences. Deadliest mental illness [...]
ADHD Problems Today | Orlando Counselor
Missing deadlines, disorganization, and losing focus can be frustrating, especially within your career. ADHD is largely misdiagnosed throughout adulthood. Dealing with ADHD at work can be hard for anyone, but the key to succeeding is to adapt your habits in the workplace to your advantage. Although ADHD symptoms vary with each individual, below are some common challenges that adults [...]
3 Things You Can Do If You Suspect Your Child Is Suffering From Anxiety and/or Depression.
A recent study by JAMA Pediatrics (Journal of American Medical Association) reported that between 2016 and 2020, youth anxiety increased a 29% in the United States. How Can I Show Support To Someone Suffering From Anxiety? If you are a mother or a father who wants to better understand your child, it could be beneficial to know (and perhaps [...]
End of Semester Finals + Stress | Orlando Counselor
As the semester draws to a close and the end-of-semester papers, projects, and assignments deadlines quickly approach, it is understandable student anxiety levels rise during this time. Stress is a completely normal part of life but can pose serious risks if it goes unaddressed*. It is important to effectively identify stressors, maintain healthy ways to channel the experienced stress [...]
Mental Health Counseling Awareness | Orlando Counselor
April is the season of springtime and growth! This is an excellent time of the year to facilitate the growth of your mental health and development. Mental health is a critical topic to talk about. By being transparent about it we will be more willing to seek help, raise awareness and break the stigma surrounding mental health. Counseling [...]
Relationship Maintenance Tips by Orlando Marriage Counselor
Most people desire to have and maintain a happy healthy relationship but have not stopped to consider what is required to make it happen. Studies show that sixty-six percent of Americans who desire to have a happy relationship also have the desire to maintain it. How to achieve this goal is often challenging. What can individuals do to achieve [...]
Orlando Counselor | Video Tips to Keep your Child or Teen off the Bully Radar | Fox 35 Expert Jim West
Orlando Based Counselor | Video Tips to Keep your Child or Teen off the Bully Radar | Fox 35 Expert Jim West and his marriage, family experts provide counseling with offices in Lake Mary, Orlando, East Orlando, Clermont & Winter Park Florida. "You're a freak!" "Everyone thinks you are a loser!" Nobody likes you." "If you died no one would [...]
World Mental Health Day: An Opportunity To Raise Awareness | Orlando Mental Health Counselor
What Is World Mental Health Day? World Mental Health Day, on October 10th, is a day for everyone to unite their efforts to improve the mental health of people around the world. The theme selected for this year’s Day is “Mental health in an unequal world”. While the COVID pandemic has affected everyone, it’s the people with long term [...]
3 Life Lessons Girls Can Learn From Mo’ne Davis | Orlando Teen Counselor
The school year has begun and soon so will Fall sports for many our children. Soccer, baseball, t-ball are all slated to begin. And unless you’ve been under a rock then you may not have heard of Mo'ne Davis, the 13-year-old pitching phenom, from Philadelphia's Taney Dragons. She is the first girl to throw a shutout in the Little [...]
Social Media and Youth Mental Health | Orlando Counselor
This article summarizes the potential positive and negative impacts of social media on children and adolescents, primary areas for mental health, and well-being concerns. Approximately 95% of youth ages 13-17 reported using some type of social media platform; with approximately more than one-third using it consistently. Nearly 40% of children 8-12 use social media, despite age restrictions. Current evidence [...]
Technology Addiction: Orlando Counselor on Why Teens are So Addicted
Roughly 75% of teenagers have access to computers, video game consoles, and smartphones. With such a high percentage of teens having access to personal technology, 40% of teen boys say they spend too much time playing video games and 36% of teens say they spend too much time on social media. Technology, when used in moderation, can be healthy [...]
Tips to Help Teens Reduce Social Media Usage
According to statistics, most kids are spending three and a half hours a day on social media. This is alarming because kids who use social media more than three hours a day risk doubling their mental health issues which include anxiety and depression. To reduce social media usage in this era of technology, here are some quick tips that [...]
Drug use in Central Florida Elementary Schools | 4 Common Signs of Substance Abuse in Teens
Orlando drug abuse counselors comment on recent news related to increased drug use in elementary schools. Every parent's biggest fear is to find out whether or not their child is using drugs or alcohol. There is never an easy way to be certain that your child is perhaps abusing drugs or alcohol. Many of the signs and symptoms for [...]
5 Steps for Back to School Success: Orlando Counselor
Summer is coming to a close. Play dates, family vacations and trips to grandma’s house may have made for a great time. With over a week left until school starts, the thought of going back to school may elicit relief from parents and groans from kids. Whether it is your child’s first entry into Kindergarten or Middle school, it [...]
Middle School Transition Tips | My Elementary Student is Going to Middle School | Teen Counselor Therapist
Orlando Teen Counselor Therapist “The thing I remember most about middle school was how tough it was. You're not quite an adult, but you're not a kid anymore.” Jen Walters” It is this battlefield of questions that we leave our children to face their own fears, tackle their own obstacles and to become their own person; and all too [...]
Teen Addictions Counselor on Private Drugs in Private Schools
It is often believed by educators, counselors, and parents that children and adolescents are shielded from drugs and alcohol, in the private school sector. However, children and adolescents are part of a much larger society, of which private schooling is only a part. Furthermore, the face of private school is changing as students matriculate in with substance abuse and [...]
How Much Social Media is Too Much for my Teen – US Surgeon General Warns Social Media is Harmful to Children and Youth
Roughly 95% of adolescents aged 13-17 report using social media. Social media use can present mental health concerns, such as anxiety and depression, in children and adolescents who spend more than 3 hours a day on social media. This proves to be concerning as a recent survey revealed that teenagers average 3.5 hours a day on social media. Social [...]
Orlando Mental Health Counselor on 10 Summertime Tips to Help with Balanced Screen time
School’s out for summer! But it’s not 1972, its 2023, and the ways families and kids spend their Summers between each school year have not changed entirely. Kids still go to camps, attend tutoring sessions, go to school of rock classes, catch up on sleep, go for bike rides, vacation with family, go to the beach, get bored, go [...]
5 Summer Time Tips | Addiction starts in the Summer | Child Teen Family Counselor Expert
Summer is well underway and that means no sleep schedules, no eating schedules and more importantly no screen time schedules and while this may seem like every kids dream, the habits that start in the summer have a risk to become addictions quick. Jim has over 20 years of counseling experience and a vast majority of kids have said [...]
Tips For Parents To Help Their Children Cope With Stress | Orlando Counselor
StressLess With ADHD StressLess With Autistic Spectrum Disorder StressLess With Addictions In The New Millenium (Video Games, Phone, etc..) StressLess With Oppositional Defiant Disorder As the lockdown continues stress levels can naturally rise. This can be most difficult on children. Being younger, their mindsets can be set on socializing, physical activity, and just “not being stuck in the house”. [...]
4 Simple Ways to Form Better Attachments with Your Children | Counselor
Attachment is vital to a child and the caregiver's responsiveness to the child is paramount to securing that attachment. Attachment issues are very prevalent in our society today and can play out in a variety of ways. Things such as the fear of commitment, of being alone, trying to be loved, rebellion, and feeling inferior all play a part [...]
5 Ways to Manage Friendships After Baby | Maternal Mental Health
As Valentine’s Day approaches, everyone is thinking about that special someone or those friends that have never left your side. On this special day we celebrate love and friendship. Friendship is an interesting phenomenon. As human beings, we enjoy and sometimes feel the need to be social and have a group of friends where we can be ourselves. Research [...]
Counselor on Children and Divorce: The Top Ten Mistakes Parents Can Avoid
The process of divorce is not typically a pleasant one for anyone. But for children especially, it can cause a whirlwind of confusion, anxiety, and negative emotions. Parents should take care to proceed with divorce in a way that will cause the least amount of trauma to all children involved. The following 10 mistakes are classic ones that many [...]
Maternal Wellness Matters: 4 Reasons It’s Okay to Not Be Okay
Have you ever struggled with accepting help when needed? How about believing “yes you can accomplish it all” to then find yourself overwhelmed? One of my biggest struggles is accepting help or even asking for help when I need it the most. When I became the mother of my sweet little girl almost 4 years ago, I truly felt [...]
Student Mental Health Issues on the Rise
Student Mental Health Statistics Florida ranks 30th in the nation for dealing with youth mental health 1 in 10 Florida kids suffered a major depressive episode in the last year 2/3rds of those kids said they never got help It’s clear that the pandemic impacted the mental health of teens as well as everyone else as old stressors were [...]