Posts Tagged ‘United States’
Tuesday, June 11th, 2013
 Here is a list of some fun and entertaining things your teen can do this summer. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) One of the challenges of summer vacation is that teenagers often find themselves with more time on their hands than sense in their heads. While getting a job and volunteering their time are both great ways for teens to make use of their summer vacation, those options aren’t always available.
Parents who are concerned that teens will get into trouble or go off seeking thrills if they don’t have anything interesting to do should try to address the issue proactively. Rather than waiting until your teen is in trouble or until you notice undesirable changes in their behavior, take the first step and help them come up with fun, interesting, entertaining, and even educational ways for them to spend their summer.
To get you started and give you some ideas, here are 50 of our favorite fun ways for teens to spend their summer vacation.
- Make a movie.
- Make a music video.
- Grow a garden.
- Build a fort for someone smaller.
- Go swimming.
- Plan a picnic.
- Make your own ice cream sandwiches.
- Learn how to cook.
- Learn how to bake.
- Host an all night movie marathon.
- Setup a Frisbee golf league.
- Go for a long bike ride.
- Have a pool party.
- Have a water balloon fight.
- Hold a carwash with your friends and donate the money to charity.
- Go to a museum.
- Teach yourself to draw.
- Go to the library.
- Read one book for each year of your age.
- Volunteer to mentor younger kids.
- Play basketball.
- Babysit for extra spending money.
- Go fishing.
- Learn how to kayak.
- Teach someone else how to swim or ride a bike.
- Learn how to do your own laundry.
- Start your own business.
- Camp out in the backyard.
- Go to a planetarium.
- Go hiking.
- Get some friends to go geocaching with you.
- Host the backyard Olympics for other kids on your block.
- Read to younger children at the library.
- Make your driveway into a drive-in movie theatre for bikes.
- Host a backyard board game championship tournament.
- Have a scavenger hunt.
- Learn a new sport.
- Play baseball.
- Play mini-golf.
- Go on a college visit.
- Have a yard sale.
- Go see a concert.
- Put on your own concert.
- Play tennis.
- Start a band.
- Go bowling.
- Learn how to drive a boat.
- Ride every rollercoaster at the local amusement park.
- Learn how to cook on the grill.
- Make new friends.
Tags: Arizona, Camp, Doorways Arizona, Drive-in theater, Phoenix, Recreation, summer, Summer camp, Summer vacation, teenagers, teens, Theaters, United States, Water balloon
Posted in Communication, Relationships, Teens | No Comments »
Monday, May 20th, 2013
 Exercise regularly to help maintain physical as well as mental health. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) This May, join us in celebrating National Mental Health Month by raising awareness about mental health issues and helping everyone understand the benefits of treating mental health conditions. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), 1 out of 4 adults in America suffers from a diagnosable mental health condition in any given year. This means that mental health issues affect us all, either directly and indirectly. This month, commit to learning more about our country’s mental health challenges and to taking steps in your own life to work towards wellness.
The focus of this year’s campaign is wellness. Many times, when confronted with mental health conditions, our focus narrows to getting healthy. While this is an important part of the process, the goal for every American is not only to achieve a healthy mental state, but to maintain that mental health as well. By shifting the focus from getting better to staying better, the campaign aims to help everyone, even those without mental health issues, understand how important an attitude of wellness is to maintaining both your physical and mental health.
Wellness, like health, can mean different things to different people. At the core, it is the absence of disease but it is also much more than simply not being sick. Wellness is about our overall well-being. It involves more than just our mental health. It is about achieving a state of health physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. It is the tools and techniques we develop that help us overcome adversity, manage change, and recover from illnesses of all kinds. Wellness is about getting healthy and staying that way.
The numbers tell a story that most of us don’t like to hear. No matter how happy we are, how successful we feel, how much money we make, or how healthy we feel today, we are all at risk of developing a mental health disorder. While this may be something we think happens to other people, the truth is that is happens to all of us and the best way to safeguard ourselves is to pay attention to our overall well-being. When we are taking care of ourselves and making sure our most important needs are being met, we are working towards wellness.
The national campaign stresses the following four steps as the key to following your own Pathway to Wellness:
- Eat a balanced diet filled with healthy food and plenty of water.
- Exercise regularly to help combat stress and increase resilience.
- Remember to relax, to laugh, and to let go.
- Get a good night’s sleep.
In addition to these four steps on the Pathway to Wellness, commit to making your mental health as important as your physical health. Make regular mental health checkups part of your overall health management plan and make it a habit to monitor your own mental and emotional well-being.
Take time this month to lend your voice to the awareness campaign and encourage everyone in your life to seek their own Pathway to Wellness.
Tags: adolescent, counseling, Disease, Doorways Arizona, DSM-5, Health, Human nutrition, Mental disorder, Mental health, National Institute of Mental Health, Phoenix, Phoenix Arizona, teen, teen counseling, United States
Posted in Mental Health Articles | No Comments »
Thursday, February 28th, 2013
Who: Teen guys, ages 13-17. Group limited to 8 members.
What: Topics to be covered include:
- Social & relationship skills
- Conflict resolution & anger management
- Emotional control
- Values & character building
- Male identify development
When: Mondays, weekly starting at 4:30 p.m. (open enrollment)
Led by: Josh Harper, MEd, MS
Where: Doorways Arizona, 1825 E. Northern Ave, Suite 200, Phoenix, Arizona 85020
Cost: $45 per session -OR- prepay for 8 sessions by March 4 and pay $300 ($60 discount).
How: Email Trina or call Doorways, (602) 997-2880
Tags: adolescents, Anger management, Arizona, Doorways, Doorways Arizona, group, Man Makers, Phoenix, Phoenix Arizona, teens, treatment, Trina, United States
Posted in Events, New, Support Groups | No Comments »
Sunday, February 24th, 2013
Do you know someone who struggles with food? Since millions of us are battling eating disorders, odds are that you do, even if you don’t realize it. Helping raise awareness about eating disorders is the goal of Eating Disorder Awareness Week which begins on February 24th this year. Organized by the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), Eating Disorder Awareness Week offers a chance for everyone to educate themselves about eating disorders and then do just one thing to spread the word and increase awareness about these life threatening disorders that too often go untreated.
Regardless of who you are and whether or not an eating disorder or disordered eating has touched your life, there are things you can do to help spread awareness and precipitate change.
The first is to know the facts. Clinically significant eating disorders will affect 20 million American women and 10 million American men at some point in their lifetime. These disorders are real and take real, long-term help to overcome. They can have significant, serious, life-long and even life threatening consequences. They impact every area of a person’s life and can be debilitating both physically and mentally.
The second is to know the most common disorders and the signs that someone is struggling with them.
- Anorexia Nervosa - When a person participates in self-starvation, depriving the body of calories in order to become thinner. People who struggle with Aorexia Nervosa lose excessive amounts of weight, are preoccupied with food and obsessive about calories, fat, and dieting. For more information about Anorexia Nervosa, click here.
- Bulimia Nervosa - When a person goes through cycles of binge eating followed by activities like purging or excessive exercising to “make up for” the binge. When someone is struggling with bulimia nervosa there may be external clues that indicate the presence of bingeing and purging behavior like large amounts of missing food, empty food wrappers, or packaging from laxatives or diuretics. For more information about Bulimia Nervosa, click here.
- Binge Eating Disorder – When a person participates in regular episodes of binge eating that is not accompanied by other behaviors intended to compensate for or get rid of the extra calories. When someone is struggling with binge eating disorder, they will consume large amounts of food within a short time frame and may avoid eating with others to hide this behavior. For more information about Binge Eating Disorder, click here.
- Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) – Some people who struggle with disordered eating exhibit a range of symptoms that prevent them with being diagnosed with each of the three primary disorders above. In these cases, a diagnosis of EDNOS enables those people to get the help and support they need even though they don’t fit the criteria for a specific eating disorder. For more information on EDNOS, click here.
The third thing you can do to help spread the word and raise awareness about eating disorders is to do “just one thing” during this year’s Eating Disorder Awareness Week. For more information about eating disorders and for ideas on how you can get involved, visit the National Eating Disorder Association.
 Eating Disorders Awareness Week
Tags: Anorexia nervosa, Binge eating, Binge eating disorder, Bulimia nervosa, Doorways Arizona, Eating disorder, Eating disorder not otherwise specified, National Eating Disorder Association, United States
Posted in Eating Disorder | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 6th, 2013
DBT Group for Adolescents
Who: Male and Female Adolescents, ages 13-17. Group is open enrollment (you may join at any time).
What: Interactive, experiential, and educational group that teaches DBT life coping skills.
When: Mondays, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Led By: Sam Lample, LPC, Chase Kerrey, LAC, and Sarah VanHolland, LPC
Where: Doorways Arizona, 1825 E. Northern Ave, Suite 200, Phoenix, Arizona 85020
Cost: $45 per session -OR- prepay for 8 sessions and get a $60 discount
How: Email Trina or call Doorways, (602) 997-2880
Tags: Arizona, Coping (psychology), Dialectical behavior therapy, Doorways, Phoenix Arizona, United States
Posted in Events, In the News, New | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 13th, 2012
There are so many things that parents of teenagers have to worry about that the list can feel endless and overwhelming. Peer pressure and bullying. Drugs and alcohol. Sexual activity, STDs, and teen pregnancy. Grades. Mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and suicide. Most of these have been on parent’s radars in one form or another for decades. But today’s parents also have to worry about things that their parents and grandparents never did, such as obesity, diabetes, and lack of physical activity.
The obesity rate amongst American adolescents has tripled since today’s parents were children and teens. More than 15% of 6-19 year olds are overweight according to the American Diabetes Association. Being overweight in adolescence comes with a host of problems. While teenagers in past generations would likely cite social issues as the biggest problem overweight teens faced, today’s teens have to deal with that and more.
A study published in the journal Pediatrics found that there was a correlation between body mass index (BMI) and bullying activity. Those teens with higher than average BMI were more likely than their peers with a normal BMI to be bullied or be the victim of aggressive behavior. In addition to the social consequences, which can be significant and impact the rest of the teen’s life, there are also serious health consequences. According to an article published in the New York Times, nearly one in four adolescents in this country are diabetic or on the verge of developing type II diabetes. This is a staggering statistic considering that a mere ten years ago that figure was one in ten.
However, there is good news for parents. When it comes to weight, you can make a real difference and there are new tools from the USDA that can help. In recent years, the federal guidelines for what constitutes a healthy diet have changed. The new program, Choose My Plate, provides guidelines for how to use the five food groups to ensure a healthy and balanced diet. Because the program provides these guidelines in a friendly, easy to understand format, it is easy for teenagers to learn and use these skills in their daily lives.
The first thing parents can do is to set a good example. If your teenager is having trouble maintaining a healthy weight, take a step back and look at the relationship you and the rest of the family have to food. Showing your teen how to eat healthy provides them with a model to follow. You also want to look at the kind of food that is available to your teen. If your kitchen cupboards are full of sweet snacks and soda, and family dinner often involves a fast food menu, you will need to make adjustments so that your teen has the ability to follow a healthy diet. If they don’t have access to the food they need or are surrounded by food sure to sabotage their best efforts, they may be giving their best effort to eat healthy but lack the support to do so.
You can also work together to use some of the new tools available from the USDA that have been designed to help people follow the My Plate guidelines. The SuperTracker, which helps you plan and analyze your eating habits, is one of these tools which are both free and easy to use. They can be found on the USDA’s Choose My Plate site.
Tags: Adolescence, adolescents, American Diabetes Association, BMI, Body mass index, Diabetes mellitus type 2, Doorways, Doorways Arizona, Health, New York Times, Phoenix, teenagers, teens, United States
Posted in Diet Nutrition, Teens | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 30th, 2012
 Obesity and Diabetes are very real issues for today’s teens and adolescents
photo credit: FBellon via photopin cc Every parent wants to protect their children. Most of us go to great lengths to provide them with a stable home, a good education, and a happy childhood. We teach them to avoid strangers, to always wear a helmet, and to stop, drop, and roll if there is a fire. But new research shows that despite our protective instincts and all our efforts, 1 in 4 of our children are in danger and we are not doing what we need to in order to protect them. This statistic represents the number of adolescents believed to be in danger of developing Type 2 diabetes or who are already diabetic.
We hear a lot about the obesity epidemic on the news and how obesity increases the risk of developing serious health problems like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. But these new findings indicate that diabetes may progress more rapidly in adolescents than it does in adults and that the standard treatments used to treat the disease in adults do not work the same way for adolescents.
For those who are not currently impacted by diabetes, it may seem strange that researchers are only now learning what seem like basic differences between how the disease functions in people of different ages. What many do not realize is that Type 2 diabetes is something that adolescents never used to get. Cases of the disease in adolescents were unheard of prior to the 1990’s. By the end of that decade, however, about 1 in 10 adolescents had the disease or were at risk for developing it. By 2008, that figure jumped to 23%, increasing the need to understand why the prevalence is increasing so rapidly, what treatment options are most effective, and what we can do to prevent adolescents from developing the disease in the first place.
In many cases, the progression from pre-diabetes to Type 2 Diabetes is preventable. This is the good news. Two of the leading risk factors for developing diabetes that we can control are being overweight and not getting enough physical activity. With 64% of the adults in America classified as overweight or obese, we need to start by looking at the example we are setting for our children. Eating healthy and being active start at home. The first step we can take to protect our children is to look at how we, as a family, are living. Assessing what we are eating, our attitudes about food, and the subtle messages we may be sending related to food are the first step. Looking at how active we all are, both individually and as a family, is the next step in making the changes that may be needed to safeguard everyone’s health.
November is American Diabetes Month and groups around the country will be working to educate, inform, and raise awareness about the disease. For parents, teachers, physicians, medical practitioners, and community leaders, this month presents a wealth of opportunities to learn more and to educate others. The long term health consequences of diabetes paired with the staggering increase in adolescent prevalence within such a short time frame mean that this is a problem we, as a society, need to solve. They say that it takes a village to raise a child. In today’s world, it will take the whole village to save that child.
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Tags: Adolescence, Diabetes mellitus, Diabetes mellitus type 2, Disease, Doorways, Doorways Arizona, Health, Obesity, Pancreas, Phoenix, United States
Posted in Diet Nutrition | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 16th, 2012
 ADHD Awareness Week runs from October 14-20, 2012 (Photo credit: marlon.net) The 2012 ADHD Awareness Week campaign seeks to educate and spread understanding about who ADHD affects. For many who live with this condition, their families, and the providers that work with them, this is a very welcome change. For years, most ADHD awareness efforts have been focused on dispelling myths, correcting misinformation, and legitimizing this real, brain-based disorder that affects millions of Americans in the collective minds of the public. The shift in focus for this year’s campaign signifies that the most important thing we need to talk about regarding ADHD is no longer whether or not it is real. It means we can start talking about who is impacted, how it helps and hurts them, and what can be done to help those with it thrive in all areas of their life.
When it comes to ADHD, there is no discrimination and no bias based on race, ethnicity, religion, age, or even gender. Anyone can have ADHD. It is not a white disorder. It is not something only boys get. It is not more prevalent in the U.S. than the rest of the world and it is not a condition confined to childhood. The faces of ADHD are young and old, black, white, and brown, male and female. They are also rich and poor, successful and unsuccessful, single, married, and divorced, thriving, and struggling. The many faces of ADHD show us that there is no “typical” person with the condition.
One of the reasons it is so important to understand the diversity of the ADHD population is to help increase the likelihood that those with the condition will be diagnosed. The clearest path to living successfully with ADHD is proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment. If people are not aware that ADHD can affect them or their families, it is less likely that they will seek diagnosis, pursue treatment, and take advantage of those things that can help them manage their lives more effectively. Adults who believe only children have ADHD may not recognize the signs in themselves of their partners. Parents who think only boys have it may not realize their daughter’s struggles in school are not just bad behavior. Raising awareness about the many faces of ADHD means we can open the door for more people to get the support and assistance they need to be the best they can be.
ADHD Awareness Week runs from October 14-20 this year and will feature educational opportunities and events across the country. Take a few minutes this week to learn more about ADHD including the signs and symptoms, the process used for diagnosis, and recommended treatments. The information available about ADHD has increased significantly in recent years as our understanding of the condition has expanded. Many things that were “true” for many years have been replaced by new facts based on better science. From who has it to how it’s treated, the world of ADHD has come a long way in recent years and by raising awareness, educating others, and encouraging people to be informed, those with the disorder are already making the world a little easier to not only survive in, but into a world where people with ADHD can thrive.
Tags: ADHD, ADHD In Teenagers, Adolescence, Diagnosis, Education, Health, Mental health, United States
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Monday, October 8th, 2012
October is National Bullying Prevention Month and the message of this year’s awareness campaign is “The End of Bullying Begins with Me.” This is a message that should resonate with everyone including parents, coaches, teachers, and teens. Most of us have had to deal with a bully at some point in our lives and therefore, we all know how damaging and lasting those kinds of interactions can be. This month you can make a difference in your family, your school, and your community by participating in activities geared towards raising awareness and empowering others to help put an end to bullying.
There are many ways you can take advantage of the national bullying campaign and do something to educate others, engage your peers, and encourage everyone to take the pledge to be part of the solution. Here are some great ways you can get involved and help spread the word that the end of bullying begins with each of us.
 Help bring an end to Bullying (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Run, Walk, Roll Against Bullying
This is a fun way to get everyone in your community involved. Communities around the country will be participating in this unique version of a “Walk-a-thon”. Participants help raise awareness about bullying while also raising money to support local anti-bullying programs. Most events are scheduled for October 6th this year and you can download a kit with all the information you need to plan your own Run, Walk, Roll event on the National Bullying Prevention Website.
Wear Orange for Unity Day
On October 10th, people across the country will be wearing orange as a way to raise awareness about bullying and the importance of preventing bullying behavior in all areas of our lives. Participate in Unity Day by donning orange or get more involved and organize some Unity Day activities at your school. Follow Unity Day on Facebook for ideas and information.
Sign the Petition
Stand-up for what you believe in by signing the online “The End of Bullying Begins with Me” petition. Take this a step further and encourage those around you to sign it too. If you are participating in or hosting an anti-bullying event, provide the means for other attendees to sign the petition too.
Speak Up
Ask local churches, groups, schools, and community organizations if you can come and speak to them about bullying. Sharing your story is one of the most powerful ways to spread awareness and help people understand the long term consequences and real-life impacts bullying behavior can cause. If your school is having an assembly, volunteer to speak. Talk to your school paper about writing a story or an article. Make a video and share it through social media.
Coordinate a Community Event
Bring your community together to celebrate unity and inclusiveness and cultivate a culture where bullying is non-existent. Whether you choose a fall festival, a street fair, a dance, or a rally, the most important thing is getting people together to raise awareness and encourage everyone to embrace the idea that the end of bullying begins with each of us.
Tags: Bullying, Children and Young People, Facebook, National Bullying Prevention Month, United States, Unity Day, Violence and Abuse, Youth
Posted in Communication, Relationships | No Comments »
Thursday, October 4th, 2012
A New DBT Group for Young Adults
Who: Young Adults, Male and Female, ages 18- 25. Group is open enrollment (you may join at any time).
What: Interactive, experiential, and educational group that teaches DBT life coping skills.
When: Tuesdays, from 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Led By: Sam Lample, LPC and Chase Kerrey, LAC
Where: Doorways Arizona, 1825 E. Northern Ave, Suite 200, Phoenix, Arizona 85020
Cost: $45 per session
How: Email Trina or call Doorways, (602) 997-2880
Tags: Arizona, Arizona Phoenix, Coping (psychology), Doorways, LPC, Phoenix, Trina, United States
Posted in Past Events | No Comments »
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