Teenagers

The Senior Prom: A Joyous Rite Of Passage Or Nightmare For Parents?

Intro music written and performed by Dr. Gene Beresin.
Outro music performed by Dr. Gene Beresin.

It’s the weekend before your kid’s senior prom. You and your wife are having a typical evening at home, perhaps watching a movie with your youngest daughter. And, there’s a kind of tense silence you remember all too well.

When Idols Fail: How Do Kids Manage?

When sports stars misbehave—or worse—how do teen athletes react? What should parents do? Advice from the experts.

To watch more on various parenting concerns, visit our YouTube channel.

Sasha’s Story: Recognizing Warning Signs of Suicide

In this short video, parents of a champion swimmer who took her life by suicide, and the psychiatrist who treated her, talk to other parents about how to recognize warning signs of serious trouble.

To see more on various parenting concerns, visit our YouTube channel.

The Birds and The Bees of Kids and Dating

The first romantic relationship for a teen, or particularly a pre-teen, can strike terror in the heart of a parent. Rarely are parents ever prepared for their child’s inevitable first crush or real relationship.

Managing Anger: It’s All About RESPECT

Anger is an emotion hard-wired into the brain. We all get angry. Sometimes it seems as if our brains don’t have a choice; certain things just simply tick us off. But, anger as an emotion has never hurt anyone—it’s what we do with our anger that can be destructive.

What to Know About Getting Your Child SAT/ACT Accommodations

The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Test (ACT) are important tests for students hoping to go to college.  If you have a high school student with a learning disability (such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, disorder of written expression) or ADHD, you might be wondering if they can—or should—receive extended time on tests.

How Do I Know If My Child Needs Testing?

Jim’s mom was frantic when she called me.  Jim had been having difficulty in school since the end of kindergarten, at which point it was clear he still didn’t recognize all the letters of the alphabet.  He continued to struggle in first and second grade, getting some extra help from the reading specialist.

What If My Child Is Prescribed an SSRI?

Tune in for more on medications with Dr. Timothy Wilens, Chief of the Division of  Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital.

As we’ve mentioned SSRIs in a number of posts, we’d like to go into a bit more detail about what these particular medications are, and how they work.

What Is Psychodynamic Child Psychotherapy?

Your child is in emotional distress.  About a month after the divorce, your 7-year-old daughter Ali starts having some difficulty settling down for bed.  She insists on a prolonged bedtime ritual for her dolls—tucking them all in carefully, and reciting the same “good night” words to 10 little feminine figures.

“Molly” Is Not Your Friend

All too often there is a new or modified drug that makes headlines not because of its therapeutic benefits, but because of its propensity to kill teens and young adults.