Recent Posts in Drug and Alcohol Addiction Anxiety In Children and Teens Part III: Tools for Coping Posted on May 15, 2019 In our last columns, I discussed the various types of anxiety disorders and the signs and symptoms to look for. As an essential reminder, anxiety is the most common form of mental health issue and ... Read More Anxiety in Children and Teens Part II: Signs and Symptoms Posted on May 2, 2019 In last week’s column, we looked at anxiety and what the different anxiety disorders are. Today, I will cover the causes of anxiety and how to recognize it in your children. What Causes Anxiety? ... Read More Anxiety in Children and Teens Part I Posted on May 1, 2019 Anxiety is the most common and prevalent mental health issue that adults, teens and children experience. The good news is that it is a very treatable problem, with high levels of success in overcoming ... Read More Video Games: Addiction, Obsession or a Bad Habit? Posted on Apr 11, 2019 Amongst parents I work with, one of the most consistent complaints and concerns revolve around screen time, video games and the battle over the cellphone. Like much that technology has to offer, there ... Read More Support vs. Enabling: When We Protect Too Much Posted on Apr 1, 2019 We all love our children. We all want to do what is best for them, protect them, help them to succeed and ensure nothing bad happens to them. We need to find a balance, however, between support and ... Read More Advice to Parents: It's Not All Your Fault Posted on Mar 14, 2019 I’ve been in private practice as a psychologist for 42 years. When I first started my career, I worked extensively with children, adolescents and families. I remember seeing troubled children ... Read More Eating Disorders Part III: Signs, Symptoms and Advice for Parents Posted on Mar 4, 2019 The incidence of eating disorders among teens is rapidly increasing, and the dangerous and harmful effects of suffering from these problems are among the most significant risks our teens face. In the ... Read More Eating Disorders Part II: Causes, Risk Factors Posted on Feb 21, 2019 In my last column, I presented data on how prevalent eating disorders are among teens and what the different eating disorder diagnoses are. It will be helpful to understand the causes and risk factors ... Read More Eating Disorders: Basic Definitions Posted on Feb 7, 2019 Among the most frightening and dangerous mental health issues teens struggle with are eating disorders. The problem is widespread, and I hope to be able to share basic facts, statistics, causes and ... Read More Doc's Corner: Self-injury, Self-harm and Cutting Among Teens Posted on Jan 31, 2019 As we all know, teens encounter a variety of stressors in their lives, and develop both healthy and unhealthy ways to cope with their internal difficulties. Among the most alarming coping mechanism ... Read More Doc's Corner: Understanding and Preventing Adolescent Suicide: Part II Posted on Jan 17, 2019 In last week’s column, I presented warning signs and risk factors related to Teen suicide. This is, obviously, a very serious topic. Today, we’ll look at some of the things parents can do ... Read More Understanding and Preventing Adolescent Suicide: Part I Posted on Dec 12, 2018 Adolescent suicide has become a national health crisis. Although it is difficult to talk about, and most of us would like to act like it doesn’t exist, knowing some of the causes, risk factors, ... Read More Parental Strategies: To Test or Not to Test, That is the Question Posted on Dec 12, 2018 Thoughts on Drug Testing Your Teens Parental concern about drug use is almost universal, and the topic of whether or not to drug test one’s own child is a consuming dilemma. Parents’ major ... Read More Parental Strategies For Helping Teens in Today's Pressure Cooker: Part IV Posted on Nov 7, 2018 Picking Your Battes: The A-B-C Method There is an inevitable, seemingly never ending struggle between children and teens trying to establish their own identity, and live by their own rules, and we ... Read More Parental Strategies For Helping Teens in Today's Pressure Cooker: Part III Posted on Oct 11, 2018 Teaching Delayed Gratification There was a landmark study, began in the late 1960’s by Psychologist Walter Mischel of Stanford University, known as the Marshmallow Test. He offered small ... Read More Parental Strategies For Helping Teens in Today's Pressure Cooker: Part II - Setting Limits Posted on Sep 26, 2018 Here is a secret. Kids love limits and boundaries. You would never know it from their behavior, and their reactions to limits. It is in their developmental DNA to push against boundaries and rules and ... Read More Ask Dr. Gelbart Posted on Sep 26, 2018 Whether or not our children are experimenting with, dabbling in, or heavily involved with drug or alcohol use is a cause of great concern and anxiety for most parents. The sad fact is that we often ... Read More Ask Dr. Gelbart Posted on Sep 7, 2018 As parents, we are all concerned about the dangers of drug and alcohol use. Given all that is known, all the publicity, all the problems that teenagers are aware of, one wonders, why do teens use? The ... Read More Doc's Corner Posted on Aug 29, 2018 Welcome back to the beginning of the 2018-19 school year. I am happy to announce that I am writing a weekly youth wellness column for a South Bay school district that I will also be sharing with ... Read More What Every Parent Needs to Know Posted on Feb 27, 2018 1) Why is it important to detect early warning signs of substance abuse in teenagers? Substance use and abuse during adolescence can have permanent consequences. The adolescent brain is still ... Read More A Story of Recovery From Opioid Abuse Posted on Feb 27, 2018 A Mother’s Story of her Son’s Recovery Ten years ago, a friend of my son came to me and told me that my son had a problem with drugs. I was shocked. He was 21 years old, working on his ... Read More Medication Assisted Treatment Posted on Feb 27, 2018 Medication assisted treatment (MAT) for substance use disorders at the Thelma Mcmillen Center for Alcohol and Drug Treatment. Written by Dr. Donnie Watson What is Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) ... Read More How Alcohol Affects Your Body Posted on Dec 15, 2017 How Alcohol Affects Your Body Understanding the subtle immediate and long-term effects alcohol has on the body is essential to maintaining a healthy, well-balanced life. Obviously, the severity of ... Read More The Thelma McMillen Teen Outpatient Program Posted on Oct 13, 2017 KARL MCMILLEN: DEDICATED TO FIGHTING TEEN ADDICTION Fourteen years ago Karl McMillen donated $5.3 million, allowing Torrance Memorial to create the Thelma McMillen Center for Alcohol and Drug ... Read More How to Talk to Your Kids About Drugs Posted on Oct 13, 2017 Talking with teens is tricky business—but experts say it’s critical to have open and frank discussions about alcohol and drugs. “Kids say to me all the time that ‘everybody ... Read More 44 results found. Viewing page 1 of 2. Go to page 1 2 Next