Praise and Perfectionism
When I was just starting out as a teacher, I used praise pretty liberally with my students. If I thought a student had done really well on a paper they turned in, I’d give them a high five and say, “You are so smart!” It seems pretty innocuous, but praising teens for intelligence rather than…
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Tackling Test Anxiety
As a teacher and counselor working in high schools, one of the primary reasons teens would come talk to me was about text anxiety. The story was always pretty similar: They paid attention in class, they took notes, they studied all night long, but on the day of the test their minds just went blank…
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High-Achiever or Perfectionist? Knowing the difference can have an important impact on your teen’s mental health.
By Jamie Doak, MA, LPCC I clutched my report card in my hand as I confronted my unsuspecting 11th grade Chemistry teacher after school. I showed him the B on the report card, my first B and only B. I begged for extra credit, offered to clean the lab, pleaded to retake the test or…
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Want to help teens be more resilient? Teach them to get comfortable with their emotions.
Do you know any parents who like to say, “just get over it!”? I often hear parents complain that their teen is too emotional or too fragile. They come to me worried that their daughter isn’t being tough enough or that their son doesn’t stand up for himself the way he should. Having worked in…
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3 Ways Nature Can Enhance Therapy
By Megan Yarnall, MA, NLC, MFTC The idea that nature contributes to our health is not new – if we look at ancient tribes or practices, nature was frequently incorporated into daily living, rituals, and other practices (sometimes by choice, and sometimes not!). With technology ever prevalent in our lives, it is easy to increasingly…
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