Reality TV Love vs. Love in Real Life

Most of us have been sucked into the drama of a reality TV program, and for good reason. Reality TV, by nature, is alluring. It provides viewers an alternate, often better, reality than their own. Reality romance shows like Love Island, Love Is Blind, and The Bachelor franchise are especially popular. For a few hours a day, we too can escape with beautiful people to 5-star resorts in exotic locations, seeking “true love” with no responsibilities or repercussions. Read More

Navigating a Quarter-Life Crisis

Most everyone is familiar with the midlife crisis, the one in which adults over 40 go off the rails, wrestling with identity, life choices, and mortality. That was then. Now, the crisis begins much earlier, at the onset of adulthood, in what should be one of the best and most exciting times of your life. This is the quarter-life crisis, and it involves many of the same emotions, anxiety, pressure, and societal expectations of the midlife crisis; it just occurs during a more developmental stage of life. Read More

Why Self-Harm is Happening Earlier and More Often

By Wesley Gallagher We’re living in stressful times, and unfortunately, children and teens are not immune to the challenges we are facing in the world today. Young people are dealing with more stress, anxiety, and depression than ever before, and it leaves many of them seeking ways to… Read More

TikTok Grows Up

By Anna McKenzie TikTok was once a scrappy, exciting social media platform that served up dance videos, tutorials, and humorous content from users regardless of their number of likes or followers. Without gatekeeping algorithms that showed preference to popular content, users were able to enjoy a fun, free-for-all of interesting… Read More

The Price We Pay for the Pressure to Succeed

By Anna McKenzie Every culture has a success ideal. In America, that ideal is shaped by achievement: The people we honor as successful are rich and powerful. They own companies, are prevalent in the media, and are surrounded by apparent luxury. Some individuals, whether they’re 40 or 15, become “influencers”… Read More

Summer Olympics 2021: The Pain of Not Making the Team

By Melissa Riddle Chalos With the Summer Olympics set to open on July 23, people around the world are entranced by elite athletic performance, and the extra year of waiting for the Toyko Games has only added to the anticipation.  Athletes in every sport spend most of their lives aspiring… Read More

What Parents and Caregivers Should Know About Program Aftercare

“Aftercare” is a general term for activities and other resources that behavioral health and addiction treatment patients receive after being discharged from a primary care facility. Aftercare answers the question of “Now what?” once your child has completed a behavioral health program. This aftercare can help keep patients on… Read More

Scars: What Lies Beneath Physical Abuse

A child that’s being abused doesn’t stop loving its parents, it stops loving itself. As young people come into the Claudia Black Young Adult Center with addictions, mental health and trauma issues we often find that beneath those are the scars of physical abuse. Read More

Scars: What Lies Beneath; Emotional Abandonment

When we think of trauma we most often think of incidents that are blatant and acute, visible and sudden, such as a natural disaster or a car wreck, mass shootings, or acts of terrorism. But some people experience trauma as more subtle and chronic that present in the form… Read More

Scars: What Lies Beneath

Complicated Grief and Loss As Sandra was growing up, her mother experienced multiple hospitalizations for metastasized cancer and died when Sandra was 12. Sandra didn’t really understand what was happening. Her mother was bedridden, nurses came and went, and she was constantly told to be a good girl and not… Read More