Given youths face multiple challenges as they move toward adulthood, from balancing schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and time with friends to resisting substance use and processing difficult news, it’s natural to wonder, “When do adolescents need mental health treatment?”  “Whether they’re able to voice it in that moment or not, I hear from my adolescent clients that they want their parents to notice and ask about their mental health struggles,” said Alysa Romano, a licensed professional counselor and clinical director of Embark Virtual IOP, a virtual intensive outpatient program ..read more

The modern family takes many forms — from single-parent households to blended ones — but they have one thing in common: the potential to develop dysfunctional family roles. These roles can be an issue because when there’s dysfunction in a family, preteens, teens, and young adults can experience problems including sibling fighting, family anxiety, and substance use.    “Dysfunctional family dynamics are often the reason people come to me and say, ‘I’m struggling with this situation in my family, but no matter what I do, it doesn’t change,’” said Jenilyn Bartolo, a licensed profe ..read more

I want to share Embark’s position on a very important and relevant issue, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). As a leading behavioral health provider for children, teens, and young adults for over 25 years, we recognize the mental health crisis among youth and believe all levels of behavioral health care should have parity with medical benefits. On behalf of Embark, and along with over 9,000 other organizations, I submitted comments to the U.S. Departments of the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services supporting the proposed amendments to regulations for the Me ..read more

Most Embark Virtual IOP Clients Reported 50% Decrease in Anxiety CHANDLER, Ariz. (Nov. 7, 2023) — Embark Behavioral Health, a leading network of mental health treatment programs for youths, young adults, and their families, is reporting that recent analysis of client outcomes from its virtual intensive outpatient program, Embark Virtual IOP, reinforce the importance of its online offering. With the health care landscape evolving rapidly, the data substantiates the insurance-reimbursed virtual Embark program as a vital, accessible, and effective model of care delivery.   Embark Virtual IO ..read more

At Embark Behavioral Health, co-regulation is an essential part of treatment. It’s the process by which children connect with caregivers, including parents, and experience healthy management of emotions and behaviors. By providing a reliable, nurturing, and safe presence, caregivers facilitate youths’ ability to develop the self-regulation skills required for healthy emotional development.   Because reliable and predictable co-regulation leads to self-regulation, teens — and young adults — can navigate emotional highs and lows on their own. This skill is important, as indicated in a ..read more

Family fighting is common, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s part of being human and in relationships. Whether family conflict happens between siblings, parents, or parents and children, Jacob Gibson, a licensed marriage and family therapist at New Haven Residential Treatment Center, said it’s important to deal with it in a way that allows everyone to feel heard, seen, honored, and respected. They can then move toward a resolution, even if they don’t completely agree with each other’s point of view or actions.  “A great majority of our differences will continue to be differences ..read more

For some teens and young adults, mental health in the winter can be a significant concern. While the season includes a break from school and more time with family and friends, it can be stressful, as can dealing with the psychological effects of cold weather.    This article touches on challenges facing youths and young adults during wintertime and features self-care advice for your child. Table of contents Psychological Effects of Winter and Cold Weather Depression  Anxiety Overstimulation Family stress Holiday stress Winter Self-Care for Young People Transitioning Ba ..read more

It’s easier than ever for children to access news about what’s happening around the world, making vicarious trauma an important issue for families. To learn about this type of trauma, including its signs and symptoms and how to treat it, we spoke to Dr. Rob Gent, Embark Behavioral Health vice president of clinical development and training. Gent, who has a doctorate in psychology, also shared advice for how to talk to your child about conflict and social issues in other countries.  Table of contents Defining Vicarious Trauma What is vicarious trauma, and who is susceptible to it? What a ..read more

It’s easier than ever for children to access news about what’s happening around the world, making vicarious trauma an important issue for families. To learn about this type of trauma, including its signs and symptoms and how to treat it, we spoke to Dr. Rob Gent, Embark Behavioral Health vice president of clinical development and training. Gent, who has a doctorate in psychology, also shared advice for how to talk to your child about conflict and social issues in other countries.  Table of contents Defining Vicarious Trauma What is vicarious trauma, and who is susceptible to it? What a ..read more

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