By Nathan Sellers, LCSW Your life feels like a drag, and you don’t know why. On the outside, people probably don’t even notice anything is wrong. But you feel it. The pervasive sense that a Dementor is somewhere nearby, sucking the happiness and purpose out of life. Thousands of people suffer, quietly, in this way every day. They wake up every morning with the same sense of blah almost every day for years. Many wouldn’t even think what they are experiencing are symptoms of depression. “High Functioning Depression” is a new term popping up in mainstream media and may initially be difficult to u ..read more

SMILE Award winners 2023 Youth Guidance - recipient of Lifetime Achievement Company SMILE award Youth Guidance, of Chicago, stands at the forefront of championing social emotional learning support. It recognizes the profound impact it has on the well-being and future of the youth it serves. Youth Guidance serves the most vulnerable populations. These groups are facing unprecedented challenges and societal pressures. By fostering mental wellness as a foundation for personal growth, academic success and positive life outcomes flourish. Providing evidence-based, trauma-informed curricul ..read more

Understanding self-harm, why people do it, and how to help Disclaimer: This article contains information about self-harm that may be triggering to some readers. Proceed with caution.  Self harm is a difficult and delicate topic to talk about, but it quietly impacts approximately 10% of young people and can even be an early predictor of suicide — so we need to discuss it, especially if you are a parent, guardian, or teacher. This statistic doesn’t seem like much until you think about it this way: one in every 10 teens you meet is self harming. This number has only increased w ..read more

Parenting is one of the most demanding things an adult will ever do. When one of your children cops an attitude or gets into trouble, it’s easy to panic, ignore the problem, or escalate it out of anger. Allowing the tension to heighten will only lead to loss of control of the situation and yelling, which can be damaging to your family. Having the tools to de escalating kids and teens are essential to parenting. You already understand that this isn’t the right way to handle a high-stress parenting situation, so we’re here to help you recognize an escalating situation and diffuse the tension bef ..read more

Breaking the Cycle of Parental Anxiety Meet Rachel and Scarlett In the realm of parenting, the journey is often fraught with both moments of joy and anxiety. Since parenting does not come with a handbook, as a result, the way we parent our children can often be a result of how we as parents have processed our own life experiences. Consider Rachel, a mother whose deep-seated fears and past disappointments shape her approach to raising her daughter, Scarlett. Rachel becomes anxious at the thought of her daughter, Scarlett, experiencing disappointment. Whenever Scarlett expresses fear or disap ..read more

Give the gift of support for youth mental health this holiday season 3 reasons Companies Should Donate to youth mental health Children and teens across the country continue to struggle with mental illness. Experts agree that we are in the midst of a youth mental health crisis. In many ways, the COVID-19 pandemic had a severe impact on kids’ and teens’ mental health. They are reaching a breaking point from being stuck at home during lockdowns and the uncertainty about the pandemic’s long-term impact. The influence social media has on their lives have all exacerbated the mental health cha ..read more

Safeguarding Your Child’s Mental Health this Holiday Season 3 Methods for helping kids and teens manage Holiday stress The weather is getting colder, the days are getting shorter and the holiday decorations are already on sale at every major retailer. At the same time, stress is also starting to build. Families are starting to plan travel, decide who is hosting which holiday and beginning to budget for holiday gifts. There is no denying that the holidays are a stressful time for us all, but this season can be a particularly triggering time when it comes to mental health for kids and teens ..read more

OVERVIEW Children have many of the same symptoms that adults have and is important to remember that depression is not just sadness. There is so much more to depression and telling someone who has these feelings to “Buck Up” or “Keep Going…You’ll Get Over It” is a terrible plan. This is a destructive approach and does not end well. See video on Depression. There are many angles to consider like how to explain depression to a child. For quick answers see FAQs. IMPORTANT Core Knowledge to Follow for Mental Health Basics: Do not consume alcohol of any kind Restrict coffee, tea and other ..read more

Depression is a debilitating mood disorder involving persistent feelings of unexplainable sadness, loss of interest in life, decreased appetite, low energy levels, inability to concentrate, and low self-esteem. It’s enough to ruin someone’s quality of life, and to make things worse, there’s an unfortunate stigma in our society attached to depression that makes people with depression feel ashamed.  The facts and myths of depression are confusing so buckle up, there is a lot to learn. There’s also a common misconception that those with depression don’t have any reason to feel sad and should ..read more

If you’ve been having difficulty with a child in the family, affective forecasting (as it’s known in the world of psychology) is an effective yet simple means of communication that may help make life easier. It’s especially effective with children struggling with core executive function needs, such as being rigid and unchangeable. Effective communication with teens by forecasting ahead of time is powerful and calming. Forecasting by definition is a powerful tool that refers to the prediction of future emotions. A practical application of this would be explaining upcoming events to yo ..read more