Our team is proud to provide monthly resources that are some of our favorites and from which you may find helpful sound bites, guidance, self-help recommendations, and food for thought. We will typically focus on a theme of the month and offer related print, digital, and media offerings. Browse below and call us for additional information!
We look forward to welcoming you to our family. Our office is warm and inviting. You will always be greeted with a smile and treated with utmost dignity and respect. You will play an active role in your treatment and your voice heard when you have questions or concerns.
Especially if the ‘back to school’ reading list is looming, get reading flowing by choosing a book for entertainment purposes and read the same book as your child! In this way, you can engage in discussion along the way. Modeling reading can help kids engage in reading on their own. Most certainly, your enthusiasm for summer reading can spark theirs!
Physical activity will induce ‘feel good’ brain chemicals that are important for mental health and a positive outlook. Movement will help promote overall physical health and sound sleep hygiene, and a dose of Vitamin D and fresh air can be invigorating.
There are many people in our local communities (from young children to the elderly) who are in need and who would be most grateful for a helping hand. Check out the California Volunteers website (www.californiavolunteers.ca.gov) or other places/activities in which your child expresses interest. Volunteering and/or leadership opportunities provide young people with an array of personal and professional skills. Youth-oriented summer camps, museums, animal shelters, and local libraries are also places that need extra help during the summer months. Consider becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister https://bbbsla.org/.
Routine is a way to provide direction and a sense of purpose. Make sure there are places your child ‘has to be’ in order to avoid spending all day on a screen. Less routine and purpose can breed risky behaviors, especially in teens. In fact, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, June and July are the peak months for teen drinking and drug use.
Find a class, join a team, explore something new! Keep it fun and engaging for your child. “Staycations” and day trips can also prove to be immensely rewarding and spontaneous!
Keep you and your children’s brains alive over the summer by playing games and engaging in playful activities. Make up stories, plan a murder mystery night with costumes and characters, get messy, hit arts and crafts, play with squishy and slimy textures, build, make home movies, plant a garden, be imaginative with water activities, etc.
It is often too easy to lie around and fall into a non-productive summer rut which can breed boredom, anxiety, and even depression. Social media breaks are highly recommended so that you and your child can relish being present and “in the moment.” Being immersed in the present will avoid rumination about past or future stressors.
Improvisation and stand-up comedy opportunities for youth.
Active retreats and more.
Summer camps for gifted children can be found at UCLA
Summer camps for gifted children can be found at UCLA
Develop useful tools with this game by Susan Kaiser Greenland.
Good therapeutic resources and games covering a wide range of topics.
Explore groups and/or seminars offered in the practice of Mindful Awareness for teens.
Summer school options preparing students for exposure to interest areas/majors at prestigious universities.
Learn more about this Summer study abroad program.
Learn more about global leadership adventures.
An education and youth leadership program.
We know how important parents are – from providing for our children, nurturing them, helping them develop into independent beings, and modeling what healthy relationships look like. Take a look at some Made for Parents resources below.
Written By Daniel Siegel
Written By Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
Written By Eli Harwood
Written By Brenee Brown
Don’t forget to care for yourself so you are able to care for others. Get a massage or visit a day-spa for a facial. The little things matter. Take yourself out to lunch today! Below are some songs that may help inspire you as well.