Child and teen Depression, Child and teen Anxiety,Child and teen Behavioral Disorders, Child and teen Mood and Anger disorders, child and teen Suicide, and less socialization is highly correlated to use of : smartphones, social media, you tube, internet ,and TV. 

There is a clear pattern linking screen activities  and excessive use with higher levels of depressive symptoms, and suicidal outcomes.

I have been writing about the imbalance of teen behavior over fifteen years.  I have been working with youth : children ages 5-18 for over 19 years .

If a teen is watching 50 hours of TV he or she is out of balance. If a child is playing 40-60 hours of video games what is being fed into their minds for the week? Violence? Aggression? Anger? Garbage in and garbage out. If your child is on Instagram, facebook, snapchat, You tube, the internet, and texting 40  plus hours a week what are they being exposed to? Many children are watching X Rated material and sending or sexting other peers. Of course there is educational material on the internet but most youth are not studying using the computer 40-60 hours per week.

Depression, Suicide, anxiety disorders, Anger management issues, self esteem , social skills and less socialization is highly correlated to use of : smartphones, social media, you tube, internet ,and TV.

Hospitalizations among children and teens have doubled since 2009! It has increased even more since COVID 19.

Depression among children and Teens are 14 Percent more depressed than in 2009. It has skyrocketed since COVID 19.

Almost 50% of teens in 12^thgrade do not socialize or go out on dates. Covid 19 has created anxiety and fear impacting social skills and interpersonal relationships.

Children and teens are spending more time learning about life from: video games, You Tube, The internet, social media and TV.

Children and Teens are missing out on communication with family and spending time with family. Youth are not learning to communicate express thoughts and feelings to their parents and families. Interpersonal skills are declining with the huge increase in : smartphones, Computers, Gaming , Social media etc.

Children can send pictures and emojis but have challenges expressing true thoughts and feelings and this is what makes us human.

Adolescents and children are not getting outside and exercising. Research shows that exercise is vital for Physical health. Obesity is out of control in the USA with over 35% of youth obese in America. Diabetes is on the rise among children and teens as well as adults.

One of the most important elements in mood regulation is exercise. Exercise is vital for behavior modification , ADHD, Anxiety Disorders, Depressive Disorders, and many other mental health disorders.

Children are not riding their bikes, going to the park, throwing a football, shooting baskets,  dancing, joining clubs and teams. Youth are sitting down playing on their electronic devices and this is disaster waiting to happen unless we make changes in this imbalance.

Children are not motivated to get off their devices and do chores around the house, come to the dinner table, go to bed on time, shower, eat healthy foods, and connect with family and humans at a face to face, eye to eye manner. This will have serious consequences for youth and families.

Social skills are on a huge decline. Children are becoming comfortable in their rooms on their phones and with their friends on instagram etc. If a child has 100 friends on instagram however goes a year without seeing them what does that say about the quality of the friendship? 

Children are not joining by scouts or girl scouts. Children are not involved in clubs after school or philanthropic activities and more.

There are many things parents can do create a new balance in the home via parenting skills and counseling with someone who has expertise in this field. Spending time as often as you can talking and listening to your child without any distractions is one of many vital things a parent can do to help their child.

www.Lifeworksaz.com works with youth and families for over 19 years in the following areas: Behavior modification, ADHD, ANXIETY, Autism, Aspergers, Oppositional Defiance, Conduct Disorders, Depressive Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Parenting , social skills, self esteem, sports mental training, Goal setting, anger management, mood regulation, and addictive behaviors related to gaming and screen time and more.

www.lifeworksaz.com for more info



Anxiety Disorders can arise in children and teens and are on the rise due to the pandemic and stress related to COVID 19. Anxiety Disorders like: Generalized anxiety, Panic disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorders, Phobias and PTSD are heading North due to concerns regarding COVID and the 24-7 daily negative media in relation to the Corona Virus. The frequency in media and Tech is overwhelming for many children and teens and limiting exposure to media is one step in helping with stress and anxiety for your child or teenager.



Many children and teenagers are getting ready to go back to school. Many children and teens are attending new schools due to a move or graduating from their grade level and moving on to a new school. Covid has been a rollercoaster for youth. One day they are going to school the next they are only online with uncertainty regarding the future as far as taking classes in person or only online.

Change for children and teens is a huge stressors . Divorce and grief and moving are all very high on the scale of stressors for youth.

Children and adolescents may be concerned about missing the bus, their ability to perform academically. How they look and how they are treated by peers is very important to a child and teenager.

Many mental health issues begin in childhood and the early adolescent teen years . Often child and teen mental health issues go un diagnosed until later on in adulthood . In adulthood the adult may have begun to use substances like alcohol and drugs to manage their mental health issues like ( anxiety, depressed mood, anger issues etc) Anxiety Disorders can arise in children and teens and are on the rise due to the pandemic and stress related to COVID 19.

A child that is crying everyday for weeks can create a great deal of stress on parents and on the child and it is very important to address the fear and anxiety for your child. Some children and adolescent teenagers will complaint of pains and headaches and stomach aches and more because of their fear and anxious feelings. Some children will withdraw due to their anxious feelings and also be irritable.

Transitioning to a morning routine can be a huge challenge. Getting up and ready for school as well as balancing work and transportation for parents is a giant stressor and must be addressed to manage anxiety and stress for parents and children and adolescent teenagers.

Managing sleep and bed time is vital for your child and teenagers success at school. Research shows children and teens are up too late when school starts and are not receiving adequate sleep. The lack of sleep is impacting school performance. The diminished sleep is also impacting family relationships and communication w family members. Children and teens with limited amounts of sleep are more irritable, angry, short, and this behavior oozes out on family members in the house.

Many children and adolescent teens have a great deal of stress and possible anxiety about a new school environment. Children are not sure about the new classes and the new children. Children and adolescent teens are not sure how they will fit in and if they will be accepted or judged. The children and teens worry about being excluded and potentially being bullied verbally or physically or on social media by their peers. Many children will not express these thoughts however they do have some concerns and stressors that may impact them attending school, doing homework, as well as impacting there mood be it anxiety, stress, depressed mood, or avoiding school and classes.

Create a routine two weeks before school starts including: bed time, limits on screen time, homework schedules, physical exercise schedule, family time, morning and after school routines. Creating a daily routine and schedule will help manage stress and help create success emotionally, academically and socially..

Helping your child and teen focus on the positive aspects of school can help your child and teen stay in a good state of mind for their day. Focusing on friends and a class they enjoy is an example. Letting your child know that after school there are positive activities to look forward to as well.

Helping your child problem solve and role play potential issues that may arise will help your child and adolescent teen to build and empower themselves should something go awry at school. Your child will feel confident that they can handle the situation. 

Parents can stay positive and calm and role model the positive qualities of learning and growing and how it will help each child in life.

Giving your children positive attention and rewards and praise when they do something brave can help your children tremendously. Praising your child, telling them you are proud of them , giving them a high five, smiling and more are huge behaviors parents can use to change anxious behaviors.

https://www.lifeworksaz.com/counselors-blog/wp-admin/post.php?post=4858&action=edit

www.lifeworksaz.com has worked with child, adolescents and families in relation to: anxiety disorders, stress, depression, ADHD, self esteem, Bullying and much more. You can read more about David’s expertise on his web site.

There are many treatments available for anxiety disorders and Phobias you need not suffer with anxiety for the rest of your life. Encourage your friend to receive support from professionals. CBT and desensitization as well as visualization and imagery is powerful for those with anxiety disorders and stress issues.

There are many reasons that are unique to each teen in relation to anxiety. Genetics is always unique and has an impact on anxiety so biologically you come into the world with genes that may be more or less prone to anxiety disorders. Your environment plays a huge role on stress and anxiety and how you cope with it. Some families have parents that teach their children skills to manage stress at a young age and some do not. Some families have a mixed approach with each parent doing their own parenting skills to address anxiety and stress. So the biggest factors in anxiety disorders are : Genetics, Life experiences, how we group up in our families , and environmental influences.

Anxiety disorders in teens can become worse at times with: side effect of a medication, emotional health issues, Alcohol or substance use or dependence, Marijuana use or dependence, Trauma ( emotional, mental, or physical ), long term stress, a family history of anxiety and or depression, and chemical imbalances in the brain.

Anxiety can be triggered by any physical pain in your body, stressful events ( school, moving, bullying etc), work stress issues, school anxiety and stress in school with peers or academics, illness and health issues, relationship issues with friends or family or others.

There are many evidence based techniques that are used in teen counseling and psychotherapy to help a teen manage his anxiety. One very powerful technique that has been around over 60 years is CBT Cognitive behavioral Therapy and it is very powerful. Teens can learn CBT and use CBT skill at home or wherever they are and this helps them gain strength in that they can control and manage their anxiety. I could go on about how great CBT therapy, however, I am going to give you a very brief synopsis for you. CBT looks at thoughts that are unhealthy, distorted , and not supported by facts. CBT then identifies feelings associated with these unhealthy thoughts. CBT then helps the client identify why these thought are distorted and allows the client to change the thought to a healthier more accurate thought. It is through theses exercises awe are able to see a huge reduction in anxiety and stress and well as other emotions the are not working for us at the time.

There is another exercise called VMBR that helps client’s bring in all senses: hearing , feeling, seeing, smell, and taste and allows the client to create a short video movie of themselves showing them confident, safe, tranquil and able to perform said task or overcome the anxiety that is getting in their way. It could be of taking a test at school or kicking a field goal, or going to school, or meeting a girlfriend, or a job interview.

Progressive Relaxation techniques tied in with diaphragmatic breathing techniques are an excellent evidence based skill that can be learned and used at home or out in the world. Research shows that when muscles are relaxed the body will follow and I believe everyone should use progressive relaxation for anxiety and stress management.

Mindfulness is an exercise that helps one learn to stay in the moment and not get caught up in the past or caught up in future thoughts. Mindfulness helps one notice thoughts like they are passing through like a cloud as well as feelings and does not allow the thought or feeling to rule ones day. Acceptance of self and learning self compassion and empathy as well as non criticisms or non judgment is important as well. Setting boundaries and effective communication skills is important to build healthier and more fulfilling relationships. Emotional regulation skills are helpful in managing ones anxiety before it builds and gets bigger for oneself.

www.Lifeworksaz.com has been working with youth and families for over 18 years in Phoenix AZ and Valleywide. David Abrams MAPC, LPC has a great deal of experience working with anxiety issues. You can read more about him at www.lifeworks.com and read testimonials as well.

Millions of American teens are suffering from chronic anxiety and anxiety disorders. One in Eight children and teens suffer from anxiety disorders.Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health issue In the United States. Anxiety disorders can take the form of : social anxiety , Panic Attacks, Phobias, General anxiety and more.

Over eighty percent of teens with an anxiety disorder were not getting treatment . Many times it was because parents were not aware that their teen or child was having a severe problem with an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety can paralyze your child from attending school or interviewing from a job or going to family gatherings and much more. Lifeworksaz.com David Abrams MAPC teaches children and teens tools to overcome anxiety and manage it !

Many children report high levels of anxiety at school. Children as young as five self harm due to anxiety and stress related to school and academics. Many children do not know how to express their feelings and emotions end up turning into aggression, sadness, anger, tantrums, crying etc. It is vital to teach children to express emotions at a young age before it oozes into an imbalance.

There are many factors that can contribute to anxiety or anxiety disorders: obsessive compulsive disorders, Panic disorders, social anxiety, Phobias, general anxiety, Panic attacks, PTSD Post traumatic stress disorders and more.

It is important to look at many elements in an individuals life: medications, factors during inception and birth, environmental factors, Drugs, marijuana, alcohol, Stressors, Trauma from the past ( emotional, physical, mental), sleep, diet, daily habits, negative cognitions daily, genetics in the family from Mom and Dad as well as other family members and their traumas as well.

Many practitioners give meds without addressing the root causes of the anxiety. It is important to look at all the above and more in order to create the best plan to reduce anxiety. I have worked with anxiety disorders for over 15 years and have seen a combination of many elements that exacerbate anxiety disorders. It is vital to look at all the above areas in order to really manage your child’s anxiety or your anxiety as best as possible. Not looking at sleep for example and treating the disorder without a change in sleep will most likely not be very successful since sleep is an important element in mood disorders.

Brain experts believe a diet that is heavy in inflammation food consumption and low in healthy fats affects the risk of obtaining anxiety or anxiety disorders. Anxiety is extremely high in those with high sensitivity to gluten.

Medication is used to treat ADHD , however, research shows that it also leads to anxiety disorders, as well as other symptoms including but not limited to addiction.

There are many tools an anxiety client can learn in order to manage an anxiety disorder be it panic attacks, phobias, generalized anxiety, PTSD, etc.

Some of the research based tools in counseling psychology to manage anxiety are: EMDR, DBT, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Progressive Relaxation, VMBR, Exposure therapy, and mindfulness.

Child anxiety is stressful and painful for families. Activities that once were enjoyable are avoided and parents hear complaints of stomach problems, and various aches and pains, headaches and more. Learning ways to cope with anxiety is important. It is a fine balancing act however avoiding school and avoiding sleeping alone and avoiding new things is not creating a balance for your child or teenager. Forcing a child may be overwhelming and can be a failed approach as well. It is important that parents understand that anxiety can be debilitating and your child may no be manipulating and may not be lazy.

Many children that have behavioral issues like oppositional defiance or conduct disorders also have underlying anxiety that they do not know how to handle or identify. Learning skills to manage anxiety is vital to you child’s success socially as well as academically and behaviorally and emotionally. Most children can not articulate what is going on inside their bodies and minds. They must learn skills and tools to address their anxiety.

Some children can manifest itself in different ways. One way might be to avoid situations that are uncomfortable. Another way might be to escape the situation and this can be seen or perceived as oppositional or defiant when it is really fear based. Behavioral dysregulation is common with children and teens that have anxiety disorders: panic attacks, phobia, social anxiety, PTSD, Post traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorders , obsessive compulsive disorder and other anxiety disorders.

Children that display temper tantrums, behavioral problems at school, throw things at school, throw themselves down and cry and have full blown outburst may have a profound anxiety disorder however this needs to be assessed by a professional. Anxiety disorders need to be assessed and treated by a professional in mental health care.

Academic pressure and demands in the classroom can trigger anxiety and this will look like disruptive behaviors. The child may feel overwhelmed and anxious and not be able to cope with the teachers request or the assignment. The child might be intelligent however he or she may have a learning challenge or trouble with the task and feel overwhelmed hence unable to do the task and act out behaviorally.

Most teachers are not trained in identifying anxiety disorders and a child or teenager typically will end up in suspension or in the Principals office being punished. This does not address the underlying issue that may be an anxiety disorder.

A child that is diagnosed with ADHD may have an anxiety disorder instead that looks like: impulsivity, hyperactivity, and inattention however this needs to be evaluated by a professional. A lot of times individuals jump to ADHD diagnosis when really the child or teen is suffering with an anxiety disorder. An anxiety disorder may be primary and for example ADHD is secondary or it may be the other way around. There are a number of other diagnosis as well that may be co-occuring with a child or teens anxiety.

Many adolescent teens are feeling worthless, unhappy, inability to focus or concentrate.

Teens are reporting more problems sleeping and are not receiving adequate sleep.

Children and teens are slow to talk about their distress to parents and parents tend to be slow to respond once finding out their child or teen is suffering.

Parents are not to blame for a child’s mental health issues. Children can have excellent parenting and still suffer from mental health issues.

In colleges and universities throughout the United States the following research was done and this was the mental health results :

The American College Health Association surveyed 100,000 college students at 53 US campuses and found that 84 percent of US students feel unable to cope, 79per cent are exhausted, 60 per cent feel very sad and more than half are experiencing overwhelming anxiety.

Obviously teens and college students need to learn coping and stress management tools to address : school, peers, family, work, grades, social situations and much more.

Many teenagers and adolescents as well as college students fear failure and are fearful of their future and need a direction and support to reach their goals. Children as young as 10 are worried about finding a job in many homes and are stressed and anxious.

Cyberbullying and social media can be a stressor and many teens are concerned about their body image with such a huge emphasis on waif models being the norm when most adults know this is not reality. Technology does not create the bully or the poor body image it may magnify the problem. Removing all media may not solve the issue because it is the negative distorted and unhealthy thoughts inside your child or adolescents head that is feeding the negative behaviors and mood. Media can affect our moods however it is up to parents and children and teens to set limits on use and be able to turn it off and find a balance in other activities above and beyond social media and or video games and technology.

There are many things children and parents can do to create health and balance for their child and teen or college student. Finding a healthy balance is key to your youths success. Lifeworks AZ has worked with youth and families over fifteen years in: building self esteem, parenting tips, mood regulation, goal setting, anger management, healthy social skills, reaching goals, behavior modification for youth, autistic youth, highly gifted, learning disabled children and more.

It is important to find a professional that has daily experience working with children and teens . Children and teens can learn tools and skills to manage and cope with anxiety and other disorders. Parents can learn skills as well to help create success and balance in your child’s life. David Abrams MAPC, LPC, CAGS has over 15 years experience working with families and youth treating anxiety disorders. www.Lifeworksaz.com has testimonials and more information.

According to a recent report released by Researchers, anxiety affects 30 percent of children and adolescents at some point in their lives.

The institute reports a twenty percent increase in anxiety among young people over the last Ten years. Mental Health reports show hat of those who have anxiety, Ten percent percent experience severe impairment as a result of it. This may include poor academics, truancy, poor interpersonal relationships, poor communication skills with family members, substamce abuse, alcohol abuse, vaping, video game addiction etc. Not joining organizations or attending social gathering and much much more.

A growing number of children under 10 are living with anxiety, but several factors keep many from receiving treatment .One in five children ages 3 through 17 about 15 million have a diagnosable mental, emotional or behavioral disorder in a given year. But only fifteen percent of them get diagnosed or receive professional counseling services or medical care.

Child anxiety is stressful and painful for families. Activities that once were enjoyable are avoided and parents hear complaints of stomach problems, and various aches and pains, headaches and more. Learning ways to cope with anxiety is important. It is a fine balancing act however avoiding school and avoiding sleeping alone and avoiding new things is not creating a balance for your child or teenager. Forcing a child may be overwhelming and can be a failed approach as well. It is important that parents understand that anxiety can be debilitating and your child may no be manipulating and may not be lazy.

Many children that have behavioral issues like oppositional defiance or conduct disorders also have underlying anxiety that they do not know how to handle or identify. Learning skills to manage anxiety is vital to you child’s success socially as well as academically and behaviorally and emotionally. Most children can not articulate what is going on inside their bodies and minds. They must learn skills and tools to address their anxiety.

Some children can manifest itself in different ways. One way might be to avoid situations that are uncomfortable. Another way might be to escape the situation and this can be seen or perceived as oppositional or defiant when it is really fear based. Behavioral dysregulation is common with children and teens that have anxiety disorders: panic attacks, phobia, social anxiety, PTSD, Post traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorders , obsessive compulsive disorder and other anxiety disorders.

Children that display temper tantrums, behavioral problems at school, throw things at school, throw themselves down and cry and have full blown outburst may have a profound anxiety disorder however this needs to be assessed by a professional. Anxiety disorders need to be assessed and treated by a professional in mental health care.

Academic pressure and demands in the classroom can trigger anxiety and this will look like disruptive behaviors. The child may feel overwhelmed and anxious and not be able to cope with the teachers request or the assignment. The child might be intelligent however he or she may have a learning challenge or trouble with the task and feel overwhelmed hence unable to do the task and act out behaviorally.

Most teachers are not trained in identifying anxiety disorders and a child or teenager typically will end up in suspension or in the Principals office being punished. This does not address the underlying issue that may be an anxiety disorder.

Children and adolescents can learn a variety of skills to help with their anxiety: for example: cognitive behavioral techniques, Dialectical Behavioral techniques, stress management techniques, anger management skills, healthy life skills, health social skills, healthy communication skills, skills to build self, skills to improve family relationships and more

Children and teens will learn skills and coping skills to empower themselves when anxiety arises so they can manage their anxiety and live happy, fulfilled, and successful lives.

You can go to www.lifeworksaz.com and read testimonials as well as set up an appointment through the web site: www.lifeworksaz.com

Children and teens that are at home do to COVID 19 Pandemic and are at home with online schooling are showing more loneliness and depression. This study was done with youth aged 12 to 23 years old using over 2000 youth.

Youth aged 12-23 are not receiving as much social support as they had received when they spent time with peers in school, in classrooms, at lunch, as well as being involved in sports, band, student gov. and other after school or school involved activities.

Social media provides social contacts , however, there is little depth and meaning in the social contact when you are posting to 200 people are 50 people. Its like your favorite actor on TV on a weekly tv show or series. You think you know them but you are getting a filtered version( the acting version) of them. You do not really know them unless you actually talk to them in depth and spend in depth time with your friends and social contacts.

Children and teens are feeling a sense of loss and grief. Loss of not being able to spend time with their friends. Loss of all the activities at school. A loss of not being able to see their teachers and loss of friendships that were developing at school. Seniors are not going to be able to celebrate together and have a ceremony in person and this is creating a lot of grief for many teenagers.

Teens are worried about the spread of Covid 19 just like adults throughout the world are concerned. Youth may experience physical symptoms such as: headaches, disturbance in their sleep, or eating habits, low energy, mood disturbances and more. Adolescents as well as children can pick up on their parents stressors as well as grandparents and others. Most teens are social beings and they would love to go over to their friends houses and hang out with their friends and not be isolated in their homes.

Isolation at home and feeling stuck at home due to the social distancing of Covid 19 feeds into : anxiety,loneliness, and depression and the same can be said for adults , however, adults usually have more developed brains and tool sets to manage stress.

There are many signs of depression, however, these are some important signs of depression: feeling down, feeling sad, feeling blue, loss of interest in activities you have enjoyed in the past, feeling of worthlessness, feeling of hopelessness, difficulty concentrating, thoughts of death. Changes in sleep and eating habits can also be signs of depression.

Adults can keep children and teens connected to friends and family by making regular phone calls and scheduling time for your children to talk to: relatives, friends, beloved ones.

Set up a routine for children and teens daily. Giving your children and teens a routine will help mange their stress. Children and teens can contribute to the home by doing daily chores which will give them a sense of responsibility and accomplishment. Children and teens pitching in will further take the stress load of parents and create more balance at home.

Teach your children about washing their hands with soap and water and doing so for at least 45 seconds under warm water. Teach your children about covering their mouths and healthy habits as far as cleaning the house, vacuuming, and moping the floor to be safe and cleaning up their rooms and their respective areas.

Parents can work daily on managing their mood in a wide variety of ways. There are thousands of exercise, yoga, cardio, weight videos on you tube as well as apps. Managing your mood is vital for your children’s mental and emotional well being. Talking walks if this is an option for you can be a positive stress mood regulator. Reach put to close peers and loved ones that are not toxic. Make sure that the ones you reach out to are positive, non judgmental and you feel loved and supported. 

Anxiety management exercises have been very positively correlated for teenagers and children that are having challenges with fears and anxiety.

Use of visualization and imagery to help with anxiety management have shown great success for children, adolescents, and teens in Phoenix Az, Tempe, Az Scottsdale Arizona. Go to www.lifeworksaz.com for more info on anxiety and counseling children and teens and adults.

Child anxiety is simply a form of stress. It is an alarm system for all human beings. Everyone experiences anxiety. Children may feel it if they have a presentation at school or when life gets difficult. Children can face anxiety when taking tests, switching schools, moving to a new house, moving to a new city. Certain levels of stress and anxiety are normal. However when impacts getting things done, not going to school, not participating in school or social events, avoiding activities and makes life less enjoyable it is time to get an assessment from a counselor or therapist that is trained in working with children.

There are many types of anxiety disorders: Phobias, social phobia, panic attacks, PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Obsessive compulsive disorder, and more. There are two ways to deal with anxiety disorders. Learn tools via counseling and empower oneself to manage the stress or some people medicate themselves. Research shows that if one chooses medication that counseling is needed for best results. No medication can change your child’s thought process.

Some but not all symptoms of anxiety are: excessive worrying, trouble focusing, fatigue and being tired during the day, difficulty sleeping at night, a lot of worry that lasts days or more. Many children do not express their feelings about what is going on however if the above is happening you can deduce what most likely is going on. Many children express physical symptoms like: headaches, stomach aches, not feeling well etc.

Child and teenage Anxiety often manifests as a physical symptom like pain, fatigue, or inability to sleep. 30 percent of patients seen by primary care practitioners have at least one ANXIETYdisorder.

Children and teenagers with anxiety disorders typically experience intense fear, worry and discomfort that last for a long time and significantly impact an adolescent or child and families lives.

Anxiety Disorders can lead to school problems , social issues, academic problems, alcohol and drug use, anxiety issues as an adult.

Anxiety Disorders can impact obtaining employment and can create frustration and anger issues when goals are not reached and the anxiety continues to impede progress.

The great news is psychotherapy and counseling can alleviate your anxiety and stress and their are also medications that a physician would give if needed.

Depressed teenagers who received cognitive behavioral therapy also known as CBT in their recovered faster, and were also more likely to recover, than children and teens who did not receive counseling and psychotherapy services, this study was published in a pediatric journal recently in 2015.

Self-reported child and adolescent sleep across the last twenty fiver years are concerning and suggest that there is potentially a significant public health concern that warrants education for parents and counseling education for youth and teens in the USA.

There is a connection and awareness among the scientific community that insomnia, depression and anxiety disorders are linked with each other. The risks are psychological, emotional, social, and more and must be addressed as a system.

Having insomnia in addition to anxiety or depression can further intensify the problems being experienced with each individual disorder. It can lead to such problems as alcohol and drug misuse during adolescence.

.

Children and teenagers can experience stressors which can interfere with sleep. Consumption of energy drinks – which contain caffeine – is also known to disrupt sleep, as is use of certain medications: aniti-depressants etc. A majority of children and teens are spending 40-50 hours more than they should each week playing or involved w electronics: video games, you tube, TV, Snap Chat, Instagram, Facebook, Texting, gaming, and more on the internet. Research shows that this also is impacting sleep which is connected with motivation, mood, anxiety, depression and more. It may exacerbate symptoms or create mood disorders.

Diet is one huge component that creates anxious symptoms. Caffeine creates an artificial and temporary lift for people who are stressed out and tired. It is different than a lift you get from good food and exercise .

Here is a list of possible side effects from caffeine : restlessness , nervousness , irritability , shaking , sleeplessness , sweaty hands, irregular heart beat , nervous or upset stomach , panic attacks and more .

Counseling can teach you healthy ways to manage anxiety and stress and create calm and balance in your life .

Many children that are quiet or shy meet the criteria for social phobia or generalized anxiety disorder .

Children affected with social phobia display greater impairment socially and are more likely to experience anxiety, mood disorders, depression, behavior disorders, substance use and more. The intense fear can be crippling with regard to social interactions.

A large percentage of teens with social phobia fail to seek

professional treatment for anxiety.

Psychotherapy and counseling can help children manage their anxiety and phobia so they can interact with those they hope to connect with.

The use of certain psychiatric medications during pregnancy can result in children born with depression by early teens and adolescence. A great deal of research from Finland, and other countries have found found that children exposed to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during gestation had more chance of being diagnosed with depression after age 12.

What is best for your child? Working with an expert in counseling that can treat children and teens and families. One type of therapy is not the only technique to create change. A wide array of therapies can help a child manage his mood, behaviors, anxiety and depression. A holistic and a multi systemic approach is the best prevention and the best way to facilitate desired changes for your child and teenager.

Receiving input form parents on daily and weekly behaviors and working together to modify unhealthy habits and routines as well as setting up a system that is reward based for positive behaviors is vital in creating balance and success for your child.

Children and adolescents suffer from anxiety. Some of the most common types of anxiety are : panic , phobias, generalized anxiety ,PTSD, and separation anxiety. Obsessive compulsive behavior is also a part of anxiety disorders .

Psychotherapy and counseling can be extremely helpful in learning ways to overcome anxiety ridden thinking and anxiety due to physiological responses.

Lifeworksaz.com, child and teen psychotherapist David Abrams MAPC, LPC, CAGS has extensive expertise in working with children and families in order to manage stress, anxiety , as well as other child, teen and family disorders and challenges . David has worked with children and families for over 15 years as his focus in private practice.

Research shows Cognitive Behavioral therapy is extremely helpful for anxiety disorders and there is more research expanding on CBT and ways to manage anxiety via counseling therapy.

Intervening early when a child or teenager or young person starts struggling to cope is proven to reduce the likelihood of that young person developing much more severe and entrenched mental health problems. Counseling and child and teen therapy is vital. Family counseling and parenting will help the child even more than just one on one child psychotherapy. Lifeworksaz.com provides a multifaceted approach that works with teens and also with parents to help their child.

Anxiety can be a normal reaction to stress . It helps us deal with challenging situations like a test or a speech .

It is when anxiety becomes excessive , and interferes with daily life situations that it can become disabling. Some types of anxiety that manifests itself in children and adolescent teens are : separation anxiety , post traumatic stress disorder , social phobia , specific phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and more.

Cognitive behavioral therapy , exposure therapy , and mood regulation skills have a lot of research behind it and show great success in treating anxiety disorders . There are many other approaches as well that have show success.

Stress and anxiety in Scottsdale, Arizona are on the rise due to many things. Both parents are working and busy. Children and Teens have infinite distractions with: Facebook, instagram, texting, video games, I pad, smart Phones, Net Flix, and more. These distractions can impact : sleep, mood, behavior and motivation in relation to academics and family life.  There are a number of things that must happen to address anxiety and the more pieces addressed the quicker balance will occur in your child or teen.

Children as young as five are being referred for treatment for depression and anxiety in the United States of America. Figures showed mental health teams are working with more than 1,000 children and young people who were referred for therapy.

Research shows that family stress, financial issues, unemployment, and substance use or abuse is connected with child depression and child anxiety.

Twenty percent of children between ages 10-16 will be diagnosed with some type of mental health diagnosis. It could be ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, Autism, Oppositional defiant disorder and more.

The tendency to develop depression and anxiety involves a complex mixture of factors, such as (genetic) factors and life-stressors.

Children and adolescents who get depressed have often had adverse experiences, such as, losing a parent or being abused as a child. Some have had struggles academically. Many children have been bullied or have been verbally abused and not accepted at their schools. Many struggle with social skills and communication skills. Many have very low self esteem.

Such early life experiences sets a person up for later depression and anxiety.

In addition recent events often precipitate an episode of depression or anxiety. A life event is simply a stressful occurrence. Friendship difficulties and disappointments are common triggers for depression and anxiety in children and adolescents.

Having a family history of depression can also put individuals more at risk as there is some genetic contribution to depression.

Although there is no evidence that family difficulties actually cause depression, when there is a lot of family conflict, this can interfere with a person’s recovery.

The most important element in treating depression and anxiety is feeling safe and comfortable with one’s therapist and having someone with a great deal of experience working with youth. I see youth all day in my office and many only see one child per week; so make sure you find someone who has rapport with parents as well as your child. You can read 50 plus testimonials from parents and other professionals regarding David Abrams MAPC, LPC, CAGS.

www.LifeworksAZ.com counseling teaches your child and teen a variety of techniques to manage: anxiety, depression, and elevate mood. Lifeworks az.com David Abrams MAPC LPC has been working with you and anxiety disorders for over 15 years. This includes: Social anxiety, Generalized anxiety, Phobias, PTSD, separation anxiety and more.

The more adverse or challenges in childhood for example stress and trauma the more likely one can suffer from mental health issues like “ depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and many other disorders.. The more challenging and adverse a child is exposed to will impact risky behaviors and poor physical and mental health in the future.

Negative childhood experiences are connected with : heart disease, diabetes, sexual diseases, risky behaviors and more. The greater the amount of childhood trauma the greater the association with less life satisfaction. The higher amounts of trauma and intensity and frequency of the trauma showed more frequent symptoms of : depression , anxiety, substance abuse, and more health issues.

Just because a child has trauma does not mean he or she can not find balance, happiness , and success. Lifeworksaz.com David Abrams MAPC, LPC has a specialty in child and family counseling as well as a specialty in Trauma, abuse, and deprivation. He also works with parents and families to create desired change and has been working with youth and families for over 15 years .

Children can learn many tools that they can use to balance their mental health and have skills to manage mood, school, family activities, healthy communication, academic success, build self esteem, make healthy life choices, manage anxiety, manage stress, and much more.

Adverse childhood experiences include living with someone who is mentally ill ,or suicidal; experiencing divorce or parental separation; living with someone who has an alcohol or drug problem; being a victim or witness of neighborhood violence; experiencing financial hardship; witnessing violence; having a parent in prison or incarcerated ,being treated or judged unfairly due to race or ethnicity ( racism/sexism etc); and experiencing the death of a parent ( grief and loss)

Teenagers and children who have experienced an adverse event are about twice as likely to engage in bullying behavior and the propensity to bully others goes up by 30 percent with each additional event of being victimized.

Teens 13-17 in Arizona have been exposed to forty four percent adverse events that are traumatic.

Children that have these experiences are more likely to have mental health issues, health problems, academic issues, obesity, and struggle in life.

Strong evidence showed that individual and group cognitive–behavioral therapy can decrease psychological harm among symptomatic children and adolescents exposed to trauma.

Recovery from childhood trauma involves owning the experiences we have disowned. It includes owning parts of ourselves that we continue to want to push away. This is a painful process because it means that we will need to embrace painful realities. Everything in us (and often around us) tells us that this is not the right path to take. But it is always truth, no matter how painful, that frees us. Embracing our life experiences and their ongoing impact on us is the path to freedom and wholeness.

Learning to not allow unhealthy defense mechanisms and behaviors from the past that helped shield you from pain and taking control of your unhealthy habits is vital for healing and balance. Looking at the ways you avoid feelings and how you cope with pain is also essential. Accepting the fact that you were not at fault and you can cope with your pain in a healthy way and that you are strong and can handle it is also important.

Grief and trauma in youth

Grief is a mixture of feelings : anger , guilt, frustration, fear , anxiety , when dealing with loss. Losing a loved one, family member, dog , cat are all areas that connect with grief . A parent that is not involved in a child’s life is a great source for grief and loss.

Children and teens may not be able to verbalize they are grieving however here are some symptoms that can show signs of grief: anger, irritability, lack of focus , anxiety, sadness, drug or alcohol abuse, self destructive behaviors , somatic problems ( headache , stomach pain, fatigue and more), promiscuity , addictive behaviors like being too busy ( blocking pain), decline in academic performance or lack of motivation , confusion, feeling alone , jealousy, constant thoughts of the loss, shock, numbness and more.

Children and adolescent teenagers can learn ways to identify feelings and express them in safe and healthy ways.

Parents need an objective professional that has expertise working with children , teens and families to help work through grief and loss.

Many children and teens suffer childhood trauma. Trauma can be from : emotional abuse , physical abuse, sexual abuse, divorce, grief, loss, health issues, family issues and more.

There has ben a great deal of research on the brain and trauma from PTSD for soldiers to childhood neglect and abuse. the latest research shows how important it is to address the trauma instead of avoiding it, stuffing it, acting as if nothing happened. In fact ignoring the trauma is the worst thing a child or an adult can do according to researchers on trauma and the brain.

Children and teens that were exposed to therapy that addressed these traumas show an 80% decrease on average in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Syndrome symptoms. Children and teens that addressed trauma were less depressed and less anxious and were able to function much better in all areas of their lives. Not addressing the past trauma in children and teen adolescents allows the trauma to fester in the brain and this will potentially ooze into unhealthy habits, behaviors, and mental health issues. Many reach for medications to alleviate pain, many start using illegal substances to numb out or cope with their past pain.

Children and teens that can express their trauma can build a strong sense of confidence that they can handle the most painful events. They can build their self esteem. They can learn that they can cope with life’s pain and still have a happy, healthy, and balanced life. It is a relief to release this heavy pain that the child or teen carries around like a 1000 pound weight squeezing their mind and body and soul.

One big piece of dealing with the trauma is also that children become aware that they are not truly safe and that the trauma is in their past and is no longer carried with them today in the present moment. Releasing these traumas take some time however letting go of it and processing the abuse and trauma and pain is the biggest piece in healing the brain and finding health and balance in one’s life physically, mentally and emotionally.

The research has been published in medical journals and has been done at many ivy league schools in the USA.

www.Lifeworksaz has an advanced graduate specialty in Trauma and has worked with: children, teens, adults and families to create balance in one’s life. Lifeworksaz.com David Abrams has a specialty working with children and families for over fifteen years.

Many children and teens are facing a variety of mental health issues: anxiety, depression, anger issues, self harm, OCD, Oppositional defiance, behavioral issues at school, social issues, emotional issues, self esteem issues as well. Children are being bullied at school as well as on the computer or via texting or social media ( instagram, snapchat, facebook etc)

It is important to talk to your children about how they feel and how they think on a regular basis( daily if possible). If your child does not express his thoughts and feelings this can be a huge red flag and you do not know what is going on inside your child’s world.

Parents can lame themselves and this is not helpful for the parent or the child. Great parents have children that struggle with mental health issues so keep this in mind. Reach out for professional help and support.

Everyone struggles with life this is a huge part of mental health and we should not be ashamed or embarrassed by it. Society tells us to be strong and do not cry and do not show emotions , however, we all have pain in our lives and it is how we cope with our pain and stress that is important. Every child and adult has stress and it is a strength to reach out for help. If a child is struggling with math we get him or her help or a tutor. If a child is struggling with : anger, stress, social skills, self esteem depression, oppositional defiance, anger, anxiety, phobias, self harm, issues with family we need to provide an outlet for support.

Typically schools for children and teens have very few counselors on staff . For example at one school I attended there was one counselor for over 600 children. It was great that the school had a counselor because many schools do not have a mental health counselor. The reality is that the counselor does not have time to meet with all 600 students on a weekly basis and give them the support they may need. Finding an expert that has daily experience with children, teens and families is important for parents and for the child. Being able to work with the child and parent provides the best systemic support for your child. Letting your child know that you are working on improving your relationship with your child and you are a team player is important to show your child you are dedicated to therapy and counseling and also it is important to you that things change. Labeling the child as the “ problem” is not a good approach for life changes in mental health and in life skills including school academics and more.

Lifeworks AZ David Abrams MAPC, LPC, CAGS is passionate about helping children and families help themselves . David looks at all areas of a child’s life . He looks at : self esteem, social, family issues, academics, sleep, diet, exercise, anger, mood, anxiety, behavioral issues, emotional issues, depression, self harm, negative thinking and more and creates a plan and goals that create a win win for the child and family. David has been working with children, teens, and families for over 15 years and this is one of his specialty areas. You can read a lot more about what parents are saying about David at www.lifeworksaz.com

When we are in emotional pain we can choose positive coping strategies or negative coping strategies.

Negative coping strategies to cope with stressful situations might be: You spend a great deal of time thinking about past pain, mistakes and problems. You might get very anxious and worry about possible future pains, mistakes and problems. You isolate yourself from other people to avoid distressing situations. You make yourself feel numb with alcohol or drugs. You take your feelings out on other people by getting excessively angry at them or try to control them. You engage in dangerous behaviors like: hitting, cutting, self harm or hurting yourself. You participate in unsafe sexual activities like having frequent unprotected sex or sex with strangers. You avoid dealing with the root cause of your problems, such as an abusive or unhealthy relationship. You use food to punish or control yourself by eating too much, not eating enough, not eating at all, or by throwing up what you eat. You attempt suicide or engage in high risk activities, like reckless driving or taking dangerous amounts of alcohol or drugs. You avoid pleasant activities, such as social events and exercise, maybe because you do not think that you deserve to feel better. You surrender to your pain and resign yourself to living a miserable and unfulfilling life.

The possible costs of these strategies might be: You miss good things that might be happening now and then regret missing those things too, feel depressed about the past. You miss good things that might be happening now; anxiety about the future. You spend more time alone and as a result feel even more depressed.. You have addictions; loss of money, work problems, legal problems, health consequences. Loss of friendships romantic relationships, and family members; other people avoid you; loneliness; feel bad about hurting other people; legal consequences of your actions. Possible death, infection, scarring, shame, physical pain. Sexually transmitted diseases, some life threatening; pregnancy; shame, embarrassment. You put up with destructive relationships, get burned out doing things for other people; don’t get any of your own needs met; depression. You have weight gain, anorexia, bulimia health consequences, medical treatment, embarrassment; shame depression. Lack of enjoyment, lack of exercise, depression; shame; isolation. Lots of pain and stress; regrets about life. Counseling and therapy can teach you wide variety of tools to manage emotions and feelings and pain.

Radical acceptance is a healthy coping mechanism to tolerate stress. Radical acceptance suggests you acknowledge your present situation, whatever  it is, without judging the events or criticizing yourself. Instead, try to recognize that your present situation, whatever it is, without judging the events or criticizing yourself. Instead , try to recognize that your present situation exists because of a long chain of events that began far in the past. Stop trying to change what is happening or what happened by getting angry and blaming the situation. Do  not waste your time and continue to suffer by blaming yourself or the other person. That will not help you. Refocus your attention on what you can do now. This will allow you to think more clearly and figure out a better way to cope with your suffering.

www.lifeworksaz.com has been helping individuals with emotional and behavioral issues for over 20 years.

Anxiety can be healthy. But not all adolescents, or adults, know that it typically acts as a useful and protective emotion. Accordingly, teenagers sometimes fear that their heightened nerves signal the onset of a full-blown anxiety disorder. They become worried about the fact that they are worried.

Over twenty five percent of all teens are suffering from an anxiety disorder according to the latest research in the United States. Research shows that only two out of ten children or teens receive treatment for an anxiety disorder.

Low grades can be a sign of an anxiety disorder for your child or teenager. An anxious teenager may procrastinate on assignments and may miss assignments. Your child or teen may eventually miss class due to intense anxiety or panic.

Teens should receive at least between eight to ten hours of sleep per night. Anxiety can lead to your child or teenager not obtaining adequate sleep. Monitor use of electronics and turn all electronics off one hour before sleep to see if sleep improves as well as if anxiety improves with more sleep.

Teens with anxiety or some with social anxiety avoid social interactions and tend to isolate themselves from social and interpersonal interactions. Social withdrawal also feeds anxiety as well. Monitor your child to see if they are avoiding social gathering, events, activities, extracurricular activities, sports, groups etc.

Unhealthy eating habits can be away of dealing with anxiety and stress. Many females turn to eating to manage anxiety and stress. Many teens turn to alcohol or drugs to manage stress or anxiety in their life.

Teens that have negative self-talk or poor self esteem or critical self talk may have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders and low self esteem can go hand in hand and are often co –occurring issues among children and teenagers.

Panic attacks are another anxiety disorder common in children and teens. Panic attacks may have the following symptoms: numbness, fear, nausea, throat tightness, accelerated heart rate, dry mouth, issue with breathing, sweating, chest discomfort and more.

Mood swings that happen at the blink of an eye can be a sign of anxiety or an anxiety disorder. Hormones and neuro-transmitters play a role in ones mood and if out of balance need to be addressed.

There are many counseling techniques and skills a child or teen or adult can learn to manage anxiety disorders. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a powerful therapy that helps look at unhealthy thoughts and their connection with feelings and behaviors that impact a child or a teen in a negative way. CBT therapy has been used worldwide and has been around for over 50 years. There are many other skills that can be used as well to compliment this therapy including but not limited to: DBT, VMBR, Progressive Relaxation, breathing skills, life skills, emotional skills, mood management skills and more.

Child anxiety disorders in adolescents. , teens , and children should be addressed so the child can receive treatment . Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is an evidence based therapy that shows positive results however there are other therapies that are beneficial . Rapport is a vital piece in the therapeutic alliance to create desired change in children .

Twenty three percent of youth, kids, teens suffer from anxiety disorders including: separation anxiety , obsessive compulsive disorder , generalized anxiety disorder, phobias, post traumatic stress disorders and more . Children that have been exposed to trauma and abuse can have a number of anxiety conditions .

Child anxiety disorders that go untreated can often bloom into : substance abuse , depression, other anxiety disorders and poor social skills and low self esteem .

Anxiety disorders can lead to a negative pattern of avoiding situations socially that are essential to success in relationships, work, education , and other areas in life . Many children and teens today stay in their rooms and play video games. The child enjoys the video games because they have a lot of stimuli and reinforce playing with many psychological research tools that keep a child wanting to play the games. Many adolescents and children are playing: Call of duty, World of War Craft, Zelda, Black Ops, Mind Craft, Grand Theft Auto, and more. It is comfortable for many youth to play these games because they can avoid human interactions and can avoid dealing with emotional issues.

Children in the USA are losing social skills because they are: playing games online, video games, watching you tube, watching tv, on social network sites, and they simply are not interacting face to face with peers. It is important to help your child break the technology addiction or comfort zone. Many children need to work on their negative thought process that is keeping them stuck in their rooms . Building self esteem and confidence is vital to healthy social skills. Learning communication tools is also very important to build a strong foundation for success. Social anxiety can be the root of avoiding social interactions and playing video games and technology to an excess.

Lifeworksaz.com teaches children a variety of evidence based tools to overcome and manage social anxiety as well as other types of anxiety. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy skills, DBT skills, Progressive relaxatiion skills, mindfulness, and many more tools will help your child socially. Testimonials can be found at lifeworksaz.com 

David Abrams MAPC LPC a licensed Professional counselor with expertise in child and family therapy for over 17 years www.lifeworksaz.com has helped many youth as well as adults with anxiety disorders: General Anxiety disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Social Anxiety, Panic Attacks, and more. David has a positive strengths based approach that looks at a child and teens positive traits and uses those strengths to help the areasthat need improvement.

Many Children and Teens are suffering with a great deal of anxiety, anxiety disorders, and stress from the pandemic. Children and teens stress and anxiety has increased at a very high rate and it is impacting children and teenagers in Phoenix Scottsdale Arizona as well as all over Arizona and internationally. When stress is high hormone levels increase in children and teenagers and anxiety and pain and stress related behaviors increase in frequency and intensity and in duration.

One of the very best activities parents should be aware of is intense physical exercise for over 45 minutes five times a week. Exercise is one of the best activities a child and teen can participate in to help regulate stress and anxiety. If a parent can find an activity that a child enjoys be it : basketball, dance, bicycling, volleyball, walking, spin class, soccer, baseball, wrestling, yoga w intensity, etc it will help regulate stress hormones and help balance the mind and brain in relation to stress related behaviors and anxiety. Parents can set boundaries and encourage exercise before screen time otherwise a child or teen will stay in their room and play endless hours of video games or watch Disney plus, Prime, Netflix, or are on instagram, snapchat, tik tok or texting on their smartphone etc.

Telling stories to young children have shown to help manage stress and anxiety in the minutes of the national Academy of Science article. Physical and psychological distress is minimized when connecting with your child one on one. The findings show a psychological and Physiological basis for short term stories one can do with your child. Stories influence emotions and build connections with your child. Stories immerse the child’s mind with language , text, and the imagination ( right side of the brain). Stories can take a child away from thoughts related to the pandemic, help with empathy, and deepen emotional processing as well as help a child broaden life perspectives.

Change for a child is one of the top stressors in research based studies of stress nd children. Leaving school for home or home for school can deprive a child of the comfort of routines, safety, peer comforts, and can adversely affect them for the long term.

Cotisol a hormone related to stress decreased and Oxytocin a hormone associated with empathy and emotional processing increased and pain was alleviated with story telling was the best compared to jokes or riddles or a mystery. Neuroscientists have found that story telling helped adults with anxiety and stress related symptoms and physical pain.

Lifeworks AZ PLLC has worked with children and families to develop skills to mange stress and anxiety for over 15 years. Lifeworks AZ has expertise working with : mood management, Anger management, Behavioral and emotional issues as well as much more. You can read David’s approach on his web site www.lifeworksaz.com. He is strength based and looks at the whole system in order to help create desired changes.

An extremely high percentage of teens are functioning at a low level due to sleep deprivation. Many teens are on their devices (Playing video games, smart phones, I Pads, Computers, Texting, watching you tube, netflix and more). Many parents go to sleep at 9 or 10 pm and most teens are still up till 1 am, 2 am, 3am. 

MEMORY , MENTAL TASKS, COGNITIVE PROCESSING, and MOOD are all impacted in a negative way. ANXIETY and DEPRESSSION increase and your Teens GRADES in school most likely will be impacted as well as family relationships, behaviors, irritability, ANGER and much more. There are studies that show a strong correlation between screen time use and suicide and poor sleep and suicide.

Studies show in can take a week to two weeks to regain: mental memory and mental processing and that it can not be regained in one day or one nights sleep.

Over forty percent of Americans do not get enough sleep. Over 70 Million Americans suffer with sleep disorders and this is at epidemic levels.

Many teens have poor diet and nutritional deficiencies in that they are not eating healthy foods and this feeds mental distress. Mental distress can lead to : anxiety, depression, anger, irritability and much more negative behaviors. Mental stress can lead to addictions and poor relationships and poor academics. Nutritional deficiencies are correlated with the brain and regulating mood and more. The Journal called Nutrients has more in depth information however this has been known for decades in many other research studies world wide.

The association between screen time and mental health is important for parents to recognize since many children and teens are on their screens 8 hours a day. The more screen time the more distractible your child will be as well as more likely he or she will have depression, anxiety, or another mental health disorder according to research in 2019. The research shows your child or teen will have less friends and less social interactions and social activities has a very high correlation with adult happiness.

Youth that spend more time on screens instead of face to face in person activities or reading or playing sports are much less happy than those children and teens that do not spend so much time on screens( tv, smartphones, I pad, Game boy, Video Games, xbox, internet, netflix, disney plus, prime etc)

There are many activities a child or teen can do that do not involve electronic screens: legos, board games, chess, cards, uno, puzzles, sports, basketball, hiking, biking, walking, running, dancing, drawing, reading books, and so much more)

Different things will work to manage anxiety for different people, so don’t be afraid to experiment with what works best. Parents  can offer support and validation and let their child know they are safe.

Walking will help to burn the adrenalin and neurochemicals that have surged the body to prepare it for flight or fight, and which are causing the physical symptoms (racy heart, feeling sick, sweaty, short breaths, dry mouth)Try to help them to access their strong breaths while walking, but this will be easier if they’ve practiced outside of an anxiety attack.

Breathe – I’ll do it with you. It will let your brain know that you’ve got this, and that you’re okay. It just needs to know that you’re safe and then it will settle down.

Anxiety is from a fight or flight response, triggered when the amygdala in the brain perceives threat. It doesn’t matter whether the threat is real or not – the brain thinks it is and acts as though its true, fuelling the body to respond. Breathing triggers the relaxation response which, like the fight or flight response, is also hardwired into all of us. Breathing can be almost impossible to access in the midst of an anxiety attack, so it’s important for to practice strong breaths (in for three, hold for one, out for three, hold for one) each day when they’re calm, with the trigger words that work for them, so it’s easier to access when 

And when they’re calm …

•  ‘I know how I feel when I feel anxious or worried about things, but I’d really like to understand what your worry feels like for you. Can you teach me?’

Empower them by acknowledging that they the experts of their anxiety – because they are. At the heart of emotional intelligence is being able to accurately identify a feeling when it happens. The more children are able to verbalise what their anxiety feels like, the more capacity they will have to identify it, acknowledge it and act more deliberately in response to it. With this level of self-awareness comes an increased ability to manage the feeling when it happens, and less likelihood that the anxiety will hijack their behaviour.

•  ‘You don’t have to do this by yourself. Is there something I can do to help you feel less alone? Is it best if I say something? Nothing? Hold your hand? Touch your back? Give you space?’

There might not be anything that comes to mind for them, and that’s okay. 

•  ‘If you saw someone going through what you go through, what would you say to comfort them?’

This invites a different perspective and can give you some insight into what they need to hear when they are going through it themselves.

•  ‘What if you could do anything in the world when you feel like this to feel better? Anything at all – doesn’t matter how crazy it is. What would it be?’

Give them in fantasy what is difficult for them in reality. This can help to open up the options, so help them to play with the ideas. Often there’s a sense of stuckness that comes from anxiety, which can give anxiety more power than it deserves. Sometimes, the best way to finding something that works is straight through the middle of the crazy, silly things first, (‘What if I could get that worry of yours and feed it a whole truckload of jelly so it was too busy to bother you? Or maybe we could play it some sleepy music? Or maybe some fun ‘dancey’ music to wear it out? What do you think?’)

•  ‘I’m here to listen to you if you like to talk about it? There’s absolutely nothing you can say that would be the wrong thing.’

Give them plenty of space to talk about what’s happening, but don’t try to change it or fix it. The more you can validate what they’re feeling, and give them permission to feel it, the more they can move through it and experiment with ways to deal with it.

•  ‘I love you – all of you, and everything you do.’

Because it feels like magic, and is always a lovely thing to hear.

•  ‘Brains change. They’re pretty amazing like that. You won’t always feel like this. Every time you breathe through your anxious feeling, you’re helping to change and strengthen your brain. You’re doing something pretty amazing and the more you do it, the better you’ll get.’

Brains have an extraordinary capacity to change and the more children can understand and accept this, the more empowered they’ll be to working towards this. Here are some words to help with that, but nobody knows your child better than you, so adapt them to suit …

‘Think of it like this: Imagine that in your brain are two important parts – a ‘feelings’ part that feels everything that happens to you, and a ‘thinking’ part that thinks about everything that happens to you and helps you decide how to behave. They are connected to each other by a pathway that’s made up of billions of brain cells (think of each cell like a brick). The two parts communicate by passing information from one cell to the next, to the next, to the next. Anything that ever happens to you will always go through the feelings part first. That’s the way it is for everyone. Then, the information travels to the thinking part which helps you make good decisions and work out the best way to behave. 

When the connection between the cells is strong, the pathway will be strong, and the thinking part of your brain will be in charge of your behaviour. This is because as soon as the feelings part gets worried or anxious, the thinking part can send a message quickly back saying, ‘You’re okay. You can calm down now because I’ve checked things out and there’s nothing that can actually hurt us, okay? But thanks for watching over us.’ When the pathway isn’t strong, the thinking part can’t get its ‘calm down’ message through, so the feelings part surges your body with chemicals that fuel you up to fight for your life or run for it. The idea is to make you strong, fast and powerful so you can protect yourself from danger. It’s this surge that makes you feel the uncomfortable things you feel when you’re having an anxiety attack. 

What’s important to know is that the pathway between the feelings part and the thinking part can always be strengthened. Here’s how …

Each cell along the pathway is able to grow 15,000 new branches to help it to connect to the cells beside it. The stronger the connection between the cells, the stronger the path. Every time you do something that helps you move through your anxiety, such as breathing or mindfulness, the cells grow new branches that connect them to the cells beside them, and the pathway is strengthened. It’s like weightlifting for your brain! Like any exercising any muscle – the more you do it the stronger you’ll get. Be patient though and whatever you do, don’t give up – it can take a while to get near 15,000 but you’ll get there.’

And finally …

When it comes to dealing with difficult emotions – and anxiety is certainly one of those – anything you can say to validate, rather than change what your brave little person is going through will be important. Experiment with different things – kids don’t break when the adults in their lives respond to them in a way that’s empowering, loving and generous.

To strengthen and protect children with anxiety, explore their feelings with them and help them to tap into their own wisdom about what works for them. When they’re given the space, and the encouragement and the freedom to explore and experiment, kids can come up with wonderfully unexpected solutions to the things that are troubling them. They can be pretty amazing like that.

Anxiety is a normal response to something dangerous or stressful. It becomes a problem when it shows up at unexpected times and takes a particularly firm hold. When anxiety is in full swing, it feels awful. Awful enough that anticipation of the feeling is enough in itself to cause anxiety.

We already know that anxiety has nothing to do with strength, courage or character. It picks a target and it switches on.

When that target is a child or teen, it can be particularly distressing, causing problems with sleeping, eating and missed school from unexplained illnesses such as sick tummies or headaches. 

One of the worst things about anxiety is the way it can happen without any identifiable cause. The physical feeling is familiar – that panicked feeling that comes when you miss a stair or as my daughter recently described, ‘that feeling you get when you’re almost asleep and you feel like you’re falling.’ (‘Yes, we’ve dealt with it in our home too. It’s under control now, so I can assure you this works.)

The good news is that anxiety in kids is very treatable and they are particularly responsive. I often think we don’t give them enough credit. They’re so open to possibility, and very quick to make the right connections when they’re given the right information and support. As the adult in their life, you’re the perfect one to give it.

Anxiety in Kids and Teens: Turning it Around 

1. Don’t talk them out of it.
2. As a parent, the temptation is to reassure your child with gentle comments in the way of, ‘There’s nothing to worry about,’ or ‘You’ll be fine’.
3. This comes from the purest of intentions but it runs the risk of them feeling as though there’s something wrong with them. The truth is that when anxiety has a hold of them, they can no sooner stop worrying than fly to the moon. As much as they want to believe you, their brains just won’t let them.
4. What they need to hear is that you get it. Ask them what it feels like for them. They may or may not be able to articulate – and that’s okay. Then, ask if it’s ‘like that feeling you get when you miss a stair,’ (or ‘that feeling you get when you feel like you’re falling in your sleep’). Often, this in itself is such a relief because ‘someone gets it.’
5. Normalise.
6. Explain that:
7. •. Anxiety is normal and everyone experiences anxiety at some time in their life – before an exam, when meeting new people, going for an interview or starting at a new school.
9. •  Sometimes it happens for no reason at all. That’s also normal. It happens to lots of adults and lots of kids but there are things you can do to make it go away. 
11. Explain why anxiety feels like it does.
12. Out of everything, this is perhaps the most powerful intervention for anyone with anxiety. Anxiety causes the most problems when it seems to come on without any real trigger. There’s a reason for this, and understanding the reason is key to managing the anxiety.
13. Here is a child-friendly explanation. I’ve used it for a variety of ages, but nobody knows your child like you do so adjust it to suit. 
14. ‘Anxiety is something that lots of people get but it feels different for everyone. Adults get it too. It happens because there’s a part of your brain that thinks there’s something it needs to protect you from. The part of the brain is called the amygdala. It’s not very big and it’s shaped like an almond.  
16. It switches on when it thinks you’re in danger, so really it’s like your own fierce warrior, there to protect you. It’s job is to get you ready to run away from the danger or fight it. People call this ‘fight or flight’.
18. If your amygdala thinks there’s trouble, it will immediately give your body what it needs to be strong, fast and powerful. It will flood your body with oxygen, hormones and adrenaline that your body can use as fuel to power your muscles to run away or fight. It does this without even thinking. This happens so quickly and so automatically. The amygdala doesn’t take time to check anything out. It’s a doer not a thinker – all action and not a lot of thought.
20. If there is something dangerous – a wild dog you need to run away from, a fall you need to steady yourself from – then the amygdala is brilliant. Sometimes though, the amygdala thinks there’s a threat and fuels you up even though there’s actually nothing dangerous there at all. 
22. Have you ever made toast that has got a bit burnt and set off the fire alarm? The fire alarm can’t tell the difference between smoke from a fire and smoke from burnt toast – and it doesn’t care. All it wants to do is let you know so you can get out of there. The amygdala works the same way. It can’t tell the difference between something that might hurt you, like a wild dog, and something that won’t, like being at a new school. Sometimes the amygdala just switches on before you even know what it’s switching on for. It’s always working hard to protect you – even when you don’t need protecting. It’s a doer not a thinker, remember, and this is how it keeps you safe.
24. If you don’t need to run away or fight for your life, there’s nothing to burn all that fuel – the oxygen, hormones and adrenalin – that the amygdala has flooded you with. It builds up and that’s the reason you feel like you do when you have anxiety. It’s like if you just keep pouring petrol into a car and never take the car for a drive.
26. So when the amygdala senses a threat it floods your body with oxygen, adrenaline and hormones that your body can use to fuel its fight or flight. When this happens:
28. ♦  Your breathing changes from normal slow deep breaths to fast little breaths. Your body does this because your brain has told it to stop using up the oxygen for strong breaths and send it to the muscles to they can run or fight.
31. When this happens you might feel puffed or a bit breathless. You also might feel the blood rush to your face and your face become warm.
35. ♦   If you don’t fight or flee, the oxygen builds up and the carbon dioxide drops.
38. This can make you feel dizzy or a bit confused.
42. ♦  Your heart beats faster to get the oxygen around the body.
45. Your heart can feel like it’s racing and you might feel sick.
49. ♦  Fuel gets sent to your arms (in case they need to fight) and your legs (in case they need to flee).
52. Your arms and legs might tense up or your muscles might feel tight.
56. ♦  Your body cools itself down (by sweating) so it doesn’t overheat if it has to fight or flee
59. You might feel a bit sweaty.
63. ♦  Your digestive system – the part of the body that gets the nutrients from the food you eat – shuts down so that the fuel it was using to digest your food can be used by your arms and legs in case you have to fight or flee. (Don’t worry though – it won’t stay shut down for long.)
66. You might feel like you have butterflies in your tummy. You might also feel sick, as though you’re going to vomit, and your mouth might feel a bit dry. 
70. As you can see, there are very real reasons for your body feeling the way it does when you have anxiety. It’s all because your amygdala – that fierce warrior part of your brain – is trying to protect you by getting your body ready to fight or flee. Problem is – there’s nothing to fight or flee. Don’t worry though, there are things we can do about this.’
72. Explain how common anxiety is in adults and kids.
73. About 1 in 8 kids have struggled with anxiety – so let them know that in their class, there’s a good chance that 3 or 4 other kids would know exactly what they’re going through because they’ve been through it before. Maybe they’re going through it right now.
74. Give it a Name.
75. ‘Now that you understand that your anxiety feelings come from the ‘heroic warrior’ part of your brain, let’s give it a name.’ Let your child pick the name and ask them what they think of when they picture it. This will help them to feel as though something else is the problem, not them. It also demystifies their anxiety. Rather than it being a nameless, faceless ‘thing’ that gets in their way, it’s something contained – with a name and a look. 
76. Now Get Them Into Position.
77. ‘The problem with anxiety is that [whatever their ‘heroic warrior’ is called – for the moment, let’s say, ‘Zep’] Zep is calling all the shots but we know that you’re really the boss. Zep actually thinks it’s protecting you, so what you need to do is let it know that you’ve got this and that it can relax. When you get those anxious feelings, that means Zep is taking over and getting ready to keep you safe. It doesn’t think about it at all – it just jumps in and goes for it. What you need to do is to let it know that you’re okay. 
78. The most powerful thing you can do to make yourself the boss of your brain again is breathe. It sounds so simple – and it is. Part of the reason you feel as you do is because your breathing has gone from strong and slow and deep to quick and shallow. That type of breathing changes the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your body. Once your breathing is under control, Zep will stop thinking he has to protect you and he’ll settle back down. Then, really quickly after that, you’ll stop feeling the way you do.’ 
79. And breathe.
80. Breathe deeply and slowly. Hold your breath just for a second between breathing in and breathing out. Make sure the breath is going right down into your belly – not just into your chest. You can tell because your belly will be moving. Do this about 5 to 10 times.
82. Practice before bed every day. Remember that Zep, the warrior part of your brain, has been protecting you for your entire life so it might take a little bit of practice to convince Zep to relax. But keep practicing and you’ll be really good at it in no time. You and that warrior part of your brain will be buddies – but with you in control.
83. One way to practice is by putting a soft toy on your child’s belly when they lie down. If the toy is moving up and down, their breathing is perfect. 
84. Practice mindfulness.
85. An abundance of scientific research has demonstrated the profound effects of mindfulness.  MRI studies have shown that practicing mindfulness increases the density of gray matter in the brain, providing relief and protection from stress, anxiety and depression. 
86. Mindfulness doesn’t have to be complicated. Essentially, it’s being aware of the present moment. My daughter does 10 minutes before bed. 
87. Start by explaining that anxiety comes about because of worry about the future and what might happen. Sometimes these thoughts happen in the background – we don’t even know they’re there. Mindfulness helps you to have control over your brain so you can stop it from worrying about things it doesn’t need to. It trains your brain to stay in the here and now. The brain is like a muscle and the more you exercise it the stronger it gets. 
88. It sounds easy enough but minds quite like to wander so staying in the moment can take some practice. Here’s the how:
    1. Close your eyes and notice your breathing. How does the air feel as you draw it inside you? Notice the sensation of the air, or your belly rising and falling. Notice your heart beating. If your mind starts to wander, come back to this.
    1. Now, what can you hear? What can you feel outside of you and inside your body? If your mind starts to wander, focus on your breathing again. 

Remember that anxiety in kids is very treatable but it might take time. Explain to your child that his or her very clever and very protective brain might need some convincing that just because it thinks there’s trouble coming, doesn’t mean there is. Keep practicing and they’ll get there. 

The left side of the brain helps you think logically and organize thoughts into sentences. The right side of the brain helps you experience emotions and read non verbal cues. The key is to integrate both parts of the brain to have a well developed child or teen.

The brain is actually plastic or moldable. This means that the brain changes throughout the course of our lives and not just in childhood. What molds our brain is experience. Experiences actually change the physical structure of our brain. Firing neurons over time rewires the brain.

Children whose parents talk with them about their life experiences have better access to the memories of that experiences. Parents who speak to their children about their feelings have children that develop emotional intelligence and can understand their and other peoples feelings more fully. Counseling and therapy can help parents and child integrate their brains in phoenix, Scottsdale, and Cave Creek Arizona.

When these parts collaborate, they create and reinforce the integrative fibers that link different parts of the brain. As a result, they are connected in more powerful ways and can work together even more harmoniously.  Just as individual singers in a choir can weave their distinct voices into a harmony that would be impossible for any one person to create, an integrated brain is capable of doing much more than its individual parts could accomplish alone.

Imagine a peaceful river running through the countryside. Tht is your river of well being. When you are in the water, peacefully floating along in your canoe, you feel like you are generally in a good relationship with the world around you. You have a clear understanding of yourself, other people, and your life. You can be flexible and adjust when situations change your stable and at peace. 

Sometimes, though as you float along, you veer to close to the river’s two banks. This causes different problems, depending on which bank you approach. One bank represents chaos, where you feel out of control. Instead of floating in the peaceful river, you are caught up in the pull of tumultuous rapids, and confusion and turmoil rule the day. You need to move away from the bank of chaos and get back into the gentle flow of the river. The other bank represents its own dangers. It is the bank of rigidity, which is the opposite of chaos. As opposed to being out of control rigidity is when you are imposing control on everything and everyone around you. You become completely unwilling to adapt, compromise, or negotiate. Near the bank of rigidity, the water smells stagnant, and reeds and tree branches prevent your canoe from flowing in the river of well being. So one extreme is chaos, where there is lack of control. The other extreme is rigidity, where there is too much control, leading to a lack of flexibility and adaptability. The lobger we can avoid either bank the more time we spend enjoying the river of well being. “Dan Siegel”

www.lifeworksaz.com has been helping children and teens with: behavior, self esteem , mood regulation, life skills, social skills, self esteem, motivation, healthy communication, life paths, creating health and balance in children’s lives for over 20 years. David provides counseling and therapy in Phoenix and Scottsdale Arizona providing a wide array of techniques to empower children and teens for a lifetime.

ADHD Child and Teen Counseling can help your child manage his or her behavior, mange stress, mange mood, mange anger, problem solve, relax, and make positive choices. Individual counseling combined with parenting tips is the most effective child and teen counseling to create desired change. Medication is an option for some however counseling is recommended with the medication according to research based studies.

The more research based skills your child or teen can learn to manage their “ mental health disorder” the greater chance your child or teen will be able to find balance and manage their disorder.

Research shows that medication alone is not as effective alone and that counseling and therapy is vital for best results.

Children and teens and adolescents can learn to communicate their thoughts and their feelings in healthy ways. Many emotional disorders and behavioral disorders have at it’s root unhealthy or distorted thoughts that a child or teen plays in their mind throughout the day sometimes thousands of times a day. It is this programming in their head that has to be addressed before big changes can be observed.

For example a child, adolescent , teen, on ADHD medication may show improvement in their behavior, however, keep in mind the medication does not eliminate your child or teen’s thoughts. Your child or teenager with ADHD may have a defiant thought like” I do not want to do chores, homework, etc”. It is these thoughts that override a pill or medication. A child w a diagnosis of ADHD may get out of their seat or talk in class and these behaviors can be modified through counseling and behavioral modification therapy. No medication will keep your child in his or her seat if the child wants to get out of the seat…well a dose that puts them to sleep might keep them in their seat, however, they will not be alert and awake and able to learn in the classroom.

There are a number of research based counseling and therapy skills a child can learn like cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness as well as others that will help. A parent can learn new skills including CBT ( Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) as well as parenting tips and techniques to improve outcomes.  Behavior modification is one program that a parent can learn with a skilled mental health teen and child practitioner to set goals and create desired change at home as well as in school and in other areas of a child and adolescent teens life.

Keep in mind behaviors are created over years and we must make changes in order to modify negative behaviors and increase positive behaviors with your child and teen.

There are many other things your child or teen can do to help create desired change. Always look at a child or teens eating habits and the health of their diet’s. Diet can impact mood and behaviors in a huge way.

How much sleep your child or teen adolescent is obtaining is vital for growth and mood as well as behaviors. Many children are up late on smart phones or playing video games etc and this is impacting their mood, anger, etc. Parents can help out by setting limits with their child or teen on screen time. Many children and teens can not fall asleep due to the light emitted from screens . This is also research based in studies done with children and adolescent teens.

 A Child that is suffering with a mood disorder can help their mood by daily exercise. A child or teen should be encouraged to exercise . A child or teen can : bike, walk, swim, shoot basketball, dance to a work out video, go to the gym, sign up for club sports, shoot hoops, etc. The healthy activities should be done before access to video games etc. Video games are addictive and screen time use correlates with depressed mood and anxiety as well as behavioral issues.

Creating balance and a win win situation is vital for peace and reduced stress at home. Healthy stress coping skills is vital as well. Learning ways to express feelings and understand feelings is important instead of stuffing feelings. Understanding the connection of thoughts to feelings and behavior is important  to create desired change and build self esteem as well as learn healthy life skills in all children and adolescent teenagers.

Behavior modification looks at different approaches to a child learning and achieving his or her goals.  Behavior modification  is a collaborative effort that helps a child reach goals : school, family goals, grades, academics, social, interpersonal etc.

Children are motivated to do well they just need a road map and someone to cheer them on and guide them through the process.

ADHD medications are tested for 8-12 weeks and most however your children stay on these medications for years or decades. Do you want your child on a medication when you do not know what the long term effect is of these medications? Dr Breggin has numerous books out on medication. He is a Harvard graduate and physician/ Psychiatrist. Some of his published books are : medication madness, toxic psychiatry and many more. He has great concern that many of these medications are addictive and that they alter your child’s brain that is still developing.

The absolute best evidence based research approach per 100 years of research regarding children and ADHD behavior  is an approach that combines individual counseling with parenting tips and family system tips to modify behavior. All of these elements are vital in creating desired change in your child or teenager. Lifeworks AZ provides this. Working on: boundaries, social skills, communication, self esteem, impulsivity, focus, over coming challenges, organization, healthy behaviors, healthy habits is vital and no medication will give this to your child.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry stimulant drugs used to treat ADHD do not improve children’s long term in there study.

Children did not fare better as far as: inattention, hyperactivity, and social functioning. on these medications versus

children not on medications for ADHD. Researchers are confused by the results that attention, focus and self control should improve however, children not on medications for ADHD do just as well as children not on medications.. Researchers are confused by the results that attention, focus and self control should improve however grades do not improve for children in the long term.

ADHD drugs serve to mask problem behaviors. ADHD drugs are classified in the same category as: cocaine, Opium, and Morphine. What does this mean to me as a parent? The potential risk of addiction and abuse on your child’s brain is high. Over 3 million children are taking ADHD medications throughout the USA. Over 5 million are diagnosed with ADHD throughout the United States of America.

Ina recent study researchers state that over One million children and Teenagers are mis diagnosed for ADHD and many experts believe that ADHD has zero neurological markers and can be that children are inattentive and at times struggle with focusing issues and need to work on this behavior.

Many ADHD diagnosis are driven by large class rooms and teachers over worked whom are overwhelmed in managing many children. Many experts state ADHD behaviors have to do with a child and his or her emotional and or intellectual maturity.

A study that reviewed over 10,000 articles on ADHD medications state that a child’s sleep is impaired while taking ADHD medications. The sleep impairment was connected with : emotional, behavioral, and cognitive functioning in children and teenagers according to this study. Inattention and defiance for connected to the lack of sleep or poor sleeo in children taking ADHD medications: Adderal and Ritalin medications.

Short term side effects can be : insomnia, irritability, tearfulness, toxic psychosis, nervousness, nausea, dizziness, personality changes, headaches, heart issues, tiredness, drowsiness, blood pressure changes, chest pains, abdominal pains, anorexia, weight loss, depression, suicidal thoughts, tics, bizzare behaviors tourettes syndrome.

Long term side effects may include: normal growth is inhibited, height and weight may be impaired, immune system problems and more research is coming out.

An ADHD child may just need a more involved teacher with an imagination to capture the child’s imagination. An ADHD child may need more tools to focus and pay attention at home as well as at school

ADHD diagnosis has increased almost 50% in the past ten years and medication prescriptions are close to a Thirty percent increase approx. in the past decade.

Children that are on ADHD medications are more likely to be at risk for bullying and being abused. This study was done in the Journal of Child Psychology.

Many children and teenagers are prescribed stimulant medication to address their ADHD and these medications are the most commonly sold and shared among children and teenagers throughout Arizona and the USA. Over 20 percent in a survey state they have been asked or approached to sell their medications or to share some pills with them even though they obviously do not have a prescription for the medication ( ADHD).

Many experts believe : parenting and Behavior modification, Family counseling , CBT therapy, are the absolute best ways to manage ADHD symptoms and teach your child life long skills to manage his behavior’s and mood.

Your child or teen may display a variety of unhealthy behaviors. There are many areas that can contribute to this behavior: mood, thoughts, self esteem, grief, loss, family issues, peers, performance, school, and much more. It is important to look at all aspects of your child’s life before you label them with a “disorder” this can cause a lot of damage for life.

All children have some behavior issues and some are more serious than others. I have worked with thousands of children that have academic issues, ADHD, Depression, Anxiety, Aggression, substance abuse, Social issues, poor Self esteem, family issues, communication issues, motivation issues, divorced children, past trauma, defiant disorders, conduct disorders and much more.I have worked with children and families in: Phoenix, Scottsdale, Chandler, Glendale, Peoria, Buckeye, Goodyear, Mesa, Ahwatukee, Arcadia, Biltmore, Tempe and in most of the schools in the valley in the past. I have worked with private school kids and teens in juvenile detention. I have worked in the public schools as well.

My approach is not to stigmatize your child and hand him a disorder it is quite the opposite. I find all the strengths and positive qualities your child or teen has and use that as a foundation for rapport and connection with your child and the family. Labeling your child will only create a reason why behavior is the way it is and the reality is that you child can change his behavior as well as each parent can modify their behavior to obtain desired success and results.

I work with both the parent and the child and the research and my experience shows this will create the greatest potential for change. The parents are the eyes and ears of the child and know their child the best. Weekly feedback from each parents is vital in creating a treatment plan for change and is part of what Lifeworks Arizona Child and Family counseling uses in one component for change.

My approach is not a cookie cutter approach. Depending on your child or Teen I use a wide array of evidence based tools that work as well as sports, games, art,  play, and talk  to create change. My goal is to create balance in your child’s life. I look at his sleep patterns, diet, unhealthy habits, routine, time management, communication skills, boundaries, parenting, academics, and all of his or her behaviors that are working and this that are not working. Through this process I create a treatment plan to eliminate undesirable behaviors . At the same time I am teaching your child skills to manage : mood, stress, anger, anxiety, depression, develop social skills, build self esteem. It is the combination of all the components that creates change for your child or teenager.

Think of a car you drive where one tire is low in air pressure . Depending on how low it is it can impact the whole car and it’s alignment. Our children can be thought of in the same way: low air pressure, delay in oil change, and the car starts having many problems, it might take awhile however eventually these problems will arise in your child in the form of: disrespect, anger, aggression, poor grades, poor habits anymore.

One of the best researched approach per 100 years of research regarding children and behavior  is an approach that combines individual counseling with parenting tips and family system tips to modify behavior. All of these elements are vital in creating desired change in your child or teenager.

Many studies recently show that ADHD children that are : restless, impulsive, lack focus and concentration can be treated with behavioral counseling and therapy. Recent research shows that for a child with ADHD to learn complex cognitive tasks he or she must be able to fidget and squirm and being sedated with a pill is not suggested to help children and teeens.

Before stimulant drugs such as Ritalin, and Adderall began their rise to popularity in the 1970s, treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) focused on behavioral therapy. But as concerns build over the mounting dosages and extended treatment periods that come with stimulant drugs, clinical researchers are revisiting behavioral therapy techniques. Whereas stimulant medications may help young patients focus and behave in the classroom, research now suggests that behaviorally based changes make more of a difference in the long-term. ADHD drugs are tested for 8-12 weeks in experiments and most children stay on the drug for years not knowing how it impacts the brain. Many children suffer withdrawal symptoms and behavioral changes when taken off the drugs similar to what a drug addict experiences when stopping long term drug use.

Recent research findings suggest that behavioral and cognitive therapies focused on reducing impulsivity and reinforcing positive long-term habits may be able to replace current high doses of stimulant treatment in children and young adults.

Lifeworksaz has been working with ADHD children and teens using a combination of cognitive therapies, behavior modification, play therapy, and more to teach children how to manage ADHD with excellent results.

Recent surveys indicate that 12 percent of all children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with ADHD. ADHD’s core symptoms include hyperactivity, inattention, inability to perform monotonous tasks and lack of impulse control. Children with ADHD have trouble in school and forming relationships, and 60 percent will continue to suffer from the disorder well into adulthood if they do not receive counseling and therapy.

Over 3 million U.S. children and adolescents with ADHD were being treated with stimulant drugs. New research reveals that these drugs are not necessarily the panacea they have been thought to be. Research outcomes suggests that if ADHD children and adolescents could learn good study habits early on, medication could become less necessary.

Other research has examined the role of behavioral interventions not only for school-age children, but also for their parents. Parents of children with ADHD tend to exhibit more parenting-related stress and difficulties than do those of non-afflicted offspring. After training parents in stress management and giving them behavioral tools to help their children, significant improvement in their children’s ADHD-related behavior appeared.

Cognitive therapy may also boost improvement: In a 2011, showed that children with ADHD show extra activity in brain areas associated with “task-irrelevant” information during working memory tasks (those that depend on one’s ability to hold and focus on information for immediate reasoning and recall), suggesting that they have less efficient cognitive control. Cognitive therapy and counseling can improve control and ability to focus.

Decades of research on treatment for ADHD children and teens show that medication alone will not produce positive long term results in children and adolescents. Behavioral therapy is one of the only type of counseling treatment’s that produces effective results. Looking at your child’s social and behavioral issues is key as well as looking at your parenting style and communication style with your children. All of these areas must be addressed to create huge positive changes at home with your child and with your family and at school with peers.

An ADHD child does display: inattentiveness, impulsivity, hyperactivity, and more. Most children and teenagers that have ADHD show challenges in these areas as well: daily life activities, school academics and school performances, behavioral issues at school, relationships issues with family members and peers at school and outside of school, defiance with parents, noncompliance with parents.

How your child with ADHD will do in adulthood is influenced by four things: (1) whether you use effective parenting skills; (2) how your child gets along with other children; (3) his or her success in school; and (4) whether behavioral treatments can be successfully applied to these critical areas. This is done by teaching skills to parents, teachers, and the children themselves. If learned and implemented by parents and teachers, these skills help the children overcome their problems in daily life functioning. Because ADHD is a chronic condition, teaching skills that will be valuable across the child’s lifetime is especially important. Lifeworks Arizona Counseling has expertise working with children and parents to address ADHD symptoms mentioned above to create success with the family and child.

Effective outcomes must combine counseling and therapy for the child one on one. It also must include parenting and behavioral modification therapy with parent or parents. If teachers are involved than keeping them in the loop as well as having a 504 or IEP that addresses these specific issues with strategies is important.

Having a system that addresses behaviors daily is important. Having parents involved in the behavior modification is essential. Working with the child or teen and parent weekly is important to modify and extinguish undesirable behaviors and it is just as important to reinforce positive behaviors.

Change will happen if you are dedicated to the process with someone who has a history of success with children and families.

There are many excellent techniques and skills when combined together that will make a huge impact on your child’s behavior at home and at school with ADHD or other challenges.

Before stimulant drugs such as Ritalin, and Adderall began their rise to popularity in the 1970s, treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) focused on behavioral therapy. But as concerns build over the mounting dosages and extended treatment periods that come with stimulant drugs, clinical researchers are revisiting behavioral therapy techniques. Whereas stimulant medications may help young patients focus and behave in the classroom, research now suggests that behaviorally based changes make more of a difference in the long-term. ADHD drugs are tested for 8-12 weeks in experiments and most children stay on the drug for years not knowing how it impacts the brain. Many children suffer withdrawal symptoms and behavioral changes when taken off the drugs similar to what a drug addict experiences when stopping long term drug use.

Recent research findings suggest that behavioral and cognitive therapies focused on reducing impulsivity and reinforcing positive long-term habits may be able to replace current high doses of stimulant treatment in children and young adults.

Lifeworksaz has been working with ADHD children providing counseling skills to parents and teens using a combination of cognitive therapies, behavior modification, play therapy, and more to teach children how to manage ADHD with excellent results.

Recent surveys indicate that 12 percent of all children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with ADHD. ADHD’s core symptoms include hyperactivity, inattention, inability to perform monotonous tasks and lack of impulse control. Children with ADHD have trouble in school and forming relationships, and 60 percent will continue to suffer from the disorder well into adulthood if they do not receive counseling and therapy.

Over 3 million U.S. children and adolescents with ADHD were being treated with stimulant drugs. New research reveals that these drugs are not necessarily the panacea they have been thought to be.Research outcomes suggests that if ADHD children and adolescents could learn good study habits early on, medication could become less necessary.

Other research has examined the role of behavioral interventions not only for school-age children, but also for their parents. Parents of children with ADHD tend to exhibit more parenting-related stress and difficulties than do those of non-afflicted offspring. After training parents in stress management and giving them behavioral tools to help their children, significant improvement in their children’s ADHD-related behavior appeared.

Cognitive therapy may also boost improvement: In a 2011, showed that children with ADHD show extra activity in brain areas associated with “task-irrelevant” information during working memory tasks (those that depend on one’s ability to hold and focus on information for immediate reasoning and recall), suggesting that they have less efficient cognitive control. Cognitive therapy and counseling can improve control and ability to focus.

Will medication teach your child life skills? Will meds teach your child values and respect? Will meds help build your child’s self esteem? Confidence? Will medication help your child learn appropriate social and relationship skills? Will medication teach your child or teen have to become motivated and find passion and purpose for the future? Behavior and life skills and counseling can do all the above. There are other things that can help your ADHD child like physical exercise.

Recent research and past research show children and teenagers who took part in a regular physical activity program showed important enhancement of cognitive performance and brain function. Exercise research demonstrate a causal effect of a physical program on executive control, and provide support for physical activity for improving childhood cognition and brain health.

The improvements in this case came in executive control, which consists of inhibition (resisting distraction, maintaining focus), working memory, and cognitive flexibility (switching between tasks).

Exercise programs improved math and reading test scores in all kids, but especially in those with signs of ADHD. (Executive functioning is impaired in ADHD, and tied to performance in math and reading. Studies suggest that physical activity can have a positive effect on children who suffer from ADHD.”

The Journal of Attention Disordersfound that just 26 minutes of daily physical activity for eight weeks significantly allayed ADHD symptoms in grade-school kids. .

The number of prescriptions increased from 34.8 to 48.4 million between 2007 and 2011 alone. The pharmaceutical market around the disorder has grown to several billion dollars in recent years while school exercise is on the decline.

A multi-country study that found that obese teenagers go on to earn 18 percent less money as adults than their peers, even if they are no longer obese. The rapid increase in childhood and adolescent obesity could have long-lasting effects on the economic growth and

Physical activity improves mood and cognitive performance by triggering the brain to release dopamine and serotonin, similar to the way that stimulant medications do without side effects.

In conclusion there a wide array of things that can help your child: individual counseling, Behavior modification plan customized to your child, DBT skills, CBT skills, Exercise, Parenting skills, stress management skills and more.

The head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of  Adelaide states that children are being over diagnosed and over prescribed medications for ADD as well as ADHD. There has been a three hundred percent increase between children  3- 7 years old. The Professor states that alternative interventions are needed instead of giving children methylphenidate hydrochloride  commonly sold under the brand Ritalin.

The head Doctor states that the prescription simply dampens the behavior however does not address the root of the behavior. Medications will not teach life skills, problem solving , how to regulate stress and emotions, how to develop healthy social skills,academic skills, sports skills, how to develop coping skills, how to interact with family, healthy life choices. The medication will not help parents develop better relationships with their child and this must happen to improve the child’s behaviors.

Stimulant drugs like Ritalin and many other drugs damage the brains of growing children and teenagers and suppress behavior regardless of a diagnosis or any other disorder. The adverse effects of these drugs on your child go back over forty years. Animals in studies lose their passion, spirit, and vitality. Obsessive and compulsive behaviors are seen in those that take these stimulants.

In some ADHD children, drug induced compliant behavior may be accompanied  by: isolation of your child, withdrawal, and over focused behaviors. Many medicated children will appear “zoned out” “similar to a robot or a zombie. Many children will become more socially isolated by taking these medications and will suffer from social interactions at school as well as at home.

The zombie “look” may look like your child is compliant however it is associated by experts in Psychiatry with drug toxicity and is really not an improvement just a sedation of the child that will not last with the same medication. These medications can cause 20-30 percent decrease  of blood flow to the brain and the brain in adults that were treated with these medications have shown brain atrophy.

These medications are highly addictive and research shows children have higher rates of drug addiction later on in life connected to early use of ADHD medications like the ones mentioned. Tics and obsessive compulsive behaviors go hand and hand with these stimulants.

ADHD  is the expression of a normal child who is bored. frustrated. frightened. angry, or emotionally injured. undisciplined. lonely, too far behind in class. too far ahead of the class. or otherwise in need of special attention that is not being provided.

Some of the adverse side effects can be: child anxiety, agitation, insomnia nd aggression so you might see a more docile child at times however these other symptoms will have a negative impact for your child moving forward and you have not addressed the root cause of his behavior and he or she has not learned how to deal with life, life challenges, peers, emotions, and much more.www.lifeworksaz.comh as helped children and families for over 15 years. David Abrams Psychotherapist has a specialty in child and teen and family counseling focusing on: behavior, performance, balance, mood management, life skills, social skills, building self esteem, healthy thoughts, coping with depression, coping with anxiety, coping with ADHD, coping with learning issues and more. You can read more about him at his web site and read parent

www.lifeworksaz.com has worked with a huge array of children and teen issues and family issues over 15 years in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Cave Creek, Chandler, Mesa, Goodyear Arizona. You can read testimonials from experts in the field as well as from numerous mom’s and Dad’s in relation to his work at www.lifeworksaz.com

ADHD Child and Teen Counseling can help your child manage his or her behavior, mange stress, mange mood, mange anger, problem solve, relax, and make positive choices. Individual counseling combined with parenting tips is the most effective child and teen counseling to create desired change. Medication is an option for some however counseling is recommended with the medication according to research based studies.

The more research based skills your child or teen can learn to manage their “ mental health disorder” the greater chance your child or teen will be able to find balance and manage their disorder.

Research shows that medication alone is not as effective alone and that counseling and therapy is vital for best results.

Children and teens and adolescents can learn to communicate their thoughts and their feelings in healthy ways. Many emotional disorders and behavioral disorders have at it’s root unhealthy or distorted thoughts that a child or teen plays in their mind throughout the day sometimes thousands of times a day. It is this programming in their head that has to be addressed before big changes can be observed.

For example a child, adolescent , teen, on ADHD medication may show improvement in their behavior, however, keep in mind the medication does not eliminate your child or teen’s thoughts. Your child or teenager with ADHD may have a defiant thought like” I do not want to do chores, homework, etc”. It is these thoughts that override a pill or medication. A child w a diagnosis of ADHD may get out of their seat or talk in class and these behaviors can be modified through counseling and behavioral modification therapy. No medication will keep your child in his or her seat if the child wants to get out of the seat…well a dose that puts them to sleep might keep them in their seat, however, they will not be alert and awake and able to learn in the classroom.

There are a number of research based counseling and therapy skills a child can learn like cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness as well as others that will help. A parent can learn new skills including CBT ( Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) as well as parenting tips and techniques to improve outcomes.  Behavior modification is one program that a parent can learn with a skilled mental health teen and child practitioner to set goals and create desired change at home as well as in school and in other areas of a child and adolescent teens life.

Keep in mind behaviors are created over years and we must make changes in order to modify negative behaviors and increase positive behaviors with your child and teen.

There are many other things your child or teen can do to help create desired change. Always look at a child or teens eating habits and the health of their diet’s. Diet can impact mood and behaviors in a huge way.

How much sleep your child or teen adolescent is obtaining is vital for growth and mood as well as behaviors. Many children are up late on smart phones or playing video games etc and this is impacting their mood, anger, etc. Parents can help out by setting limits with their child or teen on screen time. Many children and teens can not fall asleep due to the light emitted from screens . This is also research based in studies done with children and adolescent teens.

 A Child that is suffering with a mood disorder can help their mood by daily exercise. A child or teen should be encouraged to exercise . A child or teen can : bike, walk, swim, shoot basketball, dance to a work out video, go to the gym, sign up for club sports, shoot hoops, etc. The healthy activities should be done before access to video games etc. Video games are addictive and screen time use correlates with depressed mood and anxiety as well as behavioral issues.

Creating balance and a win win situation is vital for peace and reduced stress at home. Healthy stress coping skills is vital as well. Learning ways to express feelings and understand feelings is important instead of stuffing feelings. Understanding the connection of thoughts to feelings and behavior is important  to create desired change and build self esteem as well as learn healthy life skills in all children and adolescent teenagers.

Behavior modification looks at different approaches to a child learning and achieving his or her goals.  Behavior modification  is a collaborative effort that helps a child reach goals : school, family goals, grades, academics, social, interpersonal etc.

Children are motivated to do well they just need a road map and someone to cheer them on and guide them through the process.

ADHD medications are tested for 8-12 weeks and most however your children stay on these medications for years or decades. Do you want your child on a medication when you do not know what the long term effect is of these medications? Dr Breggin has numerous books out on medication. He is a Harvard graduate and physician/ Psychiatrist. Some of his published books are : medication madness, toxic psychiatry and many more. He has great concern that many of these medications are addictive and that they alter your child’s brain that is still developing.

The absolute best evidence based research approach per 100 years of research regarding children and ADHD behavior  is an approach that combines individual counseling with parenting tips and family system tips to modify behavior. All of these elements are vital in creating desired change in your child or teenager. Lifeworks AZ provides this. Working on: boundaries, social skills, communication, self esteem, impulsivity, focus, over coming challenges, organization, healthy behaviors, healthy habits is vital and no medication will give this to your child.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry stimulant drugs used to treat ADHD do not improve children’s long term in there study.

Children did not fare better as far as: inattention, hyperactivity, and social functioning. on these medications versus

children not on medications for ADHD. Researchers are confused by the results that attention, focus and self control should improve however, children not on medications for ADHD do just as well as children not on medications.. Researchers are confused by the results that attention, focus and self control should improve however grades do not improve for children in the long term.

ADHD drugs serve to mask problem behaviors. ADHD drugs are classified in the same category as: cocaine, Opium, and Morphine. What does this mean to me as a parent? The potential risk of addiction and abuse on your child’s brain is high. Over 3 million children are taking ADHD medications throughout the USA. Over 5 million are diagnosed with ADHD throughout the United States of America.

Ina recent study researchers state that over One million children and Teenagers are mis diagnosed for ADHD and many experts believe that ADHD has zero neurological markers and can be that children are inattentive and at times struggle with focusing issues and need to work on this behavior.

Many ADHD diagnosis are driven by large class rooms and teachers over worked whom are overwhelmed in managing many children. Many experts state ADHD behaviors have to do with a child and his or her emotional and or intellectual maturity.

A study that reviewed over 10,000 articles on ADHD medications state that a child’s sleep is impaired while taking ADHD medications. The sleep impairment was connected with : emotional, behavioral, and cognitive functioning in children and teenagers according to this study. Inattention and defiance for connected to the lack of sleep or poor sleeo in children taking ADHD medications: Adderal and Ritalin medications.

Short term side effects can be : insomnia, irritability, tearfulness, toxic psychosis, nervousness, nausea, dizziness, personality changes, headaches, heart issues, tiredness, drowsiness, blood pressure changes, chest pains, abdominal pains, anorexia, weight loss, depression, suicidal thoughts, tics, bizzare behaviors tourettes syndrome.

Long term side effects may include: normal growth is inhibited, height and weight may be impaired, immune system problems and more research is coming out.

An ADHD child may just need a more involved teacher with an imagination to capture the child’s imagination. An ADHD child may need more tools to focus and pay attention at home as well as at school

ADHD diagnosis has increased almost 50% in the past ten years and medication prescriptions are close to a Thirty percent increase approx. in the past decade.

Children that are on ADHD medications are more likely to be at risk for bullying and being abused. This study was done in the Journal of Child Psychology.

Many children and teenagers are prescribed stimulant medication to address their ADHD and these medications are the most commonly sold and shared among children and teenagers throughout Arizona and the USA. Over 20 percent in a survey state they have been asked or approached to sell their medications or to share some pills with them even though they obviously do not have a prescription for the medication ( ADHD).

Many experts believe : parenting and Behavior modification, Family counseling , CBT therapy, are the absolute best ways to manage ADHD symptoms and teach your child life long skills to manage his behavior’s and mood.

Your child or teen may display a variety of unhealthy behaviors. There are many areas that can contribute to this behavior: mood, thoughts, self esteem, grief, loss, family issues, peers, performance, school, and much more. It is important to look at all aspects of your child’s life before you label them with a “disorder” this can cause a lot of damage for life.

All children have some behavior issues and some are more serious than others. I have worked with thousands of children that have academic issues, ADHD, Depression, Anxiety, Aggression, substance abuse, Social issues, poor Self esteem, family issues, communication issues, motivation issues, divorced children, past trauma, defiant disorders, conduct disorders and much more.I have worked with children and families in: Phoenix, Scottsdale, Chandler, Glendale, Peoria, Buckeye, Goodyear, Mesa, Ahwatukee, Arcadia, Biltmore, Tempe and in most of the schools in the valley in the past. I have worked with private school kids and teens in juvenile detention. I have worked in the public schools as well.

My approach is not to stigmatize your child and hand him a disorder it is quite the opposite. I find all the strengths and positive qualities your child or teen has and use that as a foundation for rapport and connection with your child and the family. Labeling your child will only create a reason why behavior is the way it is and the reality is that you child can change his behavior as well as each parent can modify their behavior to obtain desired success and results.

I work with both the parent and the child and the research and my experience shows this will create the greatest potential for change. The parents are the eyes and ears of the child and know their child the best. Weekly feedback from each parents is vital in creating a treatment plan for change and is part of what Lifeworks Arizona Child and Family counseling uses in one component for change.

My approach is not a cookie cutter approach. Depending on your child or Teen I use a wide array of evidence based tools that work as well as sports, games, art,  play, and talk  to create change. My goal is to create balance in your child’s life. I look at his sleep patterns, diet, unhealthy habits, routine, time management, communication skills, boundaries, parenting, academics, and all of his or her behaviors that are working and this that are not working. Through this process I create a treatment plan to eliminate undesirable behaviors . At the same time I am teaching your child skills to manage : mood, stress, anger, anxiety, depression, develop social skills, build self esteem. It is the combination of all the components that creates change for your child or teenager.

Think of a car you drive where one tire is low in air pressure . Depending on how low it is it can impact the whole car and it’s alignment. Our children can be thought of in the same way: low air pressure, delay in oil change, and the car starts having many problems, it might take awhile however eventually these problems will arise in your child in the form of: disrespect, anger, aggression, poor grades, poor habits anymore.

One of the best researched approach per 100 years of research regarding children and behavior  is an approach that combines individual counseling with parenting tips and family system tips to modify behavior. All of these elements are vital in creating desired change in your child or teenager.

Many studies recently show that ADHD children that are : restless, impulsive, lack focus and concentration can be treated with behavioral counseling and therapy. Recent research shows that for a child with ADHD to learn complex cognitive tasks he or she must be able to fidget and squirm and being sedated with a pill is not suggested to help children and teeens.

Before stimulant drugs such as Ritalin, and Adderall began their rise to popularity in the 1970s, treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) focused on behavioral therapy. But as concerns build over the mounting dosages and extended treatment periods that come with stimulant drugs, clinical researchers are revisiting behavioral therapy techniques. Whereas stimulant medications may help young patients focus and behave in the classroom, research now suggests that behaviorally based changes make more of a difference in the long-term. ADHD drugs are tested for 8-12 weeks in experiments and most children stay on the drug for years not knowing how it impacts the brain. Many children suffer withdrawal symptoms and behavioral changes when taken off the drugs similar to what a drug addict experiences when stopping long term drug use.

Recent research findings suggest that behavioral and cognitive therapies focused on reducing impulsivity and reinforcing positive long-term habits may be able to replace current high doses of stimulant treatment in children and young adults.

Lifeworksaz has been working with ADHD children and teens using a combination of cognitive therapies, behavior modification, play therapy, and more to teach children how to manage ADHD with excellent results.

Recent surveys indicate that 12 percent of all children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with ADHD. ADHD’s core symptoms include hyperactivity, inattention, inability to perform monotonous tasks and lack of impulse control. Children with ADHD have trouble in school and forming relationships, and 60 percent will continue to suffer from the disorder well into adulthood if they do not receive counseling and therapy.

Over 3 million U.S. children and adolescents with ADHD were being treated with stimulant drugs. New research reveals that these drugs are not necessarily the panacea they have been thought to be. Research outcomes suggests that if ADHD children and adolescents could learn good study habits early on, medication could become less necessary.

Other research has examined the role of behavioral interventions not only for school-age children, but also for their parents. Parents of children with ADHD tend to exhibit more parenting-related stress and difficulties than do those of non-afflicted offspring. After training parents in stress management and giving them behavioral tools to help their children, significant improvement in their children’s ADHD-related behavior appeared.

Cognitive therapy may also boost improvement: In a 2011, showed that children with ADHD show extra activity in brain areas associated with “task-irrelevant” information during working memory tasks (those that depend on one’s ability to hold and focus on information for immediate reasoning and recall), suggesting that they have less efficient cognitive control. Cognitive therapy and counseling can improve control and ability to focus.

Decades of research on treatment for ADHD children and teens show that medication alone will not produce positive long term results in children and adolescents. Behavioral therapy is one of the only type of counseling treatment’s that produces effective results. Looking at your child’s social and behavioral issues is key as well as looking at your parenting style and communication style with your children. All of these areas must be addressed to create huge positive changes at home with your child and with your family and at school with peers.

An ADHD child does display: inattentiveness, impulsivity, hyperactivity, and more. Most children and teenagers that have ADHD show challenges in these areas as well: daily life activities, school academics and school performances, behavioral issues at school, relationships issues with family members and peers at school and outside of school, defiance with parents, noncompliance with parents.

How your child with ADHD will do in adulthood is influenced by four things: (1) whether you use effective parenting skills; (2) how your child gets along with other children; (3) his or her success in school; and (4) whether behavioral treatments can be successfully applied to these critical areas. This is done by teaching skills to parents, teachers, and the children themselves. If learned and implemented by parents and teachers, these skills help the children overcome their problems in daily life functioning. Because ADHD is a chronic condition, teaching skills that will be valuable across the child’s lifetime is especially important. Lifeworks Arizona Counseling has expertise working with children and parents to address ADHD symptoms mentioned above to create success with the family and child.

Effective outcomes must combine counseling and therapy for the child one on one. It also must include parenting and behavioral modification therapy with parent or parents. If teachers are involved than keeping them in the loop as well as having a 504 or IEP that addresses these specific issues with strategies is important.

Having a system that addresses behaviors daily is important. Having parents involved in the behavior modification is essential. Working with the child or teen and parent weekly is important to modify and extinguish undesirable behaviors and it is just as important to reinforce positive behaviors.

Change will happen if you are dedicated to the process with someone who has a history of success with children and families.

There are many excellent techniques and skills when combined together that will make a huge impact on your child’s behavior at home and at school with ADHD or other challenges.

Before stimulant drugs such as Ritalin, and Adderall began their rise to popularity in the 1970s, treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) focused on behavioral therapy. But as concerns build over the mounting dosages and extended treatment periods that come with stimulant drugs, clinical researchers are revisiting behavioral therapy techniques. Whereas stimulant medications may help young patients focus and behave in the classroom, research now suggests that behaviorally based changes make more of a difference in the long-term. ADHD drugs are tested for 8-12 weeks in experiments and most children stay on the drug for years not knowing how it impacts the brain. Many children suffer withdrawal symptoms and behavioral changes when taken off the drugs similar to what a drug addict experiences when stopping long term drug use.

Recent research findings suggest that behavioral and cognitive therapies focused on reducing impulsivity and reinforcing positive long-term habits may be able to replace current high doses of stimulant treatment in children and young adults.

Lifeworksaz has been working with ADHD children providing counseling skills to parents and teens using a combination of cognitive therapies, behavior modification, play therapy, and more to teach children how to manage ADHD with excellent results.

Recent surveys indicate that 12 percent of all children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with ADHD. ADHD’s core symptoms include hyperactivity, inattention, inability to perform monotonous tasks and lack of impulse control. Children with ADHD have trouble in school and forming relationships, and 60 percent will continue to suffer from the disorder well into adulthood if they do not receive counseling and therapy.

Over 3 million U.S. children and adolescents with ADHD were being treated with stimulant drugs. New research reveals that these drugs are not necessarily the panacea they have been thought to be.Research outcomes suggests that if ADHD children and adolescents could learn good study habits early on, medication could become less necessary.

Other research has examined the role of behavioral interventions not only for school-age children, but also for their parents. Parents of children with ADHD tend to exhibit more parenting-related stress and difficulties than do those of non-afflicted offspring. After training parents in stress management and giving them behavioral tools to help their children, significant improvement in their children’s ADHD-related behavior appeared.

Cognitive therapy may also boost improvement: In a 2011, showed that children with ADHD show extra activity in brain areas associated with “task-irrelevant” information during working memory tasks (those that depend on one’s ability to hold and focus on information for immediate reasoning and recall), suggesting that they have less efficient cognitive control. Cognitive therapy and counseling can improve control and ability to focus.

Will medication teach your child life skills? Will meds teach your child values and respect? Will meds help build your child’s self esteem? Confidence? Will medication help your child learn appropriate social and relationship skills? Will medication teach your child or teen have to become motivated and find passion and purpose for the future? Behavior and life skills and counseling can do all the above. There are other things that can help your ADHD child like physical exercise.

Recent research and past research show children and teenagers who took part in a regular physical activity program showed important enhancement of cognitive performance and brain function. Exercise research demonstrate a causal effect of a physical program on executive control, and provide support for physical activity for improving childhood cognition and brain health.

The improvements in this case came in executive control, which consists of inhibition (resisting distraction, maintaining focus), working memory, and cognitive flexibility (switching between tasks).

Exercise programs improved math and reading test scores in all kids, but especially in those with signs of ADHD. (Executive functioning is impaired in ADHD, and tied to performance in math and reading. Studies suggest that physical activity can have a positive effect on children who suffer from ADHD.”

The Journal of Attention Disordersfound that just 26 minutes of daily physical activity for eight weeks significantly allayed ADHD symptoms in grade-school kids. .

The number of prescriptions increased from 34.8 to 48.4 million between 2007 and 2011 alone. The pharmaceutical market around the disorder has grown to several billion dollars in recent years while school exercise is on the decline.

A multi-country study that found that obese teenagers go on to earn 18 percent less money as adults than their peers, even if they are no longer obese. The rapid increase in childhood and adolescent obesity could have long-lasting effects on the economic growth and

Physical activity improves mood and cognitive performance by triggering the brain to release dopamine and serotonin, similar to the way that stimulant medications do without side effects.

In conclusion there a wide array of things that can help your child: individual counseling, Behavior modification plan customized to your child, DBT skills, CBT skills, Exercise, Parenting skills, stress management skills and more.

The head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of  Adelaide states that children are being over diagnosed and over prescribed medications for ADD as well as ADHD. There has been a three hundred percent increase between children  3- 7 years old. The Professor states that alternative interventions are needed instead of giving children methylphenidate hydrochloride  commonly sold under the brand Ritalin.

The head Doctor states that the prescription simply dampens the behavior however does not address the root of the behavior. Medications will not teach life skills, problem solving , how to regulate stress and emotions, how to develop healthy social skills,academic skills, sports skills, how to develop coping skills, how to interact with family, healthy life choices. The medication will not help parents develop better relationships with their child and this must happen to improve the child’s behaviors.

Stimulant drugs like Ritalin and many other drugs damage the brains of growing children and teenagers and suppress behavior regardless of a diagnosis or any other disorder. The adverse effects of these drugs on your child go back over forty years. Animals in studies lose their passion, spirit, and vitality. Obsessive and compulsive behaviors are seen in those that take these stimulants.

In some ADHD children, drug induced compliant behavior may be accompanied  by: isolation of your child, withdrawal, and over focused behaviors. Many medicated children will appear “zoned out” “similar to a robot or a zombie. Many children will become more socially isolated by taking these medications and will suffer from social interactions at school as well as at home.

The zombie “look” may look like your child is compliant however it is associated by experts in Psychiatry with drug toxicity and is really not an improvement just a sedation of the child that will not last with the same medication. These medications can cause 20-30 percent decrease  of blood flow to the brain and the brain in adults that were treated with these medications have shown brain atrophy.

These medications are highly addictive and research shows children have higher rates of drug addiction later on in life connected to early use of ADHD medications like the ones mentioned. Tics and obsessive compulsive behaviors go hand and hand with these stimulants.

ADHD  is the expression of a normal child who is bored. frustrated. frightened. angry, or emotionally injured. undisciplined. lonely, too far behind in class. too far ahead of the class. or otherwise in need of special attention that is not being provided.

Some of the adverse side effects can be: child anxiety, agitation, insomnia nd aggression so you might see a more docile child at times however these other symptoms will have a negative impact for your child moving forward and you have not addressed the root cause of his behavior and he or she has not learned how to deal with life, life challenges, peers, emotions, and much more.www.lifeworksaz.comhas helped children and families for over 15 years. David Abrams Psychotherapist has a specialty in child and teen and family counseling focusing on: behavior, performance, balance, mood management, life skills, social skills, building self esteem, healthy thoughts, coping with depression, coping with anxiety, coping with ADHD, coping with learning issues and more. You can read more about him at his web site and read parent

www.lifeworksaz.comhas worked with a huge array of children and teen issues and family issues over 15 years in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Cave Creek, Chandler, Mesa, Goodyear Arizona. You can read testimonials from experts in the field as well as from numerous mom’s and Dad’s in relation to his work at www.lifeworksaz.com

A new study in 2014 links ADHD to Conduct disorder as well as an increase in alcohol and  tobacco use. Conduct disorders are behavioral and emotional disorders marked by:

Aggressive, destructive, defiant, and dishonest behaviors. Teens with a diagnosis of ADHD and conduct disorder had 3-5 times the likelihood of substance use issues with alcohol or tobacco in a study that looked at over 2,500 youth in the study group. Below are more articles on treatment and counseling info on ADHD and behavioral issues and disorders and how to create balance in your child’s life.

ADHD Counselor Counseling Therapy Behavior and Treatment

Before stimulant drugs such as Ritalin, and Adderall began their rise to popularity in the 1970s, treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) focused on behavioral therapy. But as concerns build over the mounting dosages and extended treatment periods that come with stimulant drugs, clinical researchers are revisiting behavioral therapy techniques. Whereas stimulant medications may help young patients focus and behave in the classroom, research now suggests that behaviorally based changes make more of a difference in the long-term. ADHD drugs are tested for 8-12 weeks in experiments and most children stay on the drug for years not knowing how it impacts the brain. Many children suffer withdrawal symptoms and behavioral changes when taken off the drugs similar to what a drug addict experiences when stopping long term drug use.

Recent research findings suggest that behavioral and cognitive therapies focused on reducing impulsivity and reinforcing positive long-term habits may be able to replace current high doses of stimulant treatment in children and young adults.

Lifeworksaz has been working with ADHD children and teens using a combination of cognitive therapies, behavior modification, play therapy, and more to teach children how to manage ADHD with excellent results.

Recent surveys indicate that 12 percent of all children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with ADHD. ADHD’s core symptoms include hyperactivity, inattention, inability to perform monotonous tasks and lack of impulse control. Children with ADHD have trouble in school and forming relationships, and 60 percent will continue to suffer from the disorder well into adulthood if they do not receive counseling and therapy.

Over 3 million U.S. children and adolescents with ADHD were being treated with stimulant drugs. New research reveals that these drugs are not necessarily the panacea they have been thought to be.Research outcomes suggests that if ADHD children and adolescents could learn good study habits early on, medication could become less necessary.

Other research has examined the role of behavioral interventions not only for school-age children, but also for their parents. Parents of children with ADHD tend to exhibit more parenting-related stress and difficulties than do those of non-afflicted offspring. After training parents in stress management and giving them behavioral tools to help their children, significant improvement in their children’s ADHD-related behavior appeared.

Cognitive therapy may also boost improvement: In a 2011, showed that children with ADHD show extra activity in brain areas associated with “task-irrelevant” information during working memory tasks (those that depend on one’s ability to hold and focus on information for immediate reasoning and recall), suggesting that they have less efficient cognitive control. Cognitive therapy and counseling can improve control and ability to focus.

Will medication teach your child life skills? Will meds teach your child values and respect? Will meds help build your child’s self esteem? Confidence? Will medication help your child learn appropriate social and relationship skills? Will medication teach your child or teen have to become motivated and find passion and purpose for the future? Behavior and life skills and counseling can do all the above.

ADHD child, Stress, doodling in Phoenix and Scottsdale Schools.

Many children struggle to stay focused in school and this is common in Arizona in Phoenix, Scottsdale as well as throughout the United States. Neuroscientists have discovered that doodling can have many positives for students and ADHD students as well. Doodling can ease impatient impulses as well as keep  child in his seat when his bored or distracted.

Research in psychology has shown that doodling can help your child stay focused, grasp new ideas and concepts and retain information that is being taught in the classroom. Creative thoughts and ideas can be expressed through doodling on a blank page.

Your child’s doodling can take many forms. It can be spontaneous marks that have pictures of geometric shapes, it can be faces it can be circles it can be so many different things. It can be a creative pattern that is abstract it can be graffiti like letters, it can be of a landscape, faces an object or objects a house, trees, however it is not taking notes.

Doodling and drawing are amazing tools for your child and teen to express thoughts and emotions and to ease stress and tension in your child’s day as well as in life in general. Doodling can relieve borden and most children feel bored regardless of how amazing the teacher may be they still loose focus and boredom sets in.

Before stimulant drugs such as Ritalin, and Adderall began their rise to popularity in the 1970s, treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) focused on behavioral therapy. But as concerns build over the mounting dosages and extended treatment periods that come with stimulant drugs, clinical researchers are revisiting behavioral therapy techniques. Whereas stimulant medications may help young patients focus and behave in the classroom, research now suggests that behaviorally based changes make more of a difference in the long-term. ADHD drugs are tested for 8-12 weeks in experiments and most children stay on the drug for years not knowing how it impacts the brain. Many children suffer withdrawal symptoms and behavioral changes when taken off the drugs similar to what a drug addict experiences when stopping long term drug use.

Recent research findings suggest that behavioral and cognitive therapies focused on reducing impulsivity and reinforcing positive long-term habits may be able to replace current high doses of stimulant treatment in children and young adults.

Lifeworksaz has been working with ADHD children and teens using a combination of cognitive therapies, behavior modification, play therapy, and more to teach children how to manage ADHD with excellent results.

ADHD Effective treatment needs therapy and counseling

Before stimulant drugs such as Ritalin, and Adderall began their rise to popularity in the 1970s, treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) focused on behavioral therapy. But as concerns build over the mounting dosages and extended treatment periods that come with stimulant drugs, clinical researchers are revisiting behavioral therapy techniques. Whereas stimulant medications may help young patients focus and behave in the classroom, research now suggests that behaviorally based changes make more of a difference in the long-term. ADHD drugs are tested for 8-12 weeks in experiments and most children stay on the drug for years not knowing how it impacts the brain. Many children suffer withdrawal symptoms and behavioral changes when taken off the drugs similar to what a drug addict experiences when stopping long term drug use.

Recent research findings suggest that behavioral and cognitive therapies focused on reducing impulsivity and reinforcing positive long-term habits may be able to replace current high doses of stimulant treatment in children and young adults. Lifeworksaz has been working with ADHD children and teens using a combination of cognitive therapies, behavior modification, play therapy, and more to teach children how to manage ADHD with excellent results.

Recent surveys indicate that 12 percent of all children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with ADHD. ADHD’s core symptoms include hyperactivity, inattention, inability to perform monotonous tasks and lack of impulse control. Children with ADHD have trouble in school and forming relationships, and 60 percent will continue to suffer from the disorder well into adulthood if they do not receive counseling and therapy.

Over 3 million U.S. children and adolescents with ADHD were being treated with stimulant drugs. New research reveals that these drugs are not necessarily the panacea they have been thought to be.Research outcomes suggests that if ADHD children and adolescents could learn good study habits early on, medication could become less necessary.

Other research has examined the role of behavioral interventions not only for school-age children, but also for their parents. Parents of children with ADHD tend to exhibit more parenting-related stress and difficulties than do those of non-afflicted offspring. After training parents in stress management and giving them behavioral tools to help their children, significant improvement in their children’s ADHD-related behavior appeared.

Cognitive therapy may also boost improvement: In a 2011, showed that children with ADHD show extra activity in brain areas associated with “task-irrelevant” information during working memory tasks (those that depend on one’s ability to hold and focus on information for immediate reasoning and recall), suggesting that they have less efficient cognitive control. Cognitive therapy and counseling can improve control and ability to focus.

ADHD Child Diet Important

Children with ADD should avoid breads, bagels, muffins, donuts, sugary cereals, cakes…for breakfast. All these substances have sugar or breakdown into sugars that are not going to allow your child the ability to focus at school or anywhere.

The best breakfast would be whole grains, egg whites, some dairy products.

Avoiding white breads, pizza, pasta, potatoes, sugars etc will have a profound impact on your child’s behavior.

Children on the healthy regimen will most likely have more focus, and less distractibility.

ADHD Children Teenagers linked to Preservatives and Artificial colors

The British medical journal The Lancet found ” a mix of additives commonly found in children’s foods increase the mean level of hyperactivity.” The finding lends strong support for the case that food additives exacerbate hyperactive behaviors: impulsivity, inattention, and overactivity.

The Food Std Agency advised parents to monitor children’s activity and if they noted a marked change with foods containing additives, to adjust their diets accordingly, eliminating preservatives and artificial colors.

ADHD Counseling Child Adolescents Teenagers Phoenix, Tempe, Chandler, Scottsdale

Before stimulant drugs such as Ritalin, and Adderall began their rise to popularity in the 1970s, treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) focused on behavioral therapy. But as concerns build over the mounting dosages and extended treatment periods that come with stimulant drugs, clinical researchers are revisiting behavioral therapy techniques. Whereas stimulant medications may help young patients focus and behave in the classroom, research now suggests that behaviorally based changes make more of a difference in the long-term. ADHD drugs are tested for 8-12 weeks in experiments and most children stay on the drug for years not knowing how it impacts the brain. Many children suffer withdrawal symptoms and behavioral changes when taken off the drugs similar to what a drug addict experiences when stopping long term drug use.

Recent research findings suggest that behavioral and cognitive therapies focused on reducing impulsivity and reinforcing positive long-term habits may be able to replace current high doses of stimulant treatment in children and young adults. Lifeworksaz has been working with ADHD children and teens using a combination of cognitive therapies, behavior modification, play therapy, and more to teach children how to manage ADHD with excellent results.

Recent surveys indicate that 12 percent of all children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with ADHD. ADHD’s core symptoms include hyperactivity, inattention, inability to perform monotonous tasks and lack of impulse control. Children with ADHD have trouble in school and forming relationships, and 60 percent will continue to suffer from the disorder well into adulthood if they do not receive counseling and therapy.

Over 3 million U.S. children and adolescents with ADHD were being treated with stimulant drugs. New research reveals that these drugs are not necessarily the panacea they have been thought to be.Research outcomes suggests that if ADHD children and adolescents could learn good study habits early on, medication could become less necessary.

Other research has examined the role of behavioral interventions not only for school-age children, but also for their parents. Parents of children with ADHD tend to exhibit more parenting-related stress and difficulties than do those of non-afflicted offspring. After training parents in stress management and giving them behavioral tools to help their children, significant improvement in their children’s ADHD-related behavior appeared.

Cognitive therapy may also boost improvement: In a 2011, showed that children with ADHD show extra activity in brain areas associated with “task-irrelevant” information during working memory tasks (those that depend on one’s ability to hold and focus on information for immediate reasoning and recall), suggesting that they have less efficient cognitive control. Cognitive therapy and counseling can improve control and ability to focus.

ADHD Child teen Medication Behavior problems.

Medications for ADHD are on the rise for active and impulsive and hyperactive children over the past twenty years. ADHD children are being labeled as having a serious neurological mental health disorder . Fifteen percent of High School students in America including Arizona show a diagnosis for ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. The number of children with this diagnosis has soared from 500,000 to Four Million in the past two decades according to the article.

Some experts state that it is a legitimate diagnosis and approx. 5% of children have this diagnosis but it is being over sold to adults and children. Some experts believe it is a mechanism for dispensing more medication. Some experts state the increase in ADHD is in line with marketing and PR campaigns that push the medication via magazines, advocacy groups, bands like Maroon 5, and other Television personalities that are being paid.

Few dispute the fact that ADHD is a true diagnosis however many believe it is a blanket diagnosis for: poor grades, lack of focus, family stress, parenting issues, behavioral issues and more. ADHD diagnosis per the DSM ( Mental Health Bible) has been loosened and ADHD diagnosis now includes carelessness and a lack of focus as criteria for ADHD .

Some experts state main stream magazines and media advertise ADHD as a cure for bad grades and family stress. An implication in one ad is that a child will take out the garbage if on the medication. A Multi Billion dollar  Pharma company has subsidized 50,000 comic books where a super hero tells the children that medications help with behavior and attention. Pharma believes they are marketing in a responsible manner. Big Pharma states that the Physicians are the one’s that must dispense medication.

Most studies of ADHD meds are short term 8-12 week studies however many children and adults are on these medications for years. The long term studies are few and far between. So little is know about what these stimulants due to the brain after 12 weeks. The short term symptoms are listed in fine print and some have included: insomnia, irritability, suppressed appetite, heart issues,  and psychosis. Of course this depends on the medication and each child or individual.

A Psychiatrist was paid 1.6 million for numerous scientific studies related to ADHD. He stated his research was not influenced by any payments. His results were used to market medications as a solution for childhood behaviors in some experts mind’s.

The marketing included slogan’s like ” The med improves academic performance”. The med implies a child will go from a monster to a smiling child. One ad states ” Like Parent like child”. Recently over 16 million scripts were written for ADHD this is 5 times the amount diagnosed 5 years ago. One could argue that their is more awareness however many believe it is from  marketing dollars.

Evidence based research states a child has more ADHD behavioral improvements and success with behavior ‘s when child, teen, and family counseling are in place if a child is on medication.