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Vaping Epidemic in Youth and Young Adults

What is vaping?

Vaping is a form of nontraditional smoking, it involves inhaling aerosol from a battery powered device. There are a variety of branded devices that fall under the category of vapes, such as e-cigarettes, mods, tanks, pens and pods. Some popular brands that you may see are Juul, Suorin and Vuse. Vapes operate by heating liquid substances (e.g., nicotine, marijuana) and producing vapor in lieu of smoke. Since this electronic smoking form produces a vapor, it can very easily go undetected by bystanders and fire detectors. Despite using a different form of substances and not using fire, vaping does produce serious mind and body altering ef...

How can we live with uncertainty? During the early pandemic we all can relate to this. The what ifs. Uncertainty was present in our world around which was scary and the upheaval of everyone’s life. Now that we are trying to get back to a new normal, we are still experienced some uncertainty. Here are 6 steps to help with dealing with uncertainty.

1. Practice acceptance


2. Understanding you need a break. You need time to process the uncertainty.


3. Imagine the in between outcome of the what ifs. What is the worst outcome? What is the best outcome?


4. Recall other challenges you have face. How did you deal with this?


5. Take time and give yourself grace to recharge.


6. Embrace the new uncertainty.

How to survive summer with babies, toddlers and kids. School is out and so is most church school and unless you are planning on sending your kids to camp they are home with you! Camps can be fun but some are limited to ages and can be pricy.

Make a list of things you would like to do this summer. But keep it reasonable. I have seen list with over a 100 things mom wanted to do and that is overwhelming for you and your child.

Plan your days. Make a schedule and try to stick with it. It can be fun so make it fun. Add in downtime or naps. Add in a lunch calendar and let the kids p...

How to know when my teen is feeling depressed or isolating too much?

As a Cognitive Behavior therapist, I have parents ask me how do I know when my teen is depressed? Or Isolating to much? And how to respond. Being a parent is hard in general and being a parent to a teen in 2021 is even harder. There is so much information out there and it can be overwhelming on what to look for and what is extreme. If a teen says they are having thoughts of self harm or in way make any gesture toward that statement you need to take it serious. As a therapist, I say call and have your child checked out at your local mental health hospital. Check in with your teen daily on how they are feeling. If you see sign...

Three ways to increase better coping skills

Coping skills are used in our mental state to assist us in handling the current stress we have in our lives. Weather you feel you are lacking coping skills or if you feel your coping skills are lacking it is great to revisit coping skills. When we manage our stress through coping skills can help you controlling negative thoughts and can help with physically feeling better. We are all dealing with stress in our lives due to the pandemic. As a therapist, I am finding that clients are feeling overwhelmed and compliant with their old coping skills. So how can I find new coping skills?

1. Go through what you have used in the past to cope with stress. Make a...