Here’s the discussion from my March appearance on Up to Date with Steve Krakse in it’s special COVID-19 time slot. We talk about how to explain social distancing to kids of all ages, why folks with anxiety may actually be doing better right now than less anxious peers, how to create safe social interactions for…
Category: Teens
Foster Care: When We Served Those in the Greatest Need
I was recently asked by a (much) younger therapist in Lawrence if it was true that I used to transport clients to and from therapy and had a client contingency fund for homeless youth and foster kids. I said, “Not only did I, but I also took Medicaid, at least before it was KanCare.” That…
Moving from Sex Talk to Sex Conversation
Here’s the material from the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) I discussed on the air (listen to attached clip), with the annotations taken from our slowly forthcoming book Consent-Based Sex Education to be released in 2020 (finally!) Key Concept I: Human Development Goals: Help children[1] to appreciate their bodies. Provide information about…
Understanding How A Teen's Conflict in Gender Identity Can Come Out Pretty Great
In this segment of Up to Date with Steve Kraske, I’m joined by Peter, a twenty-four-year-old transman who recently underwent top surgery–the removal of breast tissue to to confirm gender. I’ve known Peter for many years and have watched him on his journey from insecure and dysphoric teen to confident and hopeful young adult. As…
Make Consent an Everyday Conversation
In the wake of the #metoo movement there’s emerged a necessary and welcomed conversation about consent and its importance in the reduction of sexual assault. On the local level there has been a strong emphasis on self-defense classes to help empower individuals against potential attackers. While this is important work, it leaves out a key…
Setting Media Limits with Kids
One of the biggest battles for today’s parent is balancing our children’s technology use. As a parent and a therapist, I deal with this in my home and at the office. Although internet/technology addiction has not yet found its way into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, professionals in the mental health field are witnessing the negative…
Talking LGBTQ With Teens
I recently posted a 2013 Up to Date interview with Matt and Casey discussing life in the LGBTQ community. Two years thereafter, in May 2015 we did an update on this with Julia Poe, who was at the time a senior at Shawnee Mission East High School and the National Teen Journalist of the year.…
Fox 4 Therapy Thursday: The Easiest Solution for Limiting Phone and Game Access I've Ever Seen
I’m pretty tech savvy. I know how to set up an alternative, filtered web browser on my son’s iPhone. I can time his cellular access from the Verizon website. I can shut down my router after 11pm. But even I don’t want to do that every time I need to redirect him to homework or…
Teens and Social Activism
When millions of Americans saw the students of Parkland High School speaking before the cameras about their experience of gun violence following a particularly brutal school shooting, many couldn’t believe their poise and disciplined presentation. Many in conservative media claimed they were some kind of “crisis actors” coached by adults to spew a leftist agenda…
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
When I talk to clients about using Dialectical Behavior Therapy or DBT as part of their treatment process, they can be skeptical. Often, they don’t understand what DBT is or how it might help them. So, I wanted to take a moment and explain DBT for readers who might like to know more, particularly as…