January 14, 2019

3 MAGICAL WAYS to EFFECTIVELY MANAGE YOUR TEEN'S SCHOOL PROBLEMS

January 14, 2019/ Christopher Taylor

How many times have we heard or used the cliché, “what are you going to do, work at McDonalds?” Parents try to instill the love for education in their teens to give them a better future. For many families this is a smooth sailing process with only the occasional difficulty. For others, it is a source of constant stress and worry. Regardless of whether it is occasional or more frequent, her are three tips to addressing any school issue.

December 18, 2018

3WAYS TO MOTIVATE YOUR TEEN TOWARDS SUCCESS

December 18, 2018/ Christopher Taylor

Motivation is based on what we attach value to. The old way of trying to ensure teens follow through was to slam them with a consequence. Well the new generation of teens are smarter and don’t care about consequences most of the time. Sure they may initially throw a fit and yell and scream but generally they fall into apathy quickly and parents feel hopeless that their approach failed. So here are the 3 ways to ensure your teen is motivated without nagging, arguing or using consequences.

June 12, 2018

5 CRITICAL STRATEGIES TO MANAGING BLENDED FAMILIES

June 12, 2018/ Christopher Taylor

In today's society of frequent divorce and remarriage the term blended family has become a norm. While "The Brady Bunch" highlighted the reality of this arrangement back in the 60's, it is more often than not a more painful transition and ongoing experience for both the children and the parents. Thankfully, by incorporating these 5 critical strategies, you can have the best plan to eliminate many of the challenges that might otherwise derail your new family dynamic.

June 05, 2018

3 WAYS TO HELP YOUR TEEN COPE WITH DIVORCE

June 05, 2018/ Christopher Taylor

With the divorce rate in America passing 50 percent, and with the stress of children cited as one of the leading reasons for divorce, it is important to know the best way to support your teen through this painful and inherently sad process. Here are 3 ways to help your teens cope with divorce.

April 24, 2018

HOW TO MOVE FROM DEFIANCE TO COMPLIANCE IN YOUR TEEN

April 24, 2018/ Christopher Taylor

Being a teenager means to suffer from the disease of defiance. For some, it is merely refusing to do the dishes or taking out the trash. For others, it is refusing to do their homework or chronically cutting school. Some teens go as far as threating violence against their parents, cursing at them, throwing objects or punching holes in the wall.

April 17, 2018

HOW TO STOP YOUR TEEN BEFORE THE FIRST DRUG EXPERIENCE

April 17, 2018/ Christopher Taylor

As parents we are tasked to protect our children from mistakes that can have repercussions that last their lifetime. We understand that most poor choices can offer excellent learning opportunities but there are some pitfalls that keep us up at night with thoughts of dread. In my experience, there is no greater point of worry than the thought that your teenage son or daughter is experimenting with drugs.

April 10, 2018

3 MAJOR COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES ON HOW TO TALK TO YOUR TEEN

April 10, 2018/ Christopher Taylor

As any parent of a teen will tell you, they are not very forthcoming with information. Ask any teenager how their day went, and many times you will hear “fine,” “good,” or simply “ok” as a response. This can be frustrating when all a parent really wants is a close relationship with their teen to have a better understanding of their decision making process and to have peace of mind that they or actually, “fine.”

April 03, 2018

5 TEEN WARNING SIGNS OF SERIOUS DEPRESSION

April 03, 2018/ Christopher Taylor

Depression is the most serious mental health issue facing our teens today. This year 2.8 million American teens will experience depression. Of those 2.8 million, 30 percent will also develop a substance use disorder, and a depressed teen is 12 times more likely to commit suicide.

March 27, 2018

PROTECTING YOUR TEEN FROM DIGITAL ADDICTIONS

March 27, 2018/ Christopher Taylor

It is no secret that we live in the digital age. Since the introduction of the internet over 2 decades ago, to the creation of the smartphone a decade later, we have been moving at lighting speed to find ways in which we can incorporate technology into all facets of our lives.

March 13, 2018

MANAGING THE STRESS OF HOMEWORK, MIDTERMS & FINALS

March 13, 2018/ Christopher Taylor

Stress from homework, midterms, and finals happens with kids and teens of all ages, and it can be cause stress on the whole family as well. To better manage the stress and feelings that occur during this time, read the following 7 tips:

March 06, 2018

HOW TO AVOID ARGUING: TEACHING TEENS R-E-S-P-E-C-T

March 06, 2018/ Christopher Taylor

As your child grows up, it is likely you will disagree on various things. It will start out as simple arguments, such as putting their coat on or putting toys away. As they reach adolescence, these arguments will grow to more serious topics, and if you aren’t careful, they will grow to more seriously sized arguments with worse repercussions.

February 20, 2018

PRAISE AS A CONSTRUCTIVE TOOL: ENDING THE NEGATIVE COMMUNICATION CYCLE

February 20, 2018/ Christopher Taylor

As a parent, life is full of balancing on many fine lines of too little and too much. Communication can undoubtedly go into that category of “hard to balance.” Communication is a prime tool in raising children, it affects their reaction, their interaction with others, and their expectation as they grow. Thus, it is important to keep communication positive, and less negative, no matter what the situation you may be facing.

February 13, 2018

STRAIGHT TALK WITH YOUR TEEN ABOUT DATING & SEX

February 13, 2018/ Christopher Taylor

The topic that most parents dread as their child nears the teenage years: dating and sexuality. But if you are dreading it, think about how your teen feels? You were their age once. Except now things are probably a little different; there are millions of resources at their fingertips thanks to the internet. The sooner that you can talk to them about dating and sex before they learn what they need to know from the media, friends, and their own personal research, the better.

January 30, 2018

3 WAYS TO CONNECT WITH YOUR TEEN

January 30, 2018/ Christopher Taylor

If you are a parent who struggles to connect with your teen then this article is for you. Your teen is in need of your assistance to overcome the difficulties they come across in day-to-day life. Your teen is going through a series of mental and physical changes in their life. As a result, they can’t effectively navigate the stressors of life without the support of their parents.

January 23, 2018

THE INFAMOUS MIDDLE SCHOOL PEER PRESSURE: REAL STRATEGIES

January 23, 2018/ Christopher Taylor

A recent client of mine was severely bullied for having an iPhone older than a 5. He asked his mom to change schools. Another client was sent home in tears because he liked theatre more than sports. Furthermore, a young girl was publicly shamed because it was discovered that she was sending naked pictures of herself to boys she liked because she was told they would like her.

December 11, 2017

HOW TIMMY, A 15-YEAR-OLD HIGH SCHOOL TEEN, TURNED FROM BEING THE SCHOOL REBEL TO THE CLASS VALEDICTORIAN.

December 11, 2017/ Christopher Taylor

You see, when Timmy’s parents first called me for a consultation they where distraught. They had found Timmy’s phone lying on the counter while he was at soccer practice, and they decided to take a look. What they saw shocked them to say the least. In his SnapChat story, they saw pictures of him with huge clouds of smoke coming out of his mouth.

Teen Expert | Christopher Taylor MFT