June 28, 2013

Counseling Can Be Helpful for Teenagers and Parents

June 28, 2013/ Miguel Brown

Warning: the first step towards helping your teen might involve helping yourself. Counseling teenagers is a tricky business. So much of what teenagers do and who they are is a reflection of their parents. So when they make their way into my practice, we need to work at changing not only the teenager’s patterns, but the parents’ as well. Parents who are willing to reflect on the role they have played in the development of their teenager’s problems typically have teenagers who will improve more rapidly and change in deeper and more lasting ways.

January 28, 2013

Why I do not Give a Psychological Diagnosis to my Teenage Patients

January 28, 2013/ Miguel Brown

A psychological diagnosis is about meeting behavioral and emotional criteria, functioning like a check list. You look at the list of symptoms - persistent sadness, trouble sleeping, constant worrying, etc – you see how many of these symptoms the teen in question displays and if they have a certain number of them you assign the diagnosis. It is not a difficult or complicated process. It is almost exclusively descriptive and it does not contribute to my understanding of my teenage patients or how to help them. It is not useful clinically. Researchers use diagnosis as a way to run studies on large groups of people who, on the surface, have similar difficulties. Insurance companies demand the assignment of a diagnosis in order to reimburse.

January 03, 2013

How to Talk to your Teen About Going to Counseling

January 03, 2013/ Miguel Brown

For dedicated parents it is important that they feel that they are doing everything they can to help their teenager through life’s troubles. When parents feel at a loss when confronted with their teenager’s problems they often search for professional help. However, when they speak to their teenager about it he or she is insulted and dead-set against it. Teenagers may simply refuse to go or become enraged with the possibility of going to counseling. This unfortunate reaction puts a frustrating obstacle in the way of parents trying to help their teenagers, especially in the case of older teenagers that you cannot physically force to go.

November 29, 2012

Teenagers and Bad Grades: Depression or Bad Behavior?

November 29, 2012/ Miguel Brown

Succeeding in high school is an important foundation for teenagers as they transition into early adulthood. It is important to stay informed about your teen’s performance at school by communicating with teachers, administrators, or guidance counselors. Talk to your teenager if report card grades fell below expectations. While a drop in grades could be as simple as your teenager struggling with a new subject or teacher, it could be a red flag for a variety of issues such as attention issues such as ADHD, depression, substance abuse, or bad behavior. Consider all factors to help your teen get back on track as soon as possible.

October 18, 2012

Miami Counseling : How To Find the Right Adolescent Counselor

October 18, 2012/ Miguel Brown

Choosing a therapist or counselor for your teenager is an important decision that should not be taken lightly. Therapy can help teenagers develop problem-solving skills, overcome emotional or behavioral problems, improve self-esteem, cope with stress, and improve communication skills with family members and friends. This report contains professional advice on choosing a therapist compiled from trusted authorities in adolescent mental health such as kidshealth.org, psychologytoday.com, and goodtherapy.org.

June 14, 2012

Real life "Good Will Hunting" How did she do it?

June 14, 2012/ Miguel Brown

On June 8th CNN.com published a story about a real life "Good Will Hunting" who will be attending Harvard University this fall. Click on the link below to read the article.