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Early Intervention in
Teen Substance Use
Early intervention in teen substance use is part of deterring the problem. People too quickly think that they have missed the opportunity for "prevention" once a teen uses. Yet, there is still the opportunity to prevent continued use, to make this something that happened a few times versus something that turns into an on-going substance use and abuse problem. The American Council for Drug Education website provides the following indicators linked to possible drug use. Read about the red flags to the right that should motivate you to explore more and clarify if substances are causing symptoms.
While a red flag does not provide enough indication on its own that your teen is using, each of these red flags should result in some action by the parent to explore what has caused it. Please contact us for more information and click below for the rest of this article.
www.lepageassociates.com | |
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Greetings!
Summer is here! It's time to take a break but also a good time to reflect on changes to be made for you and your family. |
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SUMMER SERVICES
Prepare Your Child for Next Year!
Summer should be FUN
and kids definitely deserve a break
and some down time from school!
COUNSELING
However, summer is also an ideal opportunity to work on problems that may have had a negative effect on your child's performance during the last school year, so that next year they can enter school with these problems lessened or alleviated. Our individual, family, or group therapy formats for children and teenagers can help alleviate problems such as behavioral acting out, sadness, anxiety, social issues, etc.
EVALUATION
Summer is also the ideal time to have any testing your child needs done. Some parents want testing to help with eligibility for special services, while other parents utilize testing simply to get a clearer view of their child's strengths and weaknesses, and recommendations to improve weaknesses. We will help you to determine what type of testing would be most useful to answer the question at hand.
PERFECT TIMING
Addressing your child's needs during the summer has the added benefit of not worrying about missing school for appointments, and, since the academic and social stresses of the school day are not present, it is a good time to work on improvements and growth to make next school year
the best it can be!
Visit our website for more information
about our services or call to ask questions
or make an appointment. |
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Red Flags for Possible Teen Substance Use
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Sudden decline in school achievement.
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Cigarette smoking.
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Marked shift in child's friends, especially association with known or suspected drug users.
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Serious erosion of parental trust in the child.
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Support by the child for the idea of legalizing marijuana.
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Marked personality changes. (Such as social withdrawal, a new guardedness in communication with family members, depression, changes in sleep patterns, etc.)
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Withdrawal from extracurricular activities that were previously important to the child.
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Cutting classes, tardiness or truancy from school.
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Deterioration in appearance and personal hygiene, or dramatic image changes.
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Increased secretiveness, unexplained phone calls, heightened hostility to inquiry, sudden onset of hypersensitivity.
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Going out every night. (Especially "hanging around" as opposed to scheduled youth activities.)
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Unexplained disappearance of family funds or family and personal possessions (to buy drugs) and/or appearance of unexplained money or items such as new clothes and CDs (from selling drugs).
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Aggressive behavior such as recurrent fighting, violent hostility, or other evidence of social alienation from the mainstream.
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Heavy use of over-the-counter preparations to reduce eye reddening, nasal irritation, or bad breath. | |
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