Recently, when I was making plans with a friend, I said that I would not be available on the afternoon of June 10 because I will be at the Stark Pride festival. My friend looked confused and replied, “But you’re straight! Why are you going to a Pride festival?” In a way, she’s right. I … Continued
In today’s ever fast-paced lifestyle, teenagers and their parents often pass each other during the day but struggle to find time for meaningful dialog. Once your child falls asleep for the night, you decide to check their phone. Scrolling through text messages and SnapChat conversations, shockingly you stumble across a picture of your child’s significant … Continued
What is sextortion? Greek philosopher Heraclitus has been famously quoted as saying, “Change is the only constant in life.” More than 2,500 years later, this could not be truer regarding technology and the internet. Technology is always changing, as are the social dynamics of an online world. Twenty years ago, parents warned their children … Continued
June is designated as Pride Month across the world. Recently, Stark County held its First Pride Festival at Centennial Plaza. In Part 1 of this blog series, information was provided to define sexual orientation/gender identification and how you can be an ally to an LGBTQ+ adolescent. In the second part of this LGBTQ+ series, C&A … Continued
As clinicians, we often hear the acronym LGBTQIA+ in reference to those with a variety of gender identities and sexual orientations. But are you aware of what those letters stand for? The abbreviation refers to various gender identities and sexual orientations including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, and Ally. The ‘+’ in the acronym … Continued
In a perfect world, parents would have started the difficult conversations regarding appropriate and inappropriate sexual behavior with their child before reaching double digits. As youth approach the middle school years, hormonal changes combined with technology can lead to not only curiosity but behavior that can lead to a youth being in trouble with the … Continued
A parent has many decisions to make when caring for their children. Oftentimes, decisions start with having conversations with your child. Many of those talks center around the table sharing each other’s day while eating dinner. Dinnertime conversation can lead to the start of uncomfortable topics. The most uncomfortable conversation for most parents is talking … Continued
As a parent, after a long day at work, the kid’s homework is complete and they are in bed, you sit down to watch television. Grabbing your child’s phone, you do a check of text messages, apps and their internet browser. You are caught off guard when you see a sexually explicit image sent from … Continued