Wellness Quarterly
Updates from your Student Assistance Counselors...Quarterly!
Welcome Parents!
Protecting Your Home
How You Can Protect Your Home
- Talk with your children. Visit this website for conversation topics.
- Boundaries. Youth who know their parents' rules and boundaries are significantly more likely to abide by these rules. Studies have shown repeatedly that students who know their parents' firm stance on, for example, drug use, are significantly less likely to use.
- Limit screen time
- Protect your "4 Cabinets": liquor, gun, medicine, internet
- Encourage appropriate reporting. If your child obtains information about someone else who is in danger of harming themselves or others, they should report this to an adult that they trust.
- Remember YOU are the parent! You have the most significant influence over your children, even teenagers. Put parenting before friendship.
Why Is My Teenager Acting This Way?
The following may be signs that your teen is experiencing depression:
- Withdrawal from typical peer group
- Loss of interest in activities
- Inattention toward appearance, change in hygiene
- Changes in weight or appetite
- Changes in sleep patterns (sleeping excessively or unable to sleep)
- Abuse of drugs/alcohol
- Changes in school performance
- Low self-esteem
- Low Energy
- Self injury and involvement in high risk activity
- Inappropriate feelings of guilt, worthlessness or failure
There are effective treatments for depression. Talk to your child about what you are observing in them. Seek professional help.
Tips for speaking to your teen:
- Remain calm
- Listen, listen, listen!
- Reassure them that there is help
- Do not judge their feelings
Questions to ask:
- Have you ever felt like life is not worth living?
- What things are important to your life?
- What things in your life would lead you to want to escape from life?
- How does your future look to you?
- What things would lead you to feel more hopeful about the future?
Risk and Resilience Factors
Risk Factors
- Lack of connection to others beyond technology
- Pressure to "keep up" with their peers' expectations
- Pressure to "keep up" with their parents' and community's perception
- Lack of support, skills, and resilience
- Lack of ability to sit in quiet or with discomfort
- Family dysfunction
- LGBTQ youth continue to be an at-risk population
Resilience Factors
- Ability to manage emotions, including stress
- View "failure" as part of the process
- View "happiness" as an emotion, not a destination to get to
- Believe they are a good person
- Feel autonomous; have a sense of control and involvement in their life
- Have caring adults in their life and KNOW IT
- Avoid risky behaviors
- Eat and sleep well
- Participate in some form of physical activity
- Feel connected to their home, community, school
Vaping Updates
There continues to be new information coming out about e-cigarettes and their capabilities, as well as health concerns. The longer the products are available, the more information we have about the impact on our bodies and what this could mean long term. It is important to consider the source when obtaining new information.
- Vaporizers that advertise "nicotine free" do not necessarily have 0 mg of nicotine. If there was actually no nicotine, there would be no chemical dependency.
- One cigarette contains approximately 2mg of nicotine. One JUUL pod contains 5% nicotine which is the equivalent of one pack of cigarettes. E-cig juice is sold with nicotine concentration as high as 45%. Some can be even higher. The juice is sold online or at local smoke shops.
- There is no requirement for manufacturers to report e-cigarette/juice ingredients. Studies have shown juices to contain toxic chemicals.
- When vapes heat up, the metals inside are also being inhaled by the user. Studies show users are inhaling lead and other toxic metals.
- It is possible to put THC (the chemical found in marijuana) into vape pens. Vapes specifically designed for THC are on the market and can look just like the nicotine vapes.
- Dab pens are increasingly popular among high school and college students. Dab pens contain a waxy substance called "dab" which contains a highly concentrated level of THC.
- THC does NOT smell like marijuana leaves. Just because you don't smell "pot", doesn't mean it isn't THC.
Resources
Ted Talks:
- Be Humble - and other lessons from the philosophy of water
- Grit: the power of passion and perseverance
Books:
- Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being, by Martin E.P. Seligman
- The Whole-Brain Child, by Daniel Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson
- The Gift of Failure, by Jessica Lahey
Flourish, by Martin Seligman
The Whole-Brain Child, by Daniel Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson
The Gift of Failure, by Jessica Lahey
Community Resources
Your Teen for Parents Parent recource that provides helpful tips on raising teenagers Subcribe online at Your Teen or follow on Facebook and Twitter @YourTeenMag.
Livingston Parent Self-Help Support Group. Group is open to all parents living in Essex, Morris and Union Counties. Meetings Every Tuesday 8-10 PM at Livingston Community Center. The purpose of the group is to offer parents support and practical information on how they can better help their children.
PFLAG Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays of Northern NJ. This group meets regularly in Montclair NJ and are dedicated to supporting the LGBT community.
Mindful Schools A resource for teaching mindfulness and stress reduction to school aged children and teens. Trainings and programs available at:
Madison Chatham Coalition- follow on Twitter @MC_Coalition for information on substance abuse prevention, parenting, and community adovocacy
Municipal Alliance Committee of the Chathams Volunteer organization devoted to educating the community about the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. "MACC's purpose is promote a thriving Chatham community by way of its residents, individually and collectively, embracing prevention as an essential tool again substance abuse." Monthly meetings. All are welcome.
Community Coalition for a Safe & Healthy Morris Formerly Morris County Prevention is Key, this is the prevention coalition for Morris County, NJ safehealthymorris.org
Mental Health Association of Morris County A Morris County resource providing information and services regarding mental health www.mhamorris.org
Upcoming Events
Disconnected: How to Reconnect our Digitally Distracted Kids, with Tom Kersting - March 22nd, 7pm - Governor Livingston High School Consortium Event
Helping Children Cope with Anxiety in an Uncertain World with Dr. Eisen, Millburn Education Center, April 18, 7-8:30PM. (Click on the newsletter to access the flyer below. Once the newsletter is opened in a web browser, click on the PDF file to download and view the flyer.)
College Admission Does Not Guarantee College Readiness - April 24th, 7pm - New Providence High School Consortium Event. (Click on the newsletter to access the flyer below. Once the newsletter is opened in a web browser, click on the PDF file to download and view the flyer.)
MACC at the Movies- Documentary series hosted by Muncipal Alliance Committee of the Chathams, Roberts Cinema in Chatham, free admission
March 27- Screenagers
April 25-The Mask You Live In
May 30- Race to Nowhere
Contact Us
Chatham Middle School
973-457-2506 X3036
Lisa Lattarulo
Chatham High School
973-457-2536