As I continue to work with teens in counseling, I'm constantly learning their new trends, ways of life, and outlooks on everything from family, to relationships, to friends. The newest sentence that keeps popping up in my sessions is: “I like my internet friends rather than my real life friends.” When I ask why the response is usually something like:
In a world of selfies, hashtags, and tweets, social media and the pressures it brings have bombarded our lives. It is well understood by now that social media can be used to bring harm, heartache, and even “acceptance” to its users, but it is surprising how often we gain “strength” behind the screen to promote, defend and process. The
Flight Of A Mom With A Special Needs Child When we are about to take off on a flight, the flight attendants instruct us about our seat belts, emergency exits and oxygen masks. Few of us pay attention. We are busy settling a baby, telling our kids not to kick the seat in front of you and
Did you know that Facebook and other social media may be paving the way to bring attention to postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis? We communicate on social networks daily; connect, express our feelings and seek support from others. Sadly, a news story reported a few years back that a young mother posted a cry for help on Facebook: she planned
Where technology, Facebook and connecting online can all be good things, they also have the potential to create a false sense of security and cause us to lose our real sense of intimacy. Think about some of the things that you post on Facebook and then consider if you would say those in person? This is not to say that
Did you know that the American Academy of Pediatrics recently warned that there are potential harms linked with teen social media usage? Did you also know that teens that already struggle with low self-esteem can be triggered into Facebook depression? It is important that if you are parent of a teenager that you know what to look for if your
Are you a part of this social-networking phenomenon? It has been described as addictive and “like crack.” I, myself, have joined Facebook in the last year. I got tired of “why aren’t you on Facebook?” Please don’t get me wrong, I love staying connected with family and friends through the network, however, I have several clients that have ruined
