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Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
Whether teens are dating or not, it's a good idea to talk to them about what a healthy relationship looks like.

Dawn Spragg
Nov 10, 20194 min read


Standing Up to Bullies
Recently a friend shared that her son had witnessed a classmate being mercilessly teased by another student. Although she said he...

Dawn Spragg
Oct 6, 20192 min read


Suicide Risk Factors
Suicide among teens within the United States were at a record high level in 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control. There are...

Dawn Spragg
Sep 8, 20191 min read


Teen Anxiety
The words were hard for the 13 year old client sitting across from me in the counseling room. “I want to go but I can’t” she said in...

Dawn Spragg
Jul 22, 20192 min read


Adolescents and Risk Taking
Recently I've been exploring wide-spread and enduring beliefs about teenagers. This month I was thinking about how we as a society often...
Dawn Spragg
May 28, 20193 min read


The Mythical Lazy Teen
Recently I've been exploring the myths we tell ourselves about teenagers. Last month, I discussed why we perceive teens as selfish; this...
Dawn Spragg
Apr 10, 20193 min read


Teens Are Selfish. True or False?
I love working with teens. I love their optimism, and their energy and their resiliency. I love their way of looking at the world and...
Dawn Spragg
Mar 6, 20193 min read


Sleeping in Seattle
This summer I wrote a post about how the delayed released of melatonin effects the sleep patterns of teenagers, and why this means all...
Dawn Spragg
Dec 19, 20181 min read


So You Want Your Teen to Be Happy
With Thanksgiving this week, I've been thinking a lot about gratitude. Gratitude can act as a bond between people. If someone has been...
Dawn Spragg
Nov 18, 20182 min read


The Best Way to Right A Wrong
Bullying is one of the most common discipline problems in our public schools. In the past year, 1 in 5 high school students reported...
Dawn Spragg
Oct 21, 20182 min read


Take A Stand Against Bullying
The CDC's latest Youth Risk Surveillance found that Arkansas was number one in the percentage of teenagers who were bullied on school...
Dawn Spragg
Oct 7, 20181 min read


What Wasn't Said
As National Suicide Prevention Month comes to a close, I wanted to share this beautiful poem with you. It was written by a teenager who...
Dawn Spragg
Sep 23, 20182 min read


Building Connection
This month is National Suicide Prevention Month. Suicide is a growing problem in the United States, no less so among teens than among...
Dawn Spragg
Sep 16, 20181 min read


Preventing Suicide
In recognition of National Suicide Prevention Month, I wanted to share with you the National Alliance of Mental Health’s tips on...
Dawn Spragg
Sep 9, 20181 min read


Adolescence & Brain Development: What Teens are Reading
All this summer I’ve been exploring the effects of the developing adolescent brain on adolescent behaviour. Recently I came across this...
Dawn Spragg
Aug 19, 20181 min read


Adolescence & Brain Development: The Struggle To Fit In
For the past two months, I have been exploring some of the effects that normal brain development has on adolescent behavior. In today’s...
Dawn Spragg
Aug 5, 20182 min read


Adolescence & Brain Development: Why Your Teenager Is Still Sleeping
This summer I am exploring some of the effects that the adolescent brain has on adolescent behaviour, and today I wanted to look at what...
Dawn Spragg
Jul 25, 20182 min read


Adolescence and Brain Development: You're Stressing Me Out
Over the next few weeks, I will continue exploring different aspects of adolescent development, and the ways in which these effect...
Dawn Spragg
Jul 1, 20182 min read


Adolescence and Brain Development: Responding to Reward
So much has been written -and read!- about the development of very young children, as if once we've got our kids sleeping and eating...

Dawn Spragg
Jun 17, 20182 min read


Speak the Behaviour
It’s so easy to remind teenagers about what they are NOT doing and to tell them why they are not doing it. They don't respect their...
Dawn Spragg
Jun 17, 20182 min read
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