Coping with Grief after a Community Tragedy: Our nation has experienced a series of community tragedies lately. How do people process this grief? What does a tragedy mean for a community? Answers to these questions can be found here: http://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/disaster-distress-helpline/coping-tips

Underage Drinking:
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, “Alcohol is the most widely misused substance among America’s youth. Consumption of alcohol by anyone under the age of 21, also known as underage drinking, remains a considerable public health challenge. SAMHSA provides information on the dangers of underage drinking and offers tips on how to prevent this threat to adolescent development and health.”

Read more about this threat to today’s adolescents here: http://www.samhsa.gov/underage-drinking-topic

Brené Brown: Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent the past thirteen years studying vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame. She poses the questions:

How do we learn to embrace our vulnerabilities and imperfections so that we can engage in our lives from a place of authenticity and worthiness? How do we cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection that we need to recognize that we are enough – that we are worthy of love, belonging, and joy?

Link: https://www.ted.com/speakers/brene_brown

ADHD Snacks:
It’s summer time and what mom isn’t looking for new snack ideas? Check out this great information (with recipes!) we found:

“Feeding kids who have ADHD can be extra challenging for several reasons. First, medications can decrease their appetite. Second, kids who experience hyperactivity expend more energy and may need more calories than some of their peers. And third, if they eat too many sweets, they can suffer from mood swings when their blood sugar spikes and then crashes. As a parent, you have to know the right balance to strike. These eight kid-friendly ideas can help take the guesswork out of snack time.”

Snack ideas: http://www.everydayhealth.com/adhd-pictures/healthy-snacks-for-kids-with-adhd.aspx#01

College Recovery: Fellow Educational Consultant, Melissa Shannahan wrote about college recovery programs in a recent IECA newsletter. An excerpt is included below, but check out the entire article here: http://www.iecaonline.com/PDF/IECA_Insights-Jun-Jul16.pdf

College Recovery Programs: A Movement With Momentum

College campuses are often synonymous with drinking and partying. Scenes of students playing beer pong on porches with red cups littered across front lawns, drinking flavored vodka in dorm rooms, and just managing to make it to a 10:00 a.m. class are all considered integral parts of the college experience. But the idea that students can attend college and not drink or use drugs is fast becoming a viable option on campuses. Many colleges and universities provide support services, housing options, and a variety of other recovery activities for students who want to remain sober while pursuing their college degree.

Recovery is more visible and accepted on college campuses across the United States than ever before, with more than 150 College Recovery Programs (CRPs) and College Recovery Centers (CRCs) in the US. This movement is supported and overseen by the Association of Recovery in Higher Education (ARHE)— an organization with more than 150 participating colleges and universities that developed a set of evidence-based standards for CRPs and provides guidance, collaboration, and expertise to campuses that have CRCs and CRPs or are interested in starting new ones (www.collegiaterecovery.org).

Internet Addiction:

People frequently joke that they are addicted to their phones, or that their teenager is obsessed with video games. But for some people, it isn’t a joke. And the process to overcome their need to be constantly connected is very real.

Experts say “Internet use must significantly and adversely affect daily life—causing relationships, work, or health to suffer—to qualify as an addiction.” Read more about The Rise of the Internet-Addiction Industry here: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/11/the-rise-of-the-internet-addiction-industry/414031