How to Help Your Child Find a Career (Without Being Overbearing)
Is your emerging adult child stuck or lost trying to figure out a career path? Send us a message or book a free 20 minute consultation call with Dr. Barajas or Dr. Goldman to see how we can help. Please read more about parenting an emerging adult here.
Tips for Living with an Emerging Adult Child
Is your emerging adult child stuck and not making progress? Send us a message or book a free 20 minute consultation call with Dr. Barajas or Dr. Goldman to see how we can help. Please read more about parenting an emerging adult here.
9 Tips to Stay Safe on Campus
Does your college student need more "street smart" skills to stay safe on campus? Send us a message or book a free 20 minute consultation call with Dr. Barajas or Dr. Goldman to see how we can help. Click here for more information on College Transition and Gap Year Consultation.
6 Ways to Maintain a Healthy Relationship with Your Teen
Does you need more support parenting your teen? Send us a message or book a free 20 minute consultation call with Dr. Barajas or Dr. Goldman to see how we can help.
Who Are the iGen Generation?
There's a new generation of tweens and teens that need help transitioning to adulthood! Watch to learn more about the "iGen" generation. Need some support with your iGen tween or teen? Send us a message or book a free 20 minute consultation call with Dr. Barajas or Dr. Goldman to see Learn More
5 Tips for When Your College Kid Comes Home for the Holidays
Worried about when your child comes home for the summer? Send us a message or book a free 20 minute consultation call with Dr. Barajas or Dr. Goldman to see how we can help. Click here for more information on College Transition and Gap Year Consultation.
Why Teens Need Self-Compassion
Does your child need support developing self-compassion? Send us a message or book a free 20 minute consultation call with Dr. Barajas or Dr. Goldman to see how we can help.
Dos and Don’ts to Financially Supporting an Emerging Adult
The US Census Bureau’s latest numbers show that over 35% of millennials in California still live at home. With so many young people never leaving home or returning home, a financial burden is put on their parents. Even for emerging adults (18-29 year olds) not living at home, parents are still financially Learn More
Managing Teens’ Risky Behavior
If you haven’t experienced it first hand, you’ve certainly heard that teens are prone to risky behaviors. Watch this video to learn about adolescent brain development and how to manage your teen’s risky behaviors based on that information. Learn More
Rejecting the Label “Failure to Launch”
You may have heard of the phenomenon called failure to launch. There are blogs out there touting that it’s a “syndrome”, making it sound like an actual diagnosis (which it is not!). I am encouraging everyone to stop slapping the failure to launch label on young people who are trying to find Learn More
Is it Depression or Just Normal College Stress?
We thought it was just normal stress from being in college… Unfortunately, precursors to a major depressive episode and depression often masquerade as “just normal college stress”. Sadly, the parents quoted above learned this the hard way. If they or their daughter had known what to look for, she could have gotten Learn More
Four Essential Elements for Effective Consequences
Parents often ask me how to effectively create consequences for their teen or emerging adult child. In some ways, it’s the same as when you crafted consequences for your young child, but there are two really important differences. I thought about all the elements I’ve spoken to parents about over the years Learn More
Top 10 Things Colleges Look for in Applicants
College application time can be very stressful for the whole family, especially because sometimes it’s hard to predict what college are looking for. With the help of the Independent Educational Consultants Association’s (IECA) survey, let’s demystify what colleges are looking for in applicants. Below are the top ten strengths and experiences colleges Learn More
Study Skills Backed by Science
As a psychologist that works with lots of college students, I see how important study skills are. Many of my clients discover that their high school study skills didn’t set them up for success in college. Even though they are capable students, they find themselves struggling in class. They become demoralized, their Learn More
Ensuring a Smooth Transition from High School to College
The transition to college comes with lots of excitement… and usually also a hefty dose of anxiety. College is often the first time your child will live away from home and be entirely responsible for his or her life. Not only will he or she be handling more rigorous academics, but he Learn More
Pick the College that Fits You Best
As someone who works with emerging adults (18-20 year olds) already in college or graduated from college, I know how important college fit is. I’ve seen how a poor fit in terms of academics, campus community, and supports can really hurt a person’s ability to thrive in a college environment. I’ve also Learn More
3 Simple Tips to Conquer Phone Anxiety
More than ever, it seems like people are anxious about talking to people over the phone. When I was the director of an independent living program, I saw numerous residents become overwhelmed by anxiety when prompted to call someone. My clients in private practice also often report that same feeling of dread, Learn More
5 Common Myths about ADHD
Over the years, I’ve worked with numerous children and adults with ADHD. I’ve noticed that parents and clients alike come to me with misinformation. There are so many myths about ADHD, and I’d like to bust five of the common ones I’ve heard. Learn More
My Secret Steps to Acing Your Next Job Interview
Being unemployed or underemployed are the most frequently noted struggles of my emerging adult clients. Their reported major pitfall? Not being able to “wow” in a job interview. They may be bright, friendly, and a perfect fit for the job, but they come across as underwhelming in the job interview. When asked Learn More
Is Your Teen Ready for College?
Transitioning from high school to college can sometimes feel like a precarious leap, instead of the manageable next step in the journey to independence. Oftentimes, students who are successful in high school find the transition to college to be a challenge because the work is faster paced, the instruction is less specific, Learn More
Four Paths to a Productive Gap Year
Not every adolescent is ready to tackle college right after high school. Instead of sending them off to college because it’s the norm, why not take a gap year to help better prepare them for the challenges they’ll face? Taking a gap year is normative in countries like Australia and the United Learn More
The One Tool You Need to Master Prioritizing Your Work
“I have two kinds of problems: the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent.” Can you relate to this quote? Though President Eisenhower shared this quite a while ago (in 1954!), I think it highlights the very current struggle that many people have: managing the Learn More
Are You Enabling Your Adult Child?
“Why do parents keep enabling their kids?” a colleague once asked me. I looked at her with a bewildered look on my face. Parents financially support their emerging adult (18-29 year old) children for the same reason they do everything they do as parents… because they love their children (and often want Learn More