Adolescent Girls and Mental Health Treatment Centers

It may be a sign of the times that an increasing number of adolescent girls require admission into various types of mental health treatment centers, yet this fact is undeniable. Fortunately mental health treatment centers for adolescent girls offer several programs. Some treatment centers specialize in one specific mental health issue. Others offer counseling for several disorders. The centers are highly confidential, compassionate and sensitive to the needs of these young women. Therapists are college or university educated and are typically certified.

Typical issues that adolescent girls struggle with include eating disorders, family dysfunction, drug addictions, behavioral problems and anger management, among others. These issues are disturbing yet surprisingly common.

There are many reasons why adolescent girls suffer from such serious disorders. Girls with eating disorders may be affected by media portrayals of women with unlikely figures that are thin yet bosomy. Adolescent girls fail to realize that such pictures are usually airbrushed to attain bodily perfection and they may not be aware that many of their role models themselves suffer from serious eating disorders.

Girls with anger management issues likely hail from abusive or neglectful households. The same holds true for girls with behavioral problems, drug addictions and low self-esteem. Families experiencing divorce, unemployment, poverty and racism also produce unhappy and dysfunctional adolescent girls.

Fortunately mental health treatment centers for adolescent girls are becoming increasingly common and are usually very effective. Their programs directly and openly address these issues, both in group therapy and in individual counseling, particularly for girls with severe problems. Often the girls' families are invited for a number of therapy sessions, since they too suffer from various dysfunctions that need to be acknowledged and treated.

Many mental health treatment centers for adolescent girls are residential. The girls reside within the centers during the week but are often released to their families on weekends. Some mental health treatment centers also offer outpatient programs as an alternative for adolescent girls who are reluctant to live inside treatment centers.

All mental health treatment centers have a set of rules the girls must abide by. Most centers only permit a minimum age of 12 or 13 years old. The girls cannot have any legal problems that will restrict their participation in the program. The girls must abide by the center's rules and they cannot have a history of excessive violence. Most centers rely upon schools, doctor reports and family in order to compile a girl's psychological assessment before admission into the program is granted. These assessments may include information regarding educational, medical, psychiatric, physical conditions, trauma, sexual behaviors and neurological history.

Although it can be difficult for a family to make the decision to enter an adolescent girl into a mental health treatment center ultimately it is a wise route for a trouble child. The acknowledgment that a child is troubled and requires help is a a crucial first step towards her recovery. Many girls and their families experience immediate, positive benefits due to the programs offered in these centers. The programs tend to be highly beneficial to both the child and her family, helping to resolve or at least begin to work through the complex stages of adolescent development and family dysfunctio

The Bad Girl's Guide to Health

One of my least desirable feelings is being hung over. I've been there so many times as a partying teenager and young adult that by the time I turned 21 I was sick of alcohol. I was sick of waking up and reaching for the Advil and making sure I had the right amount of water by my bedside every weekend. I had the perfect remedy and routine down for relieving the morning after aches and pains. That's when I knew things could be much better.

I remember when my friend Lisa took me out for my 21st birthday to celebrate. By this time, I had been hitting the bars for years as a clever under-age drinker with a busy night-life. Nothing out of the ordinary, as most people my age were into partying. I looked older, my friends were older and I could get into whatever bar I wanted to.

On my birthday I ordered an obnoxiously large and strong cocktail. A long Island Iced Tea to be exact. This is a potent blend of ALL the white liquors with a splash of coca-cola and sour mix. I got so sick I spent the rest of the afternoon in the car while my friend continued to enjoy our shopping plans.

The point is, I didn't really want the drink. I just thought that's what you did on your 21st birthday to celebrate. Sound familiar?

Our ways of experiencing fun, pleasure and letting ourselves be "bad" are so limited. They usually including drinking too much, eating in excess and putting our body through stress. There's got to be a better way.

Training Your Inner Bad Girl
You have an inner bad girl and she is chomping at the bit. In fact, she can't wait to party with you. You know, there's nothing like a special occasion to give us an excuse to pull up a chair to the buffet.

Let's get one thing clear. You do have an inner bad girl. If you don't train her she will school you. This can be fun at times, right? You get to relax and let it all hang out and let someone else run the show. In this day-and-age of doing so much, it can be a relief.

Here are common ways she likes to make herself known:

- Just when you're feeling really great, she tries to sabotage your health efforts with large amounts of chocolate eating

- When you feel bored she likes to raid the fridge and look for something. And no matter what you eat or drink, you never feel satisfied

- When it comes to fun, the things she immediately goes for is cocktails, sugar, recreational drugs and anything that relieves the inner pressure

- She likes for you to stay out too late and eat/drink too much when you've got big plans the next day / in the coming week

- She's the one that say's "what the hell, I'm already off track, might as well...

You know what I'm talking about. She likes to party, she likes to stir things up and her actions generally results in some sort of imbalance. Guess what? That's okay. I believe it's ALWAYS better to consciously binge than unconsciously binge. So let's acknowledge her. (By the way, she loves to be acknowledged.) My point is to raise your awareness and give you some new option to experiment with.

So why do we look to food and drink as medicine and entertainment? Here's my two cents as to why we let our inner bad girl have her way with us:

1.) It's usually way more fun than whatever is going on in your life

2.) You're life could be a bit juicier and for the moment, your binge looks more exciting than your reality

3.) Something's bothering you and you may not want to feel it fully

4.) There's an unmet need in your primary food. (Primary food is anything that feeds you, but doesn't come on a plate. Things like kisses, hugs, movement, hobbies, great conversation, intimacy, feeling connected, fulfilling sex, work you enjoy, a spiritual life, feeling accepted, etc...)

5.) Lack of awareness around your options to party, have fun, feel connected, blow off steam without messing with your body

6.) You have waited too long to do something nice for yourself. You've reached a point of exhaustion / overload / over-stimulation / over-stressed / burned out / etc... In this place it is nearly impossible to think clearly and come up with new ideas.

7.) We all have a natural desire for expansion, lightness and bliss. You get to choose how you get yourself to feel that way.

NOTE THIS: You need to anticipate your inner desires to be bad instead of waiting for them to bite you in the bum.

It's like being at a good restaurant and they know what you'll need before you ask for it. You might be thirsty with your spicy meal and the refreshing glass of water arrives before you think of it. You'll crave a sweet flavor after a meal so the dessert menus arrive before you have time to ponder if you want it. This feels so great when your server is anticipating your desires. You can relax and trust in the flow of the evening.

In my life, I'm all about balance. I'm a libra (the sign of balance), in Ayurvedic Medicine my body type is a Pitta (the body type of balance, moderation and keeping our fire in check), as a little girl I had a keen eye for what was fair and what wasn't and I've even been known to take extreme measures to regain my balance. Generally, I'm really into balance and it's no wonder I help others achieve their version of balance for a living. That being said, please don't get me wrong, I am far from perfect.

In fact, my inner bad girl likes to show up too! I actually get bored when things are too balanced. My relationship is going well, then I'll stir it up and cause some friction. I get bored doing only one type of exercise, so I'll quit all together unless I mix it up and try new things. Basically, what I have to watch for is trying to find a problem to sink my teeth into where there really isn't one. I've got a fiery woman in me and my inner bad girl always wants to play.

Solution: I give her something to do and she leaves me alone. After all, it can be oh so good to be bad.

It's Good to Be Bad

Giving your inner bad girl something to do and anticipating her desires is key to really enjoying getting healthy. Otherwise, how will your inner health goddess ever stand a chance against Miss Baddy Bad-ass who likes to be a little naughty and mess with your health efforts. There's only one way. Throw your inner bad girl some attention and give her something to chomp on.

When struggling to exercise, spice it up and invite your inner bad girl. She can be really inspiring and can make the un-fun, a really good time. For example:

Can't seem to get off your couch to exercise? Find your movement edge.
- Been thinking about yoga? Get a yoga for couples video and do it naked with your partner

- Bored with exercise? Sign up for a class that feels like an edge to you: latin dancing, rock climbing, Argentine tango lessons, hire a hunky personal trainer, African dance classes, etc...

Don't get rid of your favorite party foods, upgrade!
- Love your chocolate? Get yourself the best you can buy, melt it and paint your breasts and ask your partner to help you with your chocolate cravings

- Serve aphrodisiac fruit smoothies at your next party by adding damiana herbal extract and chocolate syrup.

Work stressing you out? Build reserves of self-care.
- I've started taking Monday's off and every week I get to feel like I'm being bad. Everyone else is working and I'm off pretending it's Sunday.

- Go ahead, take a day off from work when you feel GOOD vs. only when you feel like you absolutely need it.

- Delete some emails for the hell of it.

We purchase reserves of computer paper, paper towels and toilet paper. Why not build a reserve of self-care? It's like credit in the Bank of You. When stressful times hit, you are far less reactive if you've been taking care of yourself. This stops the cycle of only taking great care of yourself when you're sick and run down. And that is an expensive way to live.

Feeling the pressure? Squeeze some life back into your Primary Food.
- Take a relationship course with your partner because things are going well

- Throw a get together for no reason and have everyone bring food and drinks and create activities or theme that doesn't revolve around boozing it up. Sure have some cocktails! Also use your creative thinking to create connection without (or less) alcohol. If you need an idea, check out the book "The Bad Girl's Guide to the Party Life." It makes me laugh out loud at the party themes she comes up with.

- Get sexy with it and remember you are a woman. Listen to music that puts you in your feminine, create a spa evening, take yourself on a date, do something! Go on a pleasure diet for the love of Goddess!

- Have a fun and silly date with your partner or girlfriends -- that is truly nourishing!

For me, I'll create fun stuff to bypass Ms. Baddy Bad-Ass's attempts to get some attention from me. And it is a discipline. Pleasure, joy, fun and living a juicy life is a discipline. Women are sp used to suffering, struggling and giving ourselves a hard time! Ugh! Let's give it up and find joy in our self-care, eating well and moving our bodies!

The more zany, fun and exciting you can make your health pursuits be, the more likely you'll want to stick with it and the less likely you'll look to food and drink as entertainment and medication. Now doesn't that sound like fun?

Celeb Indo Health

Many people have an empty jealousy of Hollywood celebrities: they claim that if they were born with the same genetics, and were luckily enough to run into the right producer at a party, they would have the same fame. Like with many endeavors, these people are overestimating how much luck the successful have and underestimating how much work goes into becoming and staying that successful. Celebrity fitness is an ongoing challenge for those who are famous and being constantly judged on their looks, and there are good lessons to be learned for those of us who are not Hollywood icons.

For one, many actors have had to do extreme workouts to get in proper shape for their movie roles. There have been cases where an actor has had to get thin to the point of being unhealthy for one role, then needed to put on pounds of muscle for another role shortly afterward.

These results are way beyond what most people need to achieve to reach their goals, and the process of earning them is no simple matter no matter how genetically blessed these actors are. Each of their workouts required serious commitment, which non-celebrities also need to put in for best results.

Celebrity fitness is made easier by several advantages that most of us do not have. These include dedicated personal trainers and nutritionists, who ensure that the actor works out efficiently and also replenishes the body with the right mix of protein and other nutrients between sessions to get the most benefit out of training. Those without access to these experts need to master the knowledge themselves, which is fortunately easier than many people suspect.

The first step is choosing an effective workout program. There are a number of good choices out there that emulate the challenge of celebrity training without needing quite as much time investment. One quality option is CrossFit, which gives a daily rotation through a number of different exercises to thoroughly train different muscle groups. Another is P90X, which has a set cycle of exercises that you repeat while favoring various muscle groups and training conditions.

There are plenty of other choices, and the important point is to pick one type of training program and follow through. The biggest mistake of most people aiming to get fit is haphazardly jumping from method to method without putting in the time to see real results. Meanwhile, typical celebrity workouts are focused on having the actor follow the same ideology consistently until they are in the shape that they need for a role.

The other key aspect of effective physical training is managing nutrition. While odds are that you do not have access to a personal chef, you can find a good diet to follow for building strength and getting lean. One popular choice for fitness elites is the Paleo diet, which focused entirely on the types of food available when our metabolisms evolved in our primitive days: lean meats, organic fruits and vegetables, no processed foods and grains, etc.

As with choosing a fitness program, there are a number of options that will work. The zone diet has worked well for many, as well as following simpler systems of eating a certain amount of protein each day and a controlled limit of fat and carbs. Your challenge is to research these choices and pick one that you can maintain over time.

While the rich and famous have advantages in this area, celebrity fitness is something that can be matched by anyone with the drive to research and choose good systems, then stick to them through the pain periods. Focus on the basics of exercise and nutrition, then follow through until you reach your goals.

Cody Everette has been a fitness enthusiast for years, and has tried out a number of workout programs as well as diets. His current favorite is CrossFit, though he keeps an open mind for new ideas and concepts to work with.