Article Summaries
"Dating Drama" from a Dads seat in the House
04 June 2013
By John Goetz, M.Ed. L.P.C.
"He is a stupid jerk or a confused wimp". The words a 16 year old girl uses to describe a 16 year old male caught in the snare of dating drama. A situation which is obvious to the detached spectators sitting in the stands watching these scenes play out but completely oblivious to the unfortunate souls pla...
Watch and Learn, A Little About Fear
19 August 2013
Risky Business
30 May 2013
By Belinda Crosier
Risk-taking is one of the double-edged swords of development and an area in which parents are eternally trying to find the balance between encouraging healthy risks and preventing foolish, dangerous ones which unfortunately abound in adolescence. The normal state of adolescence poses a triple threat for teens ...
Tevye asked Golde Do You Love Me?
04 June 2013
By John Goetz, M.Ed. L.P.C.
In the Musical Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye asked Golde do you love me? After 25 years in a stable/successful marriage which was arranged by his parents and his wife's parents he considers that love may be a central part of marriage. Their parents told them that they would learn to love one another and now ...
When Food is the Enemy - Part 2
31 May 2013
There are varying theories about the cause of an eating disorder, making it difficult to attribute its cause to a single factor. Most experts agree that social influences, perceived lack of control in ones life and striving to meet unrealistic expectations can all contribute to the development of an eating disorder.
Our society is o...
Edmond Life and Leisure Article
15 May 2013
By Quinton Ellis, M.S., LPC
Summer is fast approaching and everyone I know seems just thrilled about that. I do not share their enthusiasm. Summer is, in fact, the winter of my personal discontent. In this, I am not alone, as many of the parents of the untold millions(?) of teenagers here in Edmond struggle with all the free time th...
A Brief Primer on Loss
10 July 2013
By John Goetz, LPC
I know it sounds almost cliché but I think this quote may bear repeating, “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all,” Alfred Lord Tennyson. Read it again and let it start to sink in. A sad fact of life is that love and loss are a package deal. They are threads in the ...
Parenting with Divorce
27 June 2013
By Darcy McConnell, LPC, LADA
It seems to be common knowledge among Oklahomans that we are living in the state with the highest rate of divorce in the U.S. Consequently, 50% of children born to married parents today will experience the divorce of their parents before the children reach 18 years of age. Furthermore, close to half of ...
Dealing with Suicide
23 August 2013
By Darcy McConnell, M.Ed., LPC, LADC, CADA
Dealing primarily with adolescents attending Edmond high schools, exposure to the current events and trending topics of teenagers is an ever present component of fulfilling the counselor role. The highly publicized Amanda Todd story became the topic of a recent emotional group discussion am...
Kids in the Crossfire
23 August 2013
By Belinda Crosier
It’s a sad fact that Oklahoma’s divorce rate continues to be one of the highest in the nation. Sadder still – even tragic – is the number of kids caught in the crossfire of parents’ animosity and bitterness toward each other. Parents who demean, degrade or curse their ex-spouses in ...
The Meaning of Life
06 August 2013
By Chad McCoy, MA, LPC Supervisee
What IS the meaning of life? If you find yourself intently scouring this article for the answer to the age old question, I, with much confidence, can tell you to read no further. Give this article not another thought, because sadly I do not hold the answer. I have been told many things about what t...
Fear of Back to School
24 July 2013
By Sheila Stinnett, LPC
As the last few days of summer wind down, thousands of elementary children ready themselves for their return back to the classroom. During this count down to the big “first day”, back packs are filled with brand new supplies, new clothes and shoes are purchased and social media buzzes with the exciteme...Parenting is a Year Round Sport!
13 April 2013
By Sheila Stinnett, LPC
As we progress through the spring months and the school year comes to a close, it is important to remember that in our job as parents we get no vacations. As students escape the daily demands of their classrooms for carefree days in neighborhoods and substitute school hallways for local malls and highways, good co...Super Size Me
04 June 2013
By John Goetz, M.Ed. L.P.C.
This weekend I did something I previously stated I would not do. I watched the documentary "Super Size Me", the story of a guy who eats nothing but what is offered on the menu at McDonalds for 30 days. Now, I have been known to watch my share of documentaries...
Three Words of Wisdom
04 June 2013
By John Goetz
It is part of culture to pass down the knowledge we have gathered to future generations. We do so through stories, metaphors, books, song and a countless host of other methods. It is an attempt to help our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren learn from our experiences. With the help of some clever marke...
The Five Truths of Life
04 June 2013
By John Goetz, M.Ed. L.P.C.
A few weeks ago, back in October, my youngest daughter shared a bit of wisdom she heard at Workcamp with our Church. The presenter was Father Geoff Rose and he shared “The Five Truths of Life” from Father Richard Rohr. I would like to touch base on the 5th truth, “you are going to die&r...
Anger and a Desire to Change
04 June 2013
By John Goetz, M.Ed. L.P.C.
Irritated, annoyed, ticked, hot, enraged and frustrated . . . these are but a few of the words we use to describe anger. Webster's states that anger is a feeling of displeasure and usually of antagonism. According to the America Psychological Association, anger is an emotional state that varies in intensi...
Double Standards
04 June 2013
Boys will be Boys
Girls will be Girls
By John Goetz, M.Ed. L.P.C.
Individual differences are greater than gender differences. To be perfectly clear I will say it again, Individual differences are greater than gender differences. With that being said up front I wish to touch on the fact that boys and girls are diff...
Building Fences a Family Project
04 June 2013
By John Goetz, M.Ed. L.P.C.
As Alice Cooper stated so eloquently, School's out for summer. Teenagers across our state are busy not making plans beyond sleeping late and staying up late. To be fair, many teens will be engaged in summer jobs, church work camps, mission trips, sports, and a wide variety of positive activities. The real...
Teen Reality Gap
05 June 2013
By Darcy McConnell, M.Ed., LADC, LPC
A recently released publication from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reveals that teen drug and alcohol abuse has hit an all-time high nationwide. Oklahoma specific statistics indicate that over 34,000 Oklahoma teens abused drugs in the past month (informati...
