NW Escape Experience

Physical adventure games in which players are locked in a room and must use the elements of the room to solve a series of puzzles and escape within a set time limit!

Where: 1503 NE 78th Street STE 7, Vancouver, WA
360-949-7921
When: Wednesday – Sunday: 12 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Monday – Tuesday: Closed
Cost: $30 per person, per room

Summer Reading 2019: A Universe of Stories

When: June 15-August 15, 2019
Ages: Teens through 18 years old

Sign up or log your reading online. Or, grab a paper log at your library and check out their reading challenges.

You can also track your reading with the Beanstalk Tracker app for Android and iOS.

Earn a prize for 15, 30, and 45 days of reading logged.

Grand Prizes: For all ages, earn an entry into the grand prize drawing at 15, 30, and 45 days of reading logged. One reader in each age group will win their choice of grand prizes:
OMSI Family Membership
Barnes and Noble Shopping Spree ($100 Gift Card)
Movie Marathon ($100 Gift Card to the movie theater of your choice)
Wonderworks Children’s Museum Family Membership
Sternwheeler Cruise ($125 Gift Card)

19th Century Saber Training Program Summer 2019

In 1845, Her Majesty’s Ship Modeste arrived to protect the British Empire and Hudson’s Bay Company interests in the Northwest. The training course will focus on the saber techniques employed by the Royal Navy at that time.

Where: 1001 E. Fifth St., Vancouver, WA (Inside the reconstructed Fort Vancouver).
When: Six weeks, on Wednesdays
Who: Ages 12 and up.
Cost: $75 per person
The training fee is payable to Academia Duellatoria by check or PayPal. Fees must be paid before the training sessions begin. Enrollment in the training is not guaranteed until payment is received.

Program Dates and Times:

Training sabers (sabers have dull edges and blunt tips) are provided.

Participants who successfully complete both the Basic 1 and Basic 2 training courses will have the opportunity to volunteer at living history events and programs at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.

Contact & Registration
For more information, or to sign up, contact Jeff Richardson, Academia Duellatoria at (503) 888-9310.

Coding Camps with Code to the Future

Dive into the world of computer coding with Java, a professional coding language or Scratch, a block-based application developed at MIT.

Where: Firstenburg or Marshall Community Centers
When: June 24-28, July 8-12, and August 5-9 (week long, half-day)
Who: Ages 7-14
Cost: weekly fee $160 or $227

Go online to register for coding camps

Sky Zone in Vancouver, WA

Where: 5000 E. Fourth Plain Blvd
Vancouver WA 98661
When:
Monday – Thursday: 10:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Friday: 10:30 to 7:45 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 to 7:45 p.m.
Sunday: 11:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Cost: Go online for pricing and ticket purchase. Tickets can also be purchased at the door.

LOCK-IN Luau at Sky Zone! (Recurring Event)

When: June 22 11:15 p.m., pickup June 23 at 6:00 a.m.
Go to website for pricing and ticket purchase

Price Includes: Lock-In Admission, pizza and fountain drink, Sky Zone Glow Shirt

Does your teen get angry easily? As a parent, are you feeling concerned, discouraged, or powerless?

Now that school is out, it may be a great time to address your concerns.

Not getting help with managing anger is costly; it may result in poor grades, fewer friendships, and low self-esteem. At Integrity Counseling, our counselors work closely with parents and teens to identify what is behind the anger. Counselors help teens learn coping skills to deal with anger. We can work with your teen to strengthen the family connection for a happier and more peaceful home. Consider working with one of our experienced counselors in Vancouver, WA.

Or, call this number 360 356 8756 to schedule a session today.

Make an appointment today and watch your teen’s ability to manage anger improve.

We look forward to meeting you and your family!

Screen time for both teens and adults is taking a lot of time away from activities we used to enjoy.

The most disturbing results of too much screen time are decreased time with family and friends, the risk of obesity and a negative effect on mental health.

Consider this dad’s story about his teenage son:

“We gathered with extended family to celebrate our daughter’s birthday. Suddenly, my dad asked, where’s Jack? At 6’ 2” our son was difficult to miss. I found him upstairs playing games on his iPad. My parents had traveled several hours from Eugene and I saw the look of disappointment on their faces when Jack returned to the kitchen and sat in silence. It appeared he would rather get lost in a video game than celebrate with family.”

In our society today, excessive use of devices with screens is the norm instead of the exception.

We all want the teens in our lives to practice healthy habits now and experience good mental, social and physical health.

It’s important for parents to know how often their teen uses screen devices.

You are likely well aware that your teen is spending too much time on their screen.  But still consider the following questions to evaluate what is too much time focused on screens for your teen:

• Does texting continue after your teen goes to bed?
• Are your teen’s grades slipping?
• Has participation in real life activities decreased?
• Does your teen seem anxious or irritable, or have trouble sleeping?
• Does he or she complain of muscle pain or tired or dry eyes?

Screen time should be a privilege, not a right.

You can guide your teen’s screen use and help him or her to see how technology can enhance life, not complicate it.

Establishing a plan with clear guidelines will allow your teen to participate in something they enjoy but not at the expense of their mental, social and physical health.

Consider these 5 tips to create a plan to manage your teen’s screen time:

• Create a technology agreement together that discusses the amount of time and when it is okay to use screen devices.

Do homework and household chores first.

Turn off or mute phones 30 minutes before bedtime.

• Schedule screen free family time and screen free zones in your life.

Consider no phone time in the car to allow room for a great conversation with your teen.

Participate in an activity your family enjoys.

Charge the phone in the kitchen during the night.

• Discourage multi-tasking.

Put the phone away while doing homework to be more productive.

Encourage the whole family to set aside phones during a family movie or show.

• Put screen devices away and turn off the television at dinner time.

Provide an opportunity for conversation and reconnecting with your teen.

• Set an Example for your Teen

Put your phone away when helping with homework or spending time with family.

Take steps now to encourage your teen to prioritize sleep, school, relationships and physical activity.

It is completely possible for you to help your teen learn healthy habits now that will benefit him or her later in life. Learning new habits takes time and you may not see change overnight. It will take consistency to encourage new behavior.

At Integrity Counseling in Vancouver, WA, we offer family therapy to help parents become better at setting guidelines with their teens.  

Our family therapists help parents learn the tools to promote positive behavior.

You will find more cooperation and less frustration as you communicate the importance of prioritizing screen time and activities which will result in a more satisfying relationship with your teen.

If you are considering family counseling in Vancouver, WA,

Or, call 360-356-8756, extension 1 to schedule a teen counseling session today!

 
We all know that being a teenager is not easy. Teens have to deal with navigating their way in the world while undergoing monumental physical, emotional, and social changes.

Powerful new emotions make teens feel alienated from others, including themselves. They sometimes just don’t know why they feel sad or anxious or angry.

Because of changes in their brain, they can respond to some events in their life with very strong emotions and sometimes some harmful choices. We’ve all heard many heartbreaking stories of teens self-medicating with substances, experimenting with risky sexual behavior, or worst of all, committing suicide.

What we also know that if we expose our young people to positive, supportive environments, they will flourish. This is where mentors come in.

A mentor is an experienced and trusted advisor. We as parents are mentors to our kids to a point, but you are likely to agree that you cannot be all to your teen. The more I work with teens the more I am convinced that every teenager should have a non-parent mentor in their life.  Here are three reasons why!

1. Teens don’t always want to open up to their parents about their struggles.

Adolescence is a time when teens differentiate from their parents. Sometimes there is no right thing that a parent can do in a teenager’s eyes. I am sometimes puzzled by how I can connect with the most difficult teen in my office but struggle to connect with my teen daughters at home.

I’ve worked with some wonderful families where teens just don’t want to open up to their parents. At the same time, they think their coach, youth leader, or teacher are the coolest people in the world. The teens look up to them! They risk opening up their hearts to them!

Somehow our teens are prone to think that we are from a different world and won’t understand. Just the other day one of my daughters commented to me, “You just don’t know how teens think. You just don’t get it.” My husband jumped in, “You would think that after working with teens for 16 years, your mother might know a little bit about teens.” Not in my daughter’s opinion.

The point is, no matter how cool of parents we think we are, our teens are not likely to come only to us for guidance on all the issues in their life. And you don’t want them only to seek advice from their friends.

2. Your teen’s friends don’t have the wisdom, life experience, and brain maturity to consistently guide your adolescent in making healthy choices.

It’s great if your teen has supportive close friends who listen and encourage her or him. Opening up to a friend is better than keeping all struggles to yourself. 

At the same time, it’s also good if your teen has a trusted adult they can open up to beside their friends.

Wisdom often comes with age and life experience. Your teen’s friends are still teens themselves without the necessary life experience to make consistently good decisions.

Neuroscience also tells us that teen’s brain is still maturing. Your teen’s friend’s problem-solving and strategy-planning skills are still developing.

And the third reason why your teen should have a mentor is…

3. Sometimes you need other adults to see your teen’s greatness.

There are times when we as parents are so exhausted dealing with our teen’s attitudes or emotional ups and downs, that it’s hard to notice how great they are.

We can lose sight of our teen’s gifts and talents. If you’ve ever talked to other parents of teens, you most likely heard more about their kids’ problems than successes.

That’s why it helps to have an adult mentor who: cares about your teen, notices the great things about him or her, and helps bring those qualities out. A mentor can easily spot awesome things about your teen because they are on the outside of your family and don’t have to live with your prickly teenager.

Just in the last few weeks, some youth leaders shared some positive insights about my daughters that helped me to see my girls in a new light. I am so thankful these people see my girls’ strengths and build them up.

So, where do you find a mentor for your teen?

Start out by looking around for healthy adults that your family already knows. Consider whether they share your family values. Encourage your teen to spend time with them. Ask this adult whether they would be open to hang out and get an ice cream cone with your teen.

As a teen counselor, I have seen the following people be awesome mentors to adolescents:

• Relatives
• Teachers
• Youth Leaders
• Coaches
• Family Friends
• Adopted “Grandparents”

Here is what one mother shared when asked who her teenage daughter’s mentor is:

“Her coach. He brings out the best in her, and he sparks the joy in her sport. My girl has played volleyball since she was 8 (now 14) and this is the absolute, hands down, best coach she’s ever had. He pulled her aside and got on her about a grade (caused her to go from an F to a B!!). Love this guy! So thankful for him!!! He will kick her ass and tell her how important she is all at the same time!”

One teenage boy shared the following about his former basketball coach being his mentor:

“I call him when something major is happening in my life. He might not answer right away but he calls back. He listens. He really hammered it into me that I need to take responsibility for my part in things. He encouraged me not to blame but work on my stuff and my skills. He got me into thinking ‘how can I continue to improve.’ This ‘taking responsibility’ thing is really going to help me when I am older.”

You are probably thinking, “I want those coaches to be in my teen’s life!”

What is a difference between a teen counselor and a teen mentor?

In some ways, the relationship between an adolescent and a teen therapist and an adolescent and a teen mentor look similar.

Common struggles faced by teens that are helped by counseling could also be addressed with a mentor (relationship difficulties with parents or peers, making decisions about college, or figuring out how to stay motivated in a class that is not fun).

As your teen wrestles with the challenges and choices in his or her life, both a counselor and a mentor can be instrumental in guiding your teen in their character formation.

Both a good counselor and a good mentor will not take away from your role as a parent but will enhance it.

Both counseling and mentoring can be very effective (or non-effective).

The two relationships are different in a few ways.

Counseling is a formal relationship. Mentoring is an informal relationship. Your teen meets with a counselor by appointment and in the office. In most counseling sessions, your teen and the counselor will be working on specific goals.

Meeting with a mentor can be on the phone or at a coffee shop. Sometimes they might be focused on the goals your teen is working on or sometimes it’s just a conversation between two friends.

Mentoring is commonly a long-term relationship, while a counselor is in your teen’s life for a short period of time. A counselor gives your teen tools and helps him or her problem-solve life challenges.

It’s definitely easier to find a skilled teen therapist than to find a solid mentor for your adolescent. It is best for you to look for a mentor when things are pretty smooth with your teen and you have time ponder and discuss who that mentor figure can be. When a crisis hits, your best bet is to find a caring teen and family counselor.

If your teen is self-harming or suicidal, you should definitely consider a professional counselor even if your teen has an amazing mentor. The training and experience of a teen and family counselor will be vital in those circumstances.

Be on the lookout for that special mentor for your teenager!

If you think your teen needs counseling support right away, please call our Vancouver, WA office for a FREE initial parent consultation (360 356 8756) or schedule an appointment online with one of our teen therapists:

Not ready to schedule your first appointment yet?

Give us a call and we will be happy to answer your questions (360) 356-8756

Rates information is here.

We look forward to meeting you and your family!

Expressive Therapy uses different modalities such as paint, poetry, journaling, clay, and sand-tray to express emotion and access parts of our brain that are sometimes in “lockdown”.

How can Expressive Therapy help my teen?

Teens can often be in “lockdown”. Sometimes conventional talk therapy alone does not do the trick! Expressive therapy can help unlock emotions in a new way.

1. Expressive Therapy EMPOWERS teens

Being a teenager is a transformative time. This time of becoming can be confusing and overwhelming.

Emotions have a way of storing themselves in our bodies. Fatigue, emotional outbursts, depression can all be signs that emotions are building up inside and are having a hard time releasing.

Through Expressive Therapy, teens can use other parts of their brains to explore their emotions. By given the freedom to express their pain, fear, sadness in other forms can sometimes unlock and release the emotions where words get stuck. This in turn, empowers your teenager.

Expressive Therapy gives your teen a safe space to express their true feelings.

2. Expressive Therapy allows CREATIVITY to heal

Teens have so much going on in their lives. Finding their place, balancing school, friends, family, can all be overwhelming and add stress.

Expressive Therapy allows your teen space and resources to create and explore their needs in a way that is effective and open.

Your teen may choose to bring in their musical instrument and create music about what is going on in their life.

Or perhaps your teen may find it helpful to use paints to explore their pain and tell a story.

Using our creative brains and allowing freedom to explore and create is a healing and effective way of exploring emotion.

3. RELEASE powerful feelings safely through Expressive Therapy

We know that stress, trauma, and anxiety can be stored in the body.

At times, talk therapy is not effective enough in itself to work through those powerful emotions.

Using Expressive Therapy, we work to access emotion that is stored in our bodies, and then find ways to release it in a healthy safe way.

Teens have found empowerment and voice when able to paint their fears, or use clay or sand tray to represent their sadness.

Expressing and releasing does not have to use words. A goal of Expressive Therapy is to be able to access those powerful feelings in safety. And then your teen is supported in releasing them in an expressive way like journaling, using clay, paint, or music.

4. Expressive Therapy offers new ways to COMMUNICATE

Teens can have their own language. It can be hard to understand their inner world.

Parents often try to figure out what is going on inside their teen’s mind and heart and the language barrier can sometimes make it so teens can close up even tighter.

Expressive Therapy allows teens to communicate in ways in which they feel comfortable. It may be through poetry, it may be through music.

Expressive therapy uses art forms and other modalities as tools for teens to share themselves and be heard and understood.

Sometimes teens themselves have trouble understanding their own pain, they themselves may not know what is going on inside their bodies and minds.

Expressive Therapy opens the door to other forms of communication to help teens unlock and discover parts of themselves in a new way.

5. Expressive Therapy helps you and your teen CONNECT

When emotions are swirling around inside of you, it can be hard to create meaning or move through the pain. Expressive Therapy works to connect dots.

Perhaps a teen is having trouble finding themselves. Using creative journaling, the therapist can help the teen identify and create meaning in their lives.

Together the therapist and the teen can explore emotions, create meaning, empower and release fears by using a mixture of modalities.

Our brains and bodies are complicated beautiful vessels, there are many ways we can get in touch with our feelings and work through our pain towards healing.

Expressive Therapy works to unlock stored feelings and then together, the therapist and the teen can connect meaning and healing.

Expressive therapy can connect your teen to themselves, and help them connect to you.

Using Expressive Therapy in family counseling works as a common language. This can look like a family using sand tray together, a family art project, or family poetry.

Together we can access healing in an expressive and creative way!

Are you ready to explore how expressive therapy can help your teen and your family?

Once a week therapy sessions for your teen and your family are highly recommended.

This gives your teen and your family enough time to apply your new skills to everyday life and less time to slip back into unhelpful patterns.

Experience tells us that spreading out appointments draws out the process of overcoming struggles and ultimately results in more sessions needed.

Your teen can be in a better place!

Why not start the process today by scheduling online? We have the day, evening, and weekend appointments available for your convenience.

Not ready to schedule your first appointment yet?

Give us a call and we will be happy to answer your questions (360) 356-8756

Rates information is here.

We look forward to meeting you!

As you may already know, an epidemic of self-harm is occurring among teens.

Adolescents and even preteens are engaging in self-injury in record numbers.

Over 10% of our youth are thought to have experimented with cutting or other forms of self-mutilation.

What should you look for?

Since adolescents usually make an effort to cover up their self-harming behaviors, it can be tricky to confirm that a problem exists.

Being observant is key to uncovering early signs of self-harm.

Here is what you are looking for:

1. An abnormal number of cuts/burns on the wrists, arms, legs, hips or stomach;
2. A habit of wearing of long sleeves and pants even in warm weather;
3. Razors or knives left in strange locations;
4. Your teen locked away for long periods of time in their bedroom or bathroom;
5. Frequent ‘accidents’ that cause physical injury;
6. Stories or actual evidence that your teenager’s friends are self-mutilating;
7. Reluctance to be part of a social circle or social event.

How should you respond?

• Take the problem seriously. Acknowledge that this behavior is a cry for help and not simply attention-seeking behavior.
• Approach your teen calmly and lovingly. Reacting angrily may push your teen away.
• Listen to your child if they are ready to talk. Respond to their concerns with understanding and compassion.
• Express your love and concern to your teen.
• Seek professional help.

Can family therapy help with self-harm?

Research shows the most effective way to help a teen move past self-injury is individual and family therapy with an experienced counselor.

It is important to ask questions of a potential therapist to discover their process and success with helping other teens.

It also means that you, too, have the opportunity to see your teen heal when you participate in family therapy sessions.

A good counselor assists in opening up family communication that so often becomes closed down when your child enters their teens.

Can self-harm behavior become a chronic problem?

Self-injury is a behavior that over time becomes habitual, chronic and repetitive.

Like any of us with a bad habit, most self-harmers have a hard time saying “no” to their behavior – even when they realize it is unhealthy.

Once an adolescent is in the cycle of self-injury, the smallest things might trigger self-harm behaviors.

The best time to take action is now!

Connect with one of our teen counselors today!

Not ready to schedule your first appointment yet?

Give us a call and we will be happy to answer your questions (360) 356-8756

Rates information is here.

We look forward to meeting you and your family!