S2:E2 - Guest Expert: Celeste Osborne, Understanding Depression in Teens

11/18/20 • 48 min

Cast:
Dr. Tara Egan, host and child & adolescent therapist
Anna, teen cohost
Celeste Osborne, LPC-S, Therapist

Hey Listeners, Anna and I are back again today and are talking with Celeste Osborne about depression in teens.

Especially during Covid-19, the topic of depression has become super relevant with everyone feeling isolated and school work keeping kids in front of the screen. The term depression is thrown around a lot in regular conversation and the goal today is to really define depression and make sure that we discriminate between the casual usage of the term and how we define depression as therapists.

Celeste shares with us the definition of depression, as well as, characteristics of someone (teens) with depression, things to look out for, risk factors, and practical steps that parents can take.

Depression is not moments of sadness, but persistent sadness. Tara and Celeste share examples of what they see with the teens and families that they work with and what you as a parent can be aware of and keep an eye out from their experience.

Oftentimes, parents feel that their kid is just being moody because they are a teenager and that's what teens do. They try to give them their space and privacy, but without being aware and not taking an active role in their lives, signs can be missed.

Other subtopics we touch on:
- The role that social media has on depression
- How medications can be helpful in some instances and the fears that many parents have about medication
- After being depressed for extended periods of time, kids identify with that and when they finally do get relief, they feel scared and not sure who they are anymore

We wrap up the episode discussing how getting a therapist involved could be beneficial and at what point should that be considered.

To learn about Celeste and her services visit her website, HERE.

To learn more about Dr. Tara Egan, visit www.drtaraegan.com.
To learn more about Dr. Tara Egan's private therapy practice, visit www.charlotteparentcoaching.com

Please visit our Facebook page and Instagram page and register for our FREE weekly parenting webinars HERE.

This episode is sponsored by Eaton Press. Eaton Press provides writing coaching, editing, and publishing services to help business professionals write, publish, and market their books as a tool to grow their business. Make your book happen.

Previous Episode

21 - Guest Expert: Jennifer Moore, How Primary Caregivers Can Prepare for Separation or Divorce

Cast:
Dr. Tara Egan, host and child & adolescent therapist
Anna, teen cohost
Jennifer Moore, Family Law Specialist
Hey Listeners, welcome to season 2! Anna and I start off our season talking to Jennifer Moore, a board certified specialist in family law, located here in Charlotte, NC.
Jennifer is with us today to share some information for primary caregivers on how to best protect the children in the early stages of separation and divorce.

We begin with the questions- what should primary caregivers consider early on in the process, prior to separation? We dive into how typically parents will have 50/50 shared custody. What are instances when 50/50 custody is not necessarily in the best interest of the children?
In both mine and Jennifer's experiences we find that often the primary care giver is now feeling irritated and even betrayed that their spouse is now taking a more active role in the kids lives after the separation. They may feel that they have lost their identity as the primary caregiver for the family. There is a better way to reframe this new situation and that this is actually a good problem to have.
What can parents do to protect their kids? Planning is an essential part of the process:
- Financially- looking at the financial landscape of your current situation and what will be needed for the future for you and your kids, what the next move is
- Be prepared to litigate for themselves, have their own advocate
- Talking to friends and family for help for a little while get you started
If you are a primary care giver what are some things to look for in finding an attorney and how early to seek out support? Jennifer shares it best to start asap and gives us details about the different "types" of family law attorneys to help you in seeking the best support for you.

What are the differences between a parent coordinator and a guardian ad litem?
Jennifer goes into the details of each and how they support parents and children in the legal process and the pivotal roles that they play.
Jennifer answers Anna questions about the kids roles in the process....
Is the judges opinion influenced by the children? If a parent is talking negatively about the other parent is there anything the legal system can do about it?

To learn about Jennifer and her services or ask any questions: visit her website at www.yourncattorney.com or email her at [email protected]

To learn more about Dr. Tara Egan, visit www.drtaraegan.com.
To learn more about Dr. Tara Egan's private therapy practice, visit www.charlotteparentcoaching.comPlease visit our Facebook page and Instagram page and register for our FREE weekly parenting webinars HERE.

This episode is sponsored by Moe's Southwest Grill. Order a family taco kit for $34.99 and make family dinner fun.

Next Episode

23 - Guest Expert: Amanda Crowder, LCSW, Trauma Specialist, Understanding Childhood Trauma

Host: Dr. Tara Egan
Co-host: Anna, teen daughter
Guest Expert: Amanda Crowder, Certified Trauma Specialist
Today we are talking with Amanda Crowder (LCSW) about childhood trauma. We want to share this information with clinicians and parents, so we can learn little bit more about it, seeing that it is such a public health issue right now.
Trauma is a subjective experience to an objective event, Amanda Crowder says. It's not what you think someone should be feeling or how they should be handling it. It is more about what is going on for them.
An example Amanda gives is how a family with three kids can all experience a divorce between their parents completely differently, and maybe only one experiences trauma from it.
We share a ton of information about :
- What trauma is and how it is not necessarily caused by one event
- The subjective nature of it
- Some examples of what could be considered as traumatic
- Characteristics/symptoms you might see in a child that has experienced trauma
- Details of one of the main modalities Amanda uses with her clients

We discuss with Amanda what a parent can do to be supportive if their child is having a reaction to something and interpreting it is as highly stressful or traumatic and how a traumatic event can impact kids later in life.
Tara shares some personal anecdotes from her own life and childhood and how her mother's mental illness shaped her life in some ways and how her and her family have dealt with it.
As always, Anna discusses her perspective from the teen's point of view.
To check out Amanda's book, CBT Toolbox for Children & Adolescents, go HERE
To learn more about Amanda and her work, you can visit her website www.calmingwaterscounselingservices.com
Learn more about Dr. Tara Egan's therapy services RIGHT HERE.
Learn more about Dr. Tara Egan's books, webinars, public speaking opportunities, and coaching/consultation services RIGHT HERE.
Register for our FREE weekly parenting webinar series RIGHT HERE. We discuss a myriad of parenting topics each week, and registrants can watch LIVE or get the recording emailed to watch at a more convenient time.
Finally, join our private FB group for parents of high school students RIGHT HERE.
This podcast episode is edited by Laura Bauder of PodcastHERs.