It's not always easy being a teenager. Although it may seem like the College Placement Counselor spends most of the time helping students with schedules and college, the counselor is also trained to help you sort things out when life gets complicated. Both Nido counselors are professionally trained to help students with a range of situations. When you need some advice or would just like a shoulder to lean on we hope you'll seek us out. If you have a connection to someone in the counseling office that is not your "official" counselor, please feel free to speak with that person as well.

Sometimes it's easier to read about something on your own before speaking to a counselor. We've identified some web sites that we think are pretty good at giving you honest and factual information about topics that you may feel uncomfortable discussing with others. After reading this information we hope you'll consider talking further with your counselor, parent, or other trusted adult.

Mental Health Related Sites

Dr. Drew
Dr. Drew, formerly of MTV, provides a good resource of factual information and covers a variety of typical teen questions.

Change Your Mind About Mental Health
Sponsored by the American Psychological Association, this site approaches mental health concerns from the young adult's point of view. It's designed to help teens assess their own concerns and decide whether professional help is needed. Anecdotes and examples make serious mental health problems easier to identify and understand.

He@lth
This site attempts to improve understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illness. It describes the most common mental disorders, commonly prescribed psychiatric drugs, and offers links to web sites on topics from Agoraphobia to Bulimia to Learning Disorders to Stress.

Anxiety Disorders
The National Institute of Mental Health gives a sketch of each known anxiety disorder and has a keyword search to help identify symptoms.

Stress
Although stress at its worst literally can be a killer, total eradication of stress is not ideal, either. This site helps you find your optimal level of stress and learn how to maintain it.

Depression and Death

depressedteens.com
An educational site dedicated to help teenagers and their parents understand the signs and symptoms of teenage depression and provide resources for those ready to reach out and get the help they need.

Let's Talk about Depression
Approximately 4% of adolescents get seriously depressed each year. This National Institute of Mental Health site discusses the topic of depression.

Suicide Prevention
FAQ on suicide, symptoms of depression and suicidal danger signs, most common misconceptions about suicide, what students should do if a friend had depression, what hospitalization does for depressives and a recommended reading list.

Relationships and Sexuality

Youth Embassy
Teen magazine says that this information is "...so straight forward and simple, your parents (and you) will be grateful when they sit you down for "the talk" only to find that you've got the tough stuff covered."

Out Proud
This site includes information on a variety of issues of interest to students who have questions or concerns about gay and lesbian issues.

AIDS Information
Avert, an international AIDS educational and medical research charity, provides information on this global epidemic.