Help for Parents of Struggling Teens

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Featured Programs

Copper Canyon AcademyCOPPER CANYON ACADMEY is an all girls school in Rimrock, Arizona. COPPER CANYON ACADEMY offers an extremely comprehensive therapeutic program for girls and their families through individual, group, and animal therapy. There are also parent seminars and family workshops. All of the therapists who work with the teenage girls and their families at COPPER CANYON ACADEMY are licensed by the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Services.


Aspen RanchAspen Ranch is a residential treatment center for troubled teens, at risk youth, and adolescents with a variety of behavioral problems. Through the Ranch's animal-assisted therapy programs, students learn life skills that initiate change. Horsemanship skills are integrated with team building activities, experiential learning, and therapy groups to create a unique program with endless possibilities.

Teens Often Willing Participants in Online "Romances" with Adults

Online sexual predators are not usually adults pretending to be children. They do not often stalk small children but teenagers. They do not usually look for their prey on Web sites like MySpace or Facebook, but rather in chat rooms. Online sexual predators tend to be young adults who look for vulnerable teenagers. Usually, they meet them face-to-face a few times and gradually build up to a consenting sexual relationship.

These are conclusions from a new 10-year study of Internet predators published in this month's issue of American Psychologist.

Researchers took two telephone surveys of more than 3,000 teenagers 10 to 17 years old, and then interviewed more than 600 police officers about online sexual predators.

The data indicated that victims tended to be teens that had poor relationships with their parents. About one-quarter of them were boys, especially those who were gay or questioning their sexuality. Teens tended to meet predators in chat rooms, not social network Web sites. Behaviors that put teens especially at risk included being rude online, discussing sex online with strangers, and allowing strangers to be on their "friends" lists. The teens often were looking for adventure and romance, and were willing participants in face-to-face encounters. The predators usually were not violent or stalking.

"Online molesters do not appear to be stalking unsuspecting victims but rather continuing to seek youths who are susceptible to seduction," according to the report printed by the American Psychological Association.

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