We work with teens and young adults every day here at Victor. Many of our employees have their own children as well, so we are no stranger to the role social media is playing in their lives.

We try to communicate with kids about their online presence. It's good to set time limits and certain boundaries, but there's no denying that social media will be a part of their lives and follow them into adulthood. 

With the COVID-19 pandemic and boom of TikTok, the social world has grown larger yet more connected at the same time. Video based platforms like YouTube, SnapChat, and TikTok allow teens to hop on trends, recreate, and share easier than ever. Couple that with algorithms becoming smarter and teens can find communities online that they relate to easier than ever.  

There is also an outpouring of educational content. We've needed to get information out quickly and reach as many people as possible during the pandemic. Because of that platforms have evolved and social media has become the primary source of information and advertisements. 

Because of these changes to the social media landscape, the data of how our teens' mental health is effected is also changing. In an article published by Psychology Today by Danielle Ramo, Ph.D., they explore how Social Media is actually helping teens cope with depression.

We work with teens and young adults every day here at Victor. Many of our employees have their own children as well, so we are no stranger to the role that social media is playing in their lives. We try to communicate with kids about their online presence. It's good to set time limits and certain boundaries, but there's no denying that social media will be a part of their lives and follow them into adulthood. 

There are the obvious issues like cyberbullying and inappropriate content, but research shows there are more subtle issues that can develop in teens and young adults as a result of overuse and reliance on social media. Increased feelings of depression, isolation and anxiety can result from an unhealthy relationship with social media. These issues have become more prevalent in youth, but also affect adults when we form bad habits regarding our social media and online habits. In an article published by Psychology Today they explore this issue a little deeper. They ask some important questions and present some interesting findings, such as "College students have surpassed the elderly as the loneliest segment of the population."

At Victor we are all about helping others, it's our business and our passion. Helping others improves their lives, while improving our communities and ourselves. There is so much emphasis on self-discovery and self-promotion today, that it's easy to forget that our identity though unique, is still built on the foundation of community. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

At Victor, we talk a lot about values, our guiding principles which help us achieve our mission "to be a catalyst for sustained improvement in the lives of those we touch." There is a common misconception that things like mission statements and core values are marketing jargon, without real substance. From our point of view this could not be further from the truth.

Our core values guide our organization on a daily basis. From the decisions we make, to how we interact with clients and staff members, every small decision and every large one is guided by our organizations values. There are some important benefits to having a common set of core values both externally and inside an organization. So what are our core values and what do they mean?

Psychiatry Online published an article on the success of Wraparound programs in helping troubled youth. They offer an interesting perspective on the role of a Psychiatrist collaborating with the wraparound team. The article also highlights an opportunity for the Psychiatrist to work more closely with the wraparound team for better outcomes.