Friendships are an important part of adolescence, offering young people a sense of belonging, connection, and support as they begin figuring out who they are. But peer relationships can also become a significant source of stress. While conflict is a normal part of any friendship, there is a difference between an occasional disagreement and a

In Tennessee, the number of children identified with autism has more than doubled over the past decade according to Vanderbilt Health. In 2014, approximately 1 in 68 children in the state were identified with autism. Today, that number is closer to 1 in 29. State officials estimate that roughly 11% of Tennessee children experience attention-deficit/hyperactivity

Behind classroom doors across Tennessee, many teens are carrying more than backpacks and homework. They are carrying sadness, hopelessness, and, for some, thoughts of ending their lives. According to the 2023 Tennessee Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 42.7% of high school students reported feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for at least two weeks, while

Watching your child struggle with their mental health can leave you feeling helpless, heartbroken, and wondering if you’re doing enough. While your pre-teen or teen receives the support they need at Embrace U, Parent U exists to make sure you don’t have to navigate the journey alone. Mental Health is a Family Journey​ At Embrace U, we

Teen anger can be confusing and exhausting for parents. One day your child laughs with the family, and the next they’re slamming the doors, arguing over the smallest things, and snapping at everyone around them. While emotional ups and downs are a normal part of adolescence, frequent, intense, or hard-to-control anger can point to deeper

When it comes to finding mental health care for a teen or pre-teen, many parents believe that there are only two options for support: one-on-one therapy or inpatient hospitalization during a crisis. But what if your child needs more support than a weekly session with a therapist, and their symptoms haven’t reached the intensity that would

As a parent of teens or pre-teens, it's natural to wonder whether your child’s worries are simply part of growing up or signs of something more serious. More than 20% of Tennessee parents reported concerns that their child had undiagnosed anxiety in a poll conducted by researchers at Vanderbilt Center for Child Public Health. That

Healing doesn’t happen through conversation alone. That’s why Embrace U takes a hands-on approach to mental health treatment to help adolescents turn therapeutic practices into real-world skills they can use long after treatment ends. Our therapists use activities, games, and art projects to help explain ideas and concepts to our teen and pre-teen patients. The hands-on

The start of a new school year in Tennessee brings change for almost every adolescent. Even confident, outgoing teens and pre-teens can become more emotional, irritable, or anxious before school starts. For parents, it can be difficult to know if their child’s behavior is normal back-to-school nerves or the sign of something more serious. The

When symptoms of a mental health challenge severely impact your child, finding the right treatment can feel overwhelming. The good news is that you don’t need to know what level of care your child needs or have every question answered before reaching out to Embrace U. You simply need to make the call. Step One: Call

Deciding whether to send a student who is experiencing severe symptoms of a mental health challenge to school or treatment can feel like a tough choice, especially as Tennesseans begin the start of a new school year. It’s natural for parents to worry if their teen or pre-teen is ready to go back to school,

Dialectical Behavior Therapy, otherwise known as DBT sounds complicated, right? It’s really not. Simply defined, DBT is a type of therapy that takes a structured approach to teaching teens how to manage their big emotions and the challenges that they face every day. It’s all about focusing on four things: mindfulness, acceptance, distress tolerance, emotion regulation,