Websites Especially for Teens

Teens have many important questions and concerns about themselves, their friends, and their parents, but figuring out who to ask about what and when isn’t always easy. These mental health resources provide a wealth of information and advice which can help you to find answers to your questions, to better understand the changes that you (or your friends) are undergoing, and to make smart decisions about your life.

The resources below are divided into the following categories:

General Interest
Common Teen Concerns
General Mental Health Resources for Teens
Specific Mental or Physical Health Issues

General Interest

Safety: Teen Driving

www.msppinterface.org/guides/teenDriving

Tips and facts to help teens drive safely.

Planning for College (for teens with a disability)

www.going-to-college.org/planning/index.html

Transitioning From High School to College: A Primer for Students with Disabilities

www.msppinterface.org/docs/transitioning-from-high-school-to-college-a-primer-for-students-with-disabilities.pdf

Boston Youth Zone

www.bostonyouthzone.com

“Activities, opportunities, and other fun stuff for kids and teens. By Boston teens, for Boston teens.”

TeenLife Boston

www.teenlifeboston.com

“Where students, parents and educators come to connect with hundreds of "opportunities beyond school," such as summer programs, school year programs, services, volunteer activities, workshops and events just for teens and their families.”

Common Teen Concerns

The Cool Spot

www.thecoolspot.gov

Created for young teens, this site quizzes kids about how much drinking is really going on in the U.S. and depicts why using alcohol as a solution to problems or a way of coping is trouble. It also presents animated scenes that invite kids to identify and resist common peer pressure “tricks” and helps kids learn the most effective ways to say “no.”

Love is Not Abuse

www.loveisnotabuse.com

Click the “Just for teens” tab at the top to see a list of teen-specific resources.

Love is Respect

www.loveisrespect.org

This site provides access to the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline, a phone and internet resource operated by the National Domestic Violence Hotline. This Helpine and web site were designed exclusively for teens so they can contact a trained peer or adult advocate anonymously and confidentially. The Helpline and loveisrespect.org offer real-time one-on-one support, information, and advocacy to those involved in dating abuse relationships, as well as to concerned parents, teachers, clergy, law enforcement, and service providers.

Maria Talks

www.mariatalks.com

Maria Talks is a statewide sexual health hotline and web site designed specifically for Massachusetts teens covering topics such as pregnancy, sexual violence and GLBTQ.

National Institute on Drug Abuse: Students & Young Adults

www.nida.nih.gov/students.html

The “Students & Young Adults” section gives information and resources about drugs, smoking, marijuana, steroids, prescription medications, and other topics.

Teen HealthFX

www.teenhealthfx.com/answers/Emotional

This site provides teens with an online resource for answers to any and all of their questions regarding their mental and physical health, relationships, their body and their sexuality. Questions are answered by a professional staff, and the site includes an “Emotional Health Quiz” and advice “For Teens by Teens.

TeensHealth

teenshealth.org/teen

From the non-profit health organization Nemours, this site covers health issues for teens, dividing them into categories such as Food & Fitness, Infections, and Mind. The home page includes features such as “Hot Topics,” “Expert Answers On...,” and “Featured Articles.”

TEEEN Wellness Program

www.caritaschristi.org/St_Elizabeth/Services_and_Clinical_Centers/Pediatrics/TEEEN%3B_Home

The Teens-Empowerment-Exercise-Education-Nutrition (TEEEN) Program is a unique program for children ages 10-20 that are considered prone to be overweight, or are overweight. Our program incorporates exercise, education, and empowerment tools. Activities include nutritional lectures and exercise programs with an exercise physiologist to promote a healthy lifestyle. Participants can join the program any time during the year, but registration is required prior to session.

General Mental Health Resources for Teens

Project Catch-It

catchit-public.bsd.uchicago.edu/intro/ch1-2.aspx

A community- and Internet-based program designed to teach teens and young adults how be resilient.

Discovery Health Teen Center

health.discovery.com/centers/teen/mentalhealth/mentalhealth.html

Find out how to cultivate a healthy level of self-esteem; learn about general mental health, depression, and self-abuse; understand the dangers of eating disorders, and more.

Just for You

www.healthfinder.gov/justforyou

Click on “Teens” for information about topics such as drug abuse, stress and depression.

Mind Zone

www.copecaredeal.org

Information on topics including anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, eating disorders, schizophrenia, and suicide prevention. Site includes downloadable books with firsthand accounts of teens’ experiences with mental illness, up-to-date information from experts on the illnesses and their treatment, and tips for coping in everyday life. There are also links to other helpful web sites.

What a Difference a Friend Makes

www.whatadifference.org/

The web site for a campaign “to encourage, educate, and inspire people between 18 and 25 to support their friends who are experiencing mental health problems." On this site "find tools to help in the recovery process, and you can also learn about the different kinds of mental illnesses, [and] read real-life stories about support and recovery.” Some material also in Spanish. From the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Your Mind: Sorting It All Out

kidshealth.org/teen

Provides doctor-approved answers, advice and straight talk on over 100 topics related to everything from feeling sad to relationships to dealing with problems. Site includes answers to questions submitted by teens. In English and Spanish.

Specific Mental or Physical Health Issues

Written for adolescents who have been diagnosed with OCD, or who have noticed unusual OCD-like behavioral symptoms that are getting in the way of schoolwork, friendships, extra-curricular activities or family relationships. It provides practical information about the disorder and treatment options. Also helpful for parents who want to provide information to a teenager in their household who may be suffering with OCD.

Disclaimer: Material on the MSPP INTERFACE Referral Service website is intended as general information. It is not a recommendation for treatment, nor should it be considered medical or mental health advice. The MSPP INTERFACE Referral Service urges families to discuss all information and questions related to medical or mental health care with a health care professional.