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Guiding Our Adolescents to Lifelong Success (GOALS)

Our GOALS program was developed to help parents, teens, and children to improve health and health risks, build positive and sustainable health behaviors, and learn how to feel confident and comfortable in their own skin.

 

For adolescents: We work with teens and their parents to develop skills and confidence for living well and feeling good. Our approach is individualized. Sessions may focus on behavioral changes and support for healthful habits, sustainable self-care, positive body image and self-esteem, and managing social challenges. A central goal is to promote autonomy and independence, so that our teens can grow into confident young adults who know how to manage their weight and wellness over the course of life.

 

For younger children: Although our GOALS program is focused on teens, we try to support younger children in a different way: we work exclusively with their parents/caregivers. In part, we do this because caregivers are usually the “gatekeepers” and primary influences of young children’s opportunities for healthful behaviors and well-being. Another important reason is to minimize risks to young children’s self-esteem, body image, and relationship with food.

 

For parents and caregivers: Positive and sustainable habits often start at home. We help parents/caregivers to help their children grow into healthy, confident young adults. Via collaboration, education, skill-building, and support, we want to empower you to provide a healthy home and supportive environment for your family – and to feel proud of how you lead, feed, and nurture your loved ones. This may include strategies for behavioral nutrition, grocery shopping, and preparing convenient meals or snacks; working on parenting skills and positive communication; or addressing sensitive topics like weight, body image, bullying, and mental health or emotional challenges. We also provide care for parents/caregivers who struggle with their own weight and health.

 

One-on-one sessions with members of our behavioral nutrition and behavioral psychology teams are available now. These sessions are ideally held in person, but can be done virtually (phone, Skype, FaceTime) as well.

Additional services, including group-based support and skill-building sessions, grocery store tours, and other options, will begin in November.

Please email or call with questions or to schedule an initial appointment.