The Interpreted Rock

By Stephen C. Schultz The ’72-’73 school year was looking to be a good one! With the wind whistling through my hair, I coasted down City View Street on my green Schwynn Stingray headed to school at Westmoreland Elementary. Even though it had been a couple of weeks, I was feeling comfortable and getting settled in Mrs. Mansells third grade class. I came to a stop at the corner of 18th and City View and waited for the light to change. The school was directly across the street.   I stepped off the curb and into the cross walk. Once I was safely across, I rode on to the space behind the gym where the bike racks were.   I took the combination lock off my bike and rotated the tumblers to 9399 and pulled the green vinyl coated chain apart and ran it through the front tire and around the bike rack. I put the chain back together and rolled the tumblers to random numbers. This was the routine just about every day, rain or shine, for many of the students living in ...

By Stephen C. Schultz I was fortunate to spend a couple of days with Christopher Mulligan LCSW . Chris is a therapist in Los Angeles who specializes in treating cyber addiction in teenagers. Many of his clients are teens and families who also struggle with autism spectrum issues. One of the things that he mentioned, was that many of these socially awkward and emotionally fragile kids gravitate to online gaming and even pornography. They tend to get caught up in some rigid behaviors where family relationships, school performance and peer friendships suffer. Chris began exploring residential treatment options for those students who need more therapeutic structure as they work through some very difficult issues. In some instances, the patterns of dependence aren't adequately disrupted through outpatient therapy. So, what is a parent to do when they are concerned about their son or daughter spending too much time on the computer? Often pa...

By Stephen C. Schultz "John" was a bright kid at twelve. He was a good student and had a loving supportive family. He was a bit shy, somewhat reserved, but personable. At all appearances he seemed to be a typical kid with a bright future as he entered early adolescence. Now, at 22, "Johns" parents are concerned. They have sarcastically joked that he is now officially a member of the "failure to launch" club. While he was accepted to the local State University right out of High School, he didn't even make it through the first semester. He stays in his room for hours at a time. He refuses to shower or maintain appropriate hygiene. When his parents force him to leave the house he becomes irritable and argumentative. A threat to get rid of the computer and internet service only escalates the fighting and contention in the home. "John" is a "Gamer"! I met Cosette Rae, MSW in Tucson at a conference for clinicians and treatment ...