Susan Bodnar PhD

Sexual Assault: How it Happens, What to Do

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My letter to the editor in the New York Times discusses the issue of sexual abuse in relationship to the alleged assault that took place at St Paul’s.  Below I offer a more thorough discussion of the role of cognitive confusion in sexual abuse and what to do to help prevent it. Update: Also see […]

Filed Under: adolescence, College, ethics, human interaction Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Where You Go is Not Who You’ll Be: An Encounter with Frank Bruni

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A year ago Frank Bruni wrote a series of columns that were to become his book Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania, published March 17. I read those articles avidly. After many years of offering words of wisdom and comfort to many anxious and wigged out teens […]

Filed Under: adolescence, books, College Tagged With: , , , , , ,

An Open Letter to Young Adults about Sex, Drugs and Alcohol

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Dear Young Person: Alcohol, drugs and sexuality can enhance and create life. They work. They can alter your moods, change your perceptions and disinhibit you. It’s fun to be able to behave differently. Blotting out discomfort relieves anxiety. Going wild can release tension. Alcohol, drugs and sexuality have always been part of the human experience. […]

Filed Under: adolescence, human interaction, identity, relationships, young adults Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Teach Your Children Well

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I’m not going to link to every reported instance of college or high school partying getting out of hand. Nor am I going to link to the number of emergency room visits that occur every weekend due to alcohol poisoning or drug overdoses; nor every instance of campus sexual abuse. In almost every adolescent community […]

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How to Date in Five (not so easy) Lessons

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I’m not sure why exactly it is easier to arm the student population than to simply reinforce the idea that sexuality is an extension of a relationship. I’m not advocating a return to a repressive sexuality. Rather, I’m thinking that the brilliant talented kids who constitute our country’s future might benefit from learning how to […]

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Thoughts on Male Sexuality

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In an age when sexuality has become openly commonplace, both boys and girls find it hard to recognize and value limits. Conversations offer a beginning point, an opportunity to sort out the new sexual mores for the twenty-first century. See my recent post on CNN.com for some thoughts about helping boys find an honorable sexuality.

Filed Under: adolescence, relationships Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Binge Sex: How Kids Learn About Rape

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Is there an epidemic of binge sex?  Is there a week that goes by without a story about teens or young adults drinking way too much who end up in an encounter of unwanted sexual contact and rape? In response to the recent onslaught of these stories Emily Yoffe’s post urged women to stop drinking. […]

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Underage Drinking: The Real Problem

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The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that alcohol use by those under the age of twenty- one is a major health problem. Research continues to demonstrate that teenage alcohol use endangers brain, liver and endocrine function. Binge drinking can also be lethal to young bodies. In New York City alone emergency visits due […]

Filed Under: adolescence, mental illness Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Sex Tips for Teens, or Sexual Mores for the 21st Century

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  What is the best way to talk to teens about sexuality?  Surprisingly, I have found that young people respond positively to the concept of a meaningful and sustainable sexuality. Just like kids want to protect their ecosystems, they also want to protect their bodies.  Between high school and the first post-college years many young […]

Filed Under: adolescence Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Gulf Coast Oil Spill #4: Teens

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If you are wondering just how bad things really are in the Gulf see this ABC news report. Philippe Cousteau (Jacque’s grandson) calls it a “nightmare.” Transocean is holding a memorial today for those who died in the Deepwater Horizon in Jackson, Miss. . People have died.  The US government is now calling it the […]

Filed Under: adolescence, environmental disaster, human interaction, personal environmentalism, politics Tagged With: , , , , , ,