blogs
How Do I Pick the Right Treatment Program?
What Does Marijuana Do to the Brain?
What To Do If My Child is Using Marijuana
podcasts
Operation Parent: State of Modern Youth
Discover the world today’s youth are growing up in, a world full of screens, high expectations, and pressures very different from the childhood many adults remember, even when some challenges sound familiar. Dr. Crystal Collier, inspired by her book Inside Your Moves Matter, shares how teens make decisions and why their brains respond differently under stress. Her teen interns will share their experiences and thoughts on gambling, marijuana, pornography, technology overuse, and mental health. Parents, caregivers, and adults will learn how to better understand modern adolescence and respond in intentional ways that help youth stay safe and healthy.
Wager Danger
Hope & Healing Center: How Porn Rewires Our Brains
The average age of first exposure to pornography is 9-10 and the first search for pornography is age 10-11. This presentation will describe the effect of youth pornography use on the developing brain, as well as its effects in adults. Parents will learn what pornography use prevention looks and sounds like, and what couples can do if pornography has interfered in their relationship.
Unbabbled
In this episode, Crystal Collier, PhD, LPC-S discusses high-risk behaviors in children and teenagers. She gives concrete and practical tips on how to talk with children about these difficult topics in a simple and easily understood manner, and explains how bringing these topics up at an early age can reduce the chance of engaging in these high-risk behaviors down the line.
Stage of Change for Families Who Love Someone Struggling with Risky Behavior
Dr. Collier discusses the Stages of Change as a tool for assisting family members when approaching loved ones who are struggling with ambivalence toward goal achievement. Learn how to utilize stages of change strategies from a family perspective. Listeners will have an understanding of the Stages of Change, including how to identify each stage, and which intervention techniques are appropriate depending on stage of change.
Motivational Interviewing: How to Respond to Loved Ones
Join us for this presentation that provides families with valuable information that relates specifically to using the Motivational Interviewing technique and concepts as a tool for assisting family members when approaching loved ones who are struggling with ambivalence toward goal achievement or who are struggling with destructive behaviors or conditions like cannabis use disorder.
Interventions for Youth Behavioral Health Issues: What to Do When Your Teen is Using Marijuana
In this Johnny's Ambassadors webinar, Dr. Collier discusses interventions for youth behavioral issues and what to do when you discover your teen is using marijuana.
Smart Families: The Impact of Technology on Teens
This special online presentation of our parent neuroscience talk reveals how technology use affects the development of teens. Learn about one of the most important topics for parents this century from Crystal Collier, PhD. Dr. Collier is a therapist, prevention researcher, and educator named counselor of the year in 2019 by the Houston Association of Counselors. She specializes in empowering parents to protect children's developing brains.
The Balanced Voice Crimestoppers Houston
The Drug Prevention Power Hour
Operation Parent: Behavior Modification
Dr. Crystal Collier joined Operation Parent again to train parents, clinicians, and educators on behavior modification. The webinar goes over theories and tools to combat negative and risky behaviors like acting out, cell phone overuse, excessive gaming, substance use, and more. Parents and clinicians learn the philosphy and daily tools needed to shape behavior with rewards and consequences.
Vaping: Is Histroy Repeating Itself
Dr. Collier discusses the capitalistic patterns of public health problems, why nicotine is so addictive, how vaping marijuana exacerbates the problem, and what parents and clinicians can do if young people start vaping.
Washtenaw County Health Department: Cannabis in Practice Series
Dr. Collier discusses the neuroscience of cannabis, how THC affects brain development, and what clinicians need to know to implement effective prevention and treatment.
Bright Futures Counseling Simplified
Operation Parent: Prevention Science in Action
Join Dr. Crystal Collier, therapist and author, and Jake White, founder of Vive18 Youth Prevention, for practical strategies to guide young people toward healthier choices. Dr. Collier will share her expertise in neurodevelopment and prevention programming, offering tips for parents to shape decision-making skills and for schools to implement a cohesive prevention approach. As a youth prevention speaker, Jake White will provide insights on encouraging a drug-free lifestyle and making prevention messaging more engaging and memorable for today’s youth at school and at home. Learn age-appropriate ways to help students build confidence, resist peer pressure, and avoid high-risk behaviors.
Parental Advice for Adolescent Addiction with Dr. Crystal Collier
Are you a parent who is navigating through your adolescent’s addiction? Or, are you wanting to learn how to prevent addiction within your family? If you are searching for the right questions to be asking and how to have the healthy, safe, and validating conversations with your children, this episode is for you. Our guest this week helps guide us through the process of healthy conversations and how to develop strong relationships with your family in order to stay proactive in both addiction recovery and addiction prevention.
Calm & Connected Podcast
As parents, we are concerned that our kids and teens may engage in high risk behaviors as they grow up. How can we, as parents, encourage our children away from engaging in these high risk behaviors? Or, if they are already doing any of these behaviors, how can we encourage them to stop them? In today’s episode, we discuss:
- Dr. Collier’s work in addiction and adolescence development
- How your brain can change and the affect you can have on your reactions
- How parents can reduce high risk behavior
- How to keep lines of communication open between parent and child
- Chatting with your child with framework, ‘We feel, we deal and we trust.’
- Finding coping skills and strategies
Hope & Healing Center: Build Your Family Code
Dr. Crystal Collier, author of "The NeuroWhereAbouts Guide", will show parents and families how to build a family code that can be used as a developmental prevention tool. Parents will learn prevention science tools and parenting techniques to use with kids from early childhood to college. Kids are exposed to a myriad of high-risk behaviors in our digital world earlier than kids from previous generations. The brain-based tools found in "The NeuroWhereAbouts Guide" will empower parents and equip kids with the information and skills they need to keep their brain development on track!
Operation Parent: Positve Empowerment for Elementary Parents
Dr. Crystal Collier joins Operation Parent again to educate parents, clinicians, and educators on the principles of modifying behavior. In this webinar, Dr. Collier provides practical advice for nurturing optimal brain development and enhancing preventive skills in children from Kindergarten through 5th grade. The prevalence of high-risk behavior among kids is occurring at younger ages. Dr. Collier enables parents to be proactive, empowering them to prepare their children for potential exposure to social media, gaming, and substances. The session will address strategies for promoting positive behavior and reducing negative tendencies.
Hope & Healing Center: The Enabling Parent of the Addicted Child
Codependency and enabling characteristics of parents and loved ones can keep a teen or adult child who is struggling with addiction stuck in unhealthy behavior patterns. Participants will learn how to identify these negative behavior patterns and how to support in ways that really help.
Power Your Parenting with Colleen O'Grady
In this powerful episode, Dr. Crystal Collier joins Colleen to unpack the science behind teen decision-making, impulsivity, and risk. With compelling insights from her own story and decades of research, Dr. Collier explains how dopamine, brain development, and social pressure collide in the adolescent years. She shares how high-risk behaviors like vaping, binge drinking, and overusing tech can alter executive functioning—and what parents can do to help. From early prevention strategies to family code building, refusal skills, and brain-based praise, this episode offers actionable steps to help your teen thrive.
Family of Origin Mapping with Dr. Crystal Collier
Learn methods for mapping families of origin with Dr. Crystal Collier. Trauma bond with critical/abusive parents, oppressive societies, and shaming religions can create a lifetime of negative core beliefs, intense shame, and maladaptive coping mechanisms. Mapping when these events occurred to understand what specific maladaptive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors were created offers a window into their origin and sheds light on the path of healing. FOO Mapping for individual and couples can create a deeper understanding of reactive patterns and assist in the development of new, healthier methods of coping and communication.
book dr. collier
If you are interested in having Dr. Collier educate your school, community, parent group, or would like clinical services, click the link below. If you are a student in search of resources, please contact a trusted adult, counselor or view the resources in KnowYourNeuro.org
email newsletter sign up
Click below to sign up to receive news, information, and book releases from Dr. Collier and KnowYourNeuro! You are consenting to receive marketing emails from us, but you can revoke your consent at any time using the Unsubscribe link found in the footer of every email.