Social Media and Mental Health Challenges for Children, Teens, and Adults

Date/Time: Fri, Dec 5, 2025 · 12:30 PM PST

WITH ERICA FELSENTHAL, PH.D.

Online Only

Description

This engaging 2-hour CE training explores the latest neuroscience and clinical research on how social media impacts mental health across the lifespan. Participants will gain practical tools, ethical guidance, and evidence-based strategies to prevent harm, intervene effectively, and support families navigating today’s digital world.

This program is designed to deliver targeted, practical learning in a short timeframe, leaving participants with a clear understanding of key social media issues and simple, adaptable tools to begin applying immediately in their clinical practice. This webinar offers 2 hours of Continuing Education Credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, & LEPs and is appropriate for all mental health professionals.

Cost & Details

Tuition: Early bird rate: $39.00; $49.00 after November 21.

Non-credit Fee: $10

You also have an opportunity to include a tax-deductible donation to The Maple Counseling Center. Excluding the cost of the webinar, all amounts donated are tax deductible. The Maple Counseling Center is a tax-exempt organization as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; EIN 95-2753118. Please consult with your tax advisor with any questions.

Class Schedule: 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM

Schedule

12:30   Welcome & Learning Objectives — Training overview and participant expectations

12:35   Neuroscience of Social Media — Dopamine reward system & habit loops; Attention, multitasking, and sleep disruption

12:50   Mental Health Risks by Age Group — Children, teens, young adults, adults, older adults; Anxiety, depression, body image, burnout, scams

1:05   Cyberbullying, AI & Case Examples — Cyberbullying prevalence and impacts; Case study vignette (Netflix Adolescence); AI chatbots and impulsivity risks

1:20   Prevention & Intervention Strategies — Clinical screening and CBT/EFT approaches; Family media agreements and digital hygiene; School collaboration and mandated reporting

1:35   Platform Features & Teen Vernacular — Common platforms by age group; Emojis and code words teens use; Safety features: what works and what doesn’t

1:45   Practical Tools & Resources — Self-help and boundaries around tech; Key organizations (OSMS, Common Sense Media, NCMEC); California-specific legal/ethical resources

2:00   Q&A — Wrap-Up — Reflection question: “What’s one strategy you’ll use this week?”

Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Identify at least three ways social media use impacts mental health across different age groups.

• Explain the neuroscience of dopamine and how social media engages the brain’s reward system.

• Assess risk factors for problematic social media use in children, teens, and adults.

• Apply evidence-based strategies to support clients in developing healthy social media habits.

Access & Details

Access: Online via Zoom. For Zoom, the link will be provided to you. Be sure to register using the email address that you use to log in to Zoom as the link will only work with the specific address you register with.

Attire: Dress comfortably.

Tech Requirements: You will need a stable internet connection and the most recent version of Zoom Client for Meetings (available free here).

Tech Courtesy: We want your experience to be positive, so please:

- Log in to the session a few minutes early.

- Submit questions via the chat feature.

- Limit chat submissions to workshop topics only.

This webinar offers 2 hours of Continuing Education Credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, & LEPs and is appropriate for all mental health professionals.

Presenter

Erica Felsenthal, Ph.D.

Erica Felsenthal, Ph.D, is a Clinical Neuropsychologist, Health and Safety Commissioner in Beverly Hills and a provider of UCLA Longevity Center’s Brain Bootcamp program. She believes in a holistic approach to health and wellness and works with individuals, couples and families across the lifespan.

Dr. Felsenthal teaches research-based strategies to improve memory and other cognitive functions, manage stress and moods and provides concrete tools for a healthier brain and improved well-being.

Website: drericafels.com

Disclosure

The Lifespan Learning Institute and The Maple Counseling Center have implemented a process where everyone who is in a position to control the content of any educational activity must disclose any potentially relevant financial relationship with a commercial interest. The presenter listed above has been determined to be free of conflict for the purposes of this workshop.

Continuing Education Credit

The Lifespan Learning Institute and Maple Counseling are cosponsors of this Continuing Education program. Lifespan Learning Institute (Provider # 050085) is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, & LEPs. Lifespan Learning Institute maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content.

Course meets the qualifications for 2 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Science.

Course Completion Certificates: Awarded at the end of the course in exchange for verified attendance and a completed evaluation form. (Or successful completion of an online test and a completed evaluation form)

Sponsors

The mission of Maple Counseling is to provide low-cost comprehensive mental health services to individuals of all ages, couples, and families, and to provide training for graduate and postgraduate students who are working towards licensure in the mental health field. Since its inception in 1972, Maple Counseling has helped over 300,000 people receive critical mental health service. Maple Counseling provides programs and services to people of all ages, annually servicing over 7,700 individuals throughout all areas of Los Angeles County, and expanding to support all of California via telehealth. Maple offers ongoing counseling services in a safe space for adults through individual, couples, and group sessions, as well as to children, teens, and families, and provides psychiatric services through the Kapelovitz Psychiatry Program for eligible clients. In addition, Maple Counseling offers several community-based programs onsite at various schools including Community Circle, The Ted and Hedy Orden & Family Community-Based Preschool Mental Health Program, and School-Based Counseling Services that serve over 1,600 students a year.

Lifespan Learning Institute is a non-profit organization founded by a group of senior clinicians who sought to impact the direction of mental health training by providing training in classic and cutting-edge research… Continuing education credit offered through conferences, workshops and home study programs.