What We Do

The Center for Adolescent Studies is a interdisciplinary training institute providing high-quality training for professionals working with adolescents. Our mission is to train adults to help teens thrive through in-person and online professional development and continuing education training.

Read the Center for Adolescent Studies blog for quick, helpful tips for working with teems of all backgrounds. Explore our free, online, certificate, and upcoming courses and #helpteensthrive today! Like us on Facebook and follow below!

Founder

Sam Himelstein, Ph.D., works as a Licensed Psychologist (PSY25229) in the Chemical Dependency program at Kaiser Permanente with teens and their families, in private practice in Oakland, CA, researches the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions with incarcerated and underserved adolescent populations, is an author of multiple scholarly journal articles and two books, travels the country speaking at conferences and conducting professional trainings, and is the founder and president of the Center for Adolescent Studies. Dr. Himelstein is passionate about training professionals from multiple disciplines in creating authentic, healing relationships with adolescents that contribute to positive outcomes. A formerly incarcerated youth himself, Dr. Himelstein was privileged to change his life from a path of drugs, violence, crime, and self-destruction to that of healing and transformation. His mission is to help young people become aware of the power of self-awareness and transformation, and train professionals with similar interests. Learn more about his philosophy and approach in his books: A Mindfulness-Based Approach to Working with High-Risk Adolescents (Routledge, 2013), and Mindfulness-Based Substance Abuse Treatment for Adolescents: A 12-Session Curriculum (Routledge, 2015).

Listen to a recent podcast where Dr. Himelstein discusses his work as a trauma-informed therapist here.