Enhancing Healthy #AdolescentDevelopment #youthmentalhealth #counselingskills #Cheapceus

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Objectives
 Identify the developmental tasks of adolescents and what can be done to facilitate those
 Review unique points to remember when dealing with adolescents
 Identify protective factors
 Identify antecedents to high risk behaviors
 Brainstorm ways to address antecedents with the individual, in school, in communities and in families
Developmental Tasks of Adolescence
Points to Remember
 Adolescents are competent individuals with strengths and potential
 Adolescents are diverse in their developmental stages and their abilities to comprehend and respond to specific tasks and expectations.
 Adolescent behavior is meaningful to the adolescent.
 Adolescents desire a sense of belonging, wish to participate in decisions, and have a voice about issues that affect their lives.
Points to Remember
 Build on adolescent’s strengths
 Much of the morbidity and mortality during adolescence is related to unhealthy or risky behaviors (e.g. smoking, drinking and
driving, unprotected sex, drug use, violence)
 Adolescents who engage in one risky behavior are more likely to engage in others
 Focus on the antecedents of high-risk behavior instead of the behavior itself

Antecedents to High Risk Behaviors
 Adverse Childhood Experiences
 Abuse, neglect or victimization—Experienced or witnessed IPV
 Divorce and separation
 Mental health or substance abuse issues in the household
 Undiagnosed learning disabilities
 School failure
 Academic failure was a greater risk factor for later adolescent drinking than adolescent drinking was for later academic failures

Addressing Antecedents Adolescent Brain Development
 The brain matures from “back” to “front. ” Adolescent decision-making behaviors are more influenced by the amygdala than the prefrontal cortex:
 Decision-making is influenced by emotional/gut responses vs. higher order cognitions
 The pre-frontal cortex is responsible for planning, strategizing, judgment, impulse control and regulation of emotions
 Initial “growth spurt” at 11-12 years and continues through 25 years
 From 12-12 there is a pruning process of unused neuronal connections
 The temporal gap between the development of the socio-emotional and cognitive control systems of the brain underlies some aspects of adolescent reckless behavior and risk-taking
Comprehensive Health
 Healthy young people learn better and achieve more.
 Schools can directly influence students’ health and behaviors.
 Schools and communities can encourage healthy lifestyle choices, and promotes adolescent health and well-being.
 Health literacy can be incorporated into all aspects of school as well as recreation
 Schools, families and communities need to collaborate with youth to develop workable strategies

Strategies
 Enhance cognitive “wise mind” processing during adolescence to retain those synapses
 Actively engage youth by providing opportunities for meaningful participation and sustained involvement in protective activities
 Develop resiliency skills
 Enhance protective factors
Protective Factors
 Family support
 Positive family communication
 Clear and consistent boundaries and expectations
 Other adult relationships
 Encouragement to develop relationships
 Connection to the family, school and community
 Youth are provided opportunities to be useful resources (meaningful participation)
 Youth feel emotionally and physically safe
 Planning and decision making
 Resiliency:
 Problem solving
 Efficacy
 Social support
 Communication skills
 Mindfulness/self-awareness
 Self-esteem
 Distress tolerance
 Resistance and refusal skills
 Positive view of the future
 Cultural competence


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