COURSE 5N - GROWING UP GIRL - GIRLS MATTER!

Course overview

These professional training documents were authored, copyrighted, and published in the public domain by SAMHSA in collaboration with multiple other federal authorities (including CSAT,¿CMHS,¿and¿the¿Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention - OJJDP),¿and¿several nationally recognized experts in adolescent mental health and psychosocial development. The individuals responsible for each of the major sections are acknowledged within the course materials, including online contact information. The course is appropriate for CEAP, Social Workers, Counselors for both mental health and addiction, LMFTs, and others who work with at‐risk adolescent females and their families, educators, and other community service providers. The course explores the major impact upon adolescent girls¿ emerging self‐concept, psychosocial development, academic achievement, and mental health . . . brought about by ¿living in a digital fishbowl¿ ¿ fraught with social networking pressures, no sense of privacy, and the need to be ¿perfect¿ to avoid becoming the target of cyber profiling and bullying. It is the juggling of these new‐world demands and vulnerabilities which pushes an ever increasing number of adolescent girls down the slippery slope of anxiety, depression, drug abuse, and self‐harm. And thus, how do we as professionals support this new generation of girls who are so vulnerable ¿ how do we encourage resiliency? There are 5 sections in this course (Study Guides 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5). There is an interactive quiz for each of the five Study Guides. The participant must pass each of the five quizzes AND must submit the Feedback Form, in order to obtain a CE certificate for 5 Clock Hours of credit. The Goals of the course, through the five sections, are as follows: ¿ Know the typical and atypical developmental trajectories for adolescent females. ¿ Understand the role of peer pressure and family relationships upon the psychosocial development of girls, in the context of today's social and cultural environment. ¿ Know what it means to be a ¿digital native¿, and understand how social media is changing the ways girls connect and relate - including risky and unhealthy technological behaviors. ¿ Recognize the risks for development of behavioral health problems (depression, suicide, self-harm, binge eating, and aggression) in female adolescents. ¿ Understand the concept of the 'Triple Bind', and how it impacts today's adolescent girls. ¿ Know the key issues in development and treatment of self-injurious behavior, as a concomitant of self image and loss of control within a social milieu. ¿ Know current substance use trends and concerns for adolescent girls, and become familiar with resources for girls with SUDs issues, including recovery schools, family interventions, and the Voices Program approach. ¿ Review recommended girl-centered responses and interventions for use in response to crisis, interpersonal violence, and complex trauma. ¿ Know effective interventions and programming for young women, including *the fostering of resiliency and empowerment, *the provision of effective treatment alternatives when girls are in crisis, *some technological advances in behavioral health and recovery support, and *the principles for establishing safe and nurturing program environments.