Adolescents and the Risks That Affect Them

Course overview

Course Description: This course begins with a portrait of the health and circumstances of adolescents in the United States and then takes a close look at a few of the most prevalent risks they take, including sexual risk-taking, substance use, illegal behavior, and risky driving. The chapter closes with a look at the most common emotional disorders that affect adolescents. This course is based upon material published in the workshop report The Science of Adolescent Risk-Taking and is available as an open access article. This course on adolescent risks is designed for social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors, who do clinical work. This course is appropriate for beginning, intermediate and advanced level practitioners who wish to develop their understanding of behavioral and emotional risks associated with adolescence. The course material includes a review of behaviors that put adolescents at risk, as well as the most common emotional disorders that affect this population. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require clinical continuing education courses for license renewal. Authors: Committee on the Science of Adolescence; Board on Children, Youth, and Families; Institute of Medicine and National Research Council. Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding behavioral and emotional risks in adolescence. Specifically, a professional will: •Describe health and risk factors that affect adolescents •Identify the prevalence and developmental course of specific risky behaviors in adolescence •Recognize common mental health risks associated with adolescence Citation: The Science of Adolescent Risk-Taking: Workshop Report. Committee on the Science of Adolescence; Board on Children, Youth, and Families; Institute of Medicine and National Research Council. ISBN 978-0-309-05852-7. Retrieved from The National Academies Press at http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12961. Visit us online for a full year of unlimited online CEUs.