With homecoming parades and midterm exams in the rearview mirror, teachers and students alike are confident of one thing: the honeymoon period of the new school year is over. For anyone struggling to recall just what it’s like at the start of a new year, kindly walk back to...
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I’ve been working with that young lady all year. And she answered positively for suicidal ideation, and she had a plan. And I just asked her. I said, “Why didn’t you ever say anything to me?” And the young girl said, “Because you never asked me.” Can you imagine? … Can you...
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What immediately comes to mind when you think about June 24, 2022? On this date, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and as a result, the landscape of pregnancy care and reproductive health in America changed in a really big and serious way. Healthcare professionals across settings...
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Imagine – It’s the second week of school and a 14-year-old walks into your office at her appointed time. She seems especially nervous today as she shuffles her feet and looks at the ground. You wonder if she’s about to cry, or maybe run back out and get back...
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School-wide risk screening can present unique challenges. But it also offers a unique opportunity to get answers to the most important questions a school can ask. Some of the benefits of school-wide screening – such as the opportunity to identify and intervene with at-risk youth in need – are...
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When it comes to identifying and preventing risk factors in youth – a few basic rules apply: You have to ASK HOW you ask matters. TECHnology makes it easier. (And more effective) The first might seem obvious – but it’s still often overlooked. In order to identify risk you’ve...
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Unprotected sex and sexual behaviors remain at the top of youth health risks. Yet connecting with youth in risk-reduction conversations is as challenging as ever. Technology can help to bridge this gap – engaging youth and opening the door to meaningful dialogue. It’s no surprise that youth are more...
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Working on a DEI, TIC, or SEL youth initiative? It’s time for a MITEY change in professional development! Motivational Interviewing or “MI” (a combination of communication strategies designed to support self-directed positive behavior change) has been studied extensively and proven to be one of the most effective techniques for...
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We’ve all seen the stats. And they are increasingly alarming. According to a recent JAMA study: major depressive disorder in teens has nearly doubled in the past decade. A situation made so much worse by the pandemic, that the surgeon general just issued a rare public advisory on the...
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Equipping parents for real talks with their tweens & teens October is Let’s Talk Month, encompassing national and statewide initiatives supporting partnerships between families and organizations that serve them to foster open and honest parent-teen conversations. Research shows that parents—the biggest influencers on teen’s decisions—are not talking often or...
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