Summary: <p>TIPs 31 and 32<br> Screening, Assessment and Treatment of Adolescents<br> Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes, PhD, LMHC<br> Objectives<br> ~ Identify 10 Unique Issues to the Assessment and Treatment of Adolescents<br> Not Little Adults<br> ~ Adolescent treatment requires an awareness of:<br> ~ Developmental stages<br> ~ Adolescent culture<br> Adolescent Development<br> ~ Cognitive<br> ~ Early Adolescence<br> ~ Emphasizes immediate reactions to behavior<br> ~ May not be fully aware of later consequences<br> ~ Impulse control areas of brain are not fully developed<br> ~ Late Adolescence<br> ~ Greater use of inductive/deductive reasoning<br> ~ More introspective and more sensitive to later consequences</p> <p>Developmental Tasks<br> ~ Family Independence<br> ~ Beginning rejection of parental guidelines<br> ~ Ambivalence about wishes<br> ~ Insistence on independence, privacy<br> ~ May have overt rebellion, limit testing, withdrawal<br> ~ Peers<br> ~ Early: Most often “best” friend is same sex<br> ~ Late: Dating, risk taking, need to please peers<br> Developmental Tasks cont…<br> ~ School and Vocation<br> ~ Beginning to identify skills, interests<br> ~ Starting part-time job<br> ~ Self Identity and Esteem<br> ~ Am I normal?<br> ~ Conformity–behavior that meets peer group values<br> ~ Some continue to pursue group/peer acceptance<br> ~ Some are able to reject group pressure if not in self-interest</p> <p>Professional Approach<br> ~ Early Adolescents<br> ~ Provide firm, direct support<br> ~ Convey limits–simple concrete choices<br> ~ Do not align with parents, be an objective caring adult<br> ~ Help the client explore dialectics<br> ~ Sexual decisions–directly encourage to wait<br> ~ Encourage parental presence in clinic, but interview teen alone</p> <p>Professional Approach cont…<br> ~ Late Adolescence<br> ~ Be an objective sounding board (but let adolescents solve own problems)<br> ~ Negotiate choices<br> ~ Be role model<br> ~ Don't get too much history (“grandiose stories”)<br> ~ Confront gently–about consequences, responsibilities<br> ~ Consider “What gives them status in the eyes of peers?”<br> ~ Use peer group sessions<br> ~ Adapt systems to crises, walk-ins, impulsiveness, testing<br> ~ Ensure confidentiality<br> ~ Allow teens to seek care independently</p> <p>Screening and Assessment<br> Screening and Assessment<br> ~ Selection of instruments is guided by:<br> ~ Reliability and validity of the tool<br> ~ Its appropriateness to an adolescent population<br> ~ Type of settings in which the instrument was developed<br> ~ Intended purpose of the instrument<br> Features of Instruments<br> ~ Short in duration<br> ~ High test-retest reliability<br> ~ Evidence of convergent validity (i.e., the instrument is strongly correlated with other instruments that purport to measure similar constructs)<br> ~ Predictive validity (i.e. school performance, relapse)<br> ~ Normed on adolescents<br> ~ Ability to measure meaningful behavioral and attitude changes over time<br> ~ Sample Screening Forms<br> ~ Depression Screening Tools<br> ~ Drug & Alcohol Use Screening Tools<br> ~ Bipolar Disorder Screening Tools<br> ~ Suicide Risk Screening Tools<br> ~ Anxiety Disorders Screening Tools<br> ~ Trauma Screening Tools</p> <p>Family Assessment<br> ~ Adolescents may define family in nontraditional ways.<br> ~ The law and society may define family in ways that differ from the actual experiences of youth.<br> ~ Cultural and ethnic differences in family structures should be respected.<br> ~ The core problem may reside outside the adolescent and the substance use is a symptom.</p> <p>Screening Indicators<br> ~ Problems during childhood or early adolescence<br> ~ School issues<br> ~ Peer involvement in delinquent behaviors<br> ~ Daily use of one or more s</p>
