There are many areas that need to be covered when conducting a complete evaluation of a new adolescent patient. They include, but are not limited to:
1. Clarify referral questions and what parents expect from treatment?
2. What are the general concerns regarding the developmental history and the adolescent’s physical, motor, cognitive, language, social, and personality strengths and weaknesses?
3. What are the strengths and weaknesses of being a parent?
4. Is there a family history of mental illness?
5. Do you have any medical problems?
6. What behavior causes stress?
7. What are the consequences of bad behavior and who will take disciplinary action?
Clinicians often bring adolescents and parents together so that the policy of procedure can be addressed in a way that both the adolescent and the parent understand the limits of confidentiality.
Some parents see a therapist as someone who makes an adolescent child behave the way the parent wants. This dynamic creates frustration and anger during adolescence.
“My mother wants you to fix me. Let her do what she wants me to do.”
When both parents and adolescents hear that all information the child shares will be kept confidential, the person can begin to feel at ease knowing that they can safely confide in the therapist.
Most adolescents struggle with a need for independence from their parents, yet still need their support and guidance, which often leads to conflict.Adolescents are generally narcissistic selfish and self-centered. They have trouble enduring their parents’ indifference.
They may refer to their parents as “helicopter parents.” Because parents realized their children wanted more autonomy.
Because the prefrontal cortex does not fully mature until the age of 25, this neural imbalance makes it difficult for the brain to make mature decisions.
The adolescent brain is immature, so when rapid growth occurs, neural pathways are disrupted. Your limbic system becomes more active and your emotions become more reactive. They also undergo many hormonal changes that accompany reward-seeking behavior.
During the interview, the clinician must assess the adolescent’s level of emotional development and assess the person’s strengths and weaknesses in school, family, and social behavior.
Assessing the presence of problems with mood, suicidal thoughts, diet, and sleep patterns provides valuable information for diagnostic purposes. The clinician’s experience is essential in accurately assessing current problems and the factors that influence an individual’s ability to handle those problems.
Adolescents face many challenges. Many mourn the loss of a friend who died of an overdose. Or maybe you’re afraid of school shootings. We see a great deal of violence in news, movies, social, academic and work settings.
They may face many challenges of paying for their college education and how to sustain their lives while they are in school. Exploring an adolescent’s friendships helps us understand his or her attitudes and behavior, because it is very important for adolescents to behave and change their appearance in the same way as their peers. There is a possibility.
Having the same clothes, music, and interests are all part of “fitting in” with the right crowd, and they tend to identify with the group that most closely resembles them in their attitudes and behavior. .
Therapy is the time to show genuine interest. Treatment of children and adolescents must be done in an empathetic, compassionate and trustworthy manner.