What do teens who are at high risk have in common?
Many things. And sometimes nothing.
An 11-year-old boy on the autism spectrum bites his sister. A 14-year-old young girl spends more time with an interested young man who is trying to lure her into sex trafficking. The 15-year-old girl starts to cut herself in the bathroom at middle school.
These behaviors seem to have little in common. And they might. But what led the youths to exhibit these behaviors have much in common. They are not independent of each other.
Several behaviors are included in high-risk behaviors among youths. Such as criminal activity. Unprotected sex. Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). Aggressive behavior towards others. Or oneself. Substance use. Runaways.
This is not an exhaustive list. But these comprise the major behaviors which plague youth in children and family agencies. They occur with youths of all cultures, ethnic backgrounds, socioeconomic backgrounds, and geographic areas.
Are there ways of predicting the behavior and therefore helping to prevent them?
Perhaps.
What do these behaviors have in common? Other than they utilize 80% of the resources in an agency although they may make up 20% or less of the youth?
5 possible causes may be involved. Based upon research and observation of youths over the years, these are some similar links:
1. Medications - youths who are psychotropic medications are at the highest risk. Because they have already had problems within their childhood or teen years, and these concerns haven’t stopped. Nor have they been alleviated by traditional therapy or counseling. Seeing a psychiatrist or taking medications means that a practitioner believed at some time the problems were biochemical. And that medications would help the situation.
2. Trauma - the nature of trauma in some form leads the youth to respond to stressors differently than others. Typical youths when trouble occurs are at a calm frame of mind. The youth with trauma sees the situation from a higher state of arousal, fright, fear, anxiety, or aggression. Their responses are different based upon their history of high stress.
3. Isolation - youths who tend to stay away from others lead a more withdrawn life. Not to say that being introverted is bad; 25% of the population is this way. But when a youth doesn’t have friends, is not involved in any social clubs or groups, they are the “outcasts”. And tend to either be labeled this way and/or treated as different. Studies show when youths are labeled as outcasts, they tend to be more involved in high-risk behavior.
4. No communication - along with being isolated, some youths have no communication skills. They don’t talk about their problems, their feelings, what’s building up inside of them. Even elementary school children, when prompted, can learn to talk about their problems. When a teen or youth doesn’t feel anyone will listen, it’s a sign that they look for other ways to manage their emotions.
5. Overage - not necessarily a common term, but an overage is behavior to excess. A youth not simply being upset and breaking their pencil in class. But turning over their desk and slamming it down on the ground. Because they can’t modulate how they feel. Everything is magnified. They yell more, act out more, generally cannot contain how they feel. And as a result, they have more difficulties with others.
Seeing these behaviors in school, at home, and in the community can be warning signs of problems. And behavior health professionals can develop plans to help the youth learn new coping skills. Or deal with problems in therapy.
If you want to learn more about how Praxes’ software, Apogee, can help you with these behaviors, please contact us.
Got questions? We've got answers.
PRAXES is a nationwide behavioral health software, consulting, and training company. No one in the behavioral health industry has a better reputation, and if you give us the chance, we’ll show you why! At PRAXES, our services improve the efficiency and structure of behavioral health agencies serving children and families nationwide. PRAXES brings over 45 years of administrative and clinical expertise. With more than 100 client companies nationwide, we offer the expertise to advance the quality of behavioral health services. We accomplish these goals through our new clinical decision software, our training of best practices, and helping companies meet regulatory standards. At PRAXES, we believe in being creative and fostering new ways to serve children and their families. Our vision is to empower the families our agencies serve with skills that not only improve their functioning, but help them to thrive in their everyday lives. When you give us the chance, you’ll be connected directly to our friendly staff, so you can expect immediate attention to your inquiry. So, don’t wait, call now!
Dan Thorne has unique perspectives on the field of mental health. As a clinician, he has had over 40 years of experience working with clients in the Southern California area. After obtaining his Bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Irvine, he worked with children in the Orange County Juvenile Hall. Here he honed his earliest techniques on at-risk children. After that, he obtained his Master’s degree in Counseling from California State University, Fullerton.
In the 1990’s, Dan turned his attention to the clinical and administrative side of behavioral health organizations. For three years, he was the Assistant Administrator of Starting Point, a chemical dependency facility in Costa Mesa, CA. In 2001, he took an opportunity to be the Director of Harbor View Community Services Center in Long Beach. When he arrived, the Center had only 80 clients and 13 staff. When he left, there were over 400 clients and 75 staff. Dan created several programs through their contract with the Los Angeles County Departments of Mental Health and Child and Family Services. Under his guidance, Harbor View became one of the leading providers of children’s services in Los Angeles County.
While improving the results of the client’s parents at the Center, Dan reflected on his experiences as a parent. His children themselves had special needs such as mental and intellectual challenges, and Dan knew the toll it takes on the parent. In order to help the child, the parent has to be healthy. From this concept, he created his parenting program. After years of refining it, teaching it to his staff at the Center, and then taking the results and comments from these efforts, he became the developer of the current PRAXES program. It is a culmination of Dan’s personal trials and tribulations as a parent along with empirical results and research of over 40 parenting programs.
Our vision at PRAXES is to advance the strength of parents and caregivers of children with special needs (mental health, intellectual, or physical) through education, support, and empowerment. Thus, they can live healthy and functional lives while caring for the child.
Apogee is a clinical decision software designed to help behavioral health practitioners with their treatment and patient engagement. It provides evidence-based and research-based components. Not only do they consist of elements from such practices as Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Seeking Safety, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Functional Behavior Analysis, but also the Intensive Models for Parents, Youth, and Children.
PRAXES has over 30 years of accreditation experience. We know what it takes to get your organization accredited. Whether it’s Joint Commission, CARF, or COA, our team can provide an evaluation of your current status and review the standards which need improvements. We will assist you with the policies, documentation, and training required to be accredited.
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