youth resiliency & mental health workshop - dr. jean clinton
DESCRIPTION
A full day workshop will examine current research and best practices that strengthen youth resiliency and young people's ability to manage mental health issues.TRANSCRIPT
Resilience in Youth
Jean M Clinton B.Mus MD FRCP(C)McMaster University and Children’s HospitalOfford Centre for Child Studies
OUTLINE
The Adolescent Brain The Prickly Brain Resilience Asset Building
Kids Today
"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in placeof exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. Theycontradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers."
PLATO
Adolescents: Why DO they do the things they do?
Key Messages
‘UNDER CONSTRUCTION” Teens need MORE of our time, not
less.
What we THINK, affects how we FEEL, affects how we ACT (TAFFY)
The majority of adolescents do well YET
The Paradox Measures of most abilities indicate that
adolescence is the healthiest and most resilient period of the lifespan.
Yet overall morbidity and mortality increases 200-300 times from childhood to late adolescence.
Primary causes of death and disability related to
Problems with control of behaviour and emotions
03-013
The Hostage Brain , Bruce S. McEwen and Harold M. Schmeck, Jr., 1994.
THE BRAIN FAIRY
Diamond & Hopson, 1998
“The nerve cell, or neuron resembles a miniature tree…” (p. 21)
SYNAPSE
The Three Brains Reptilian Complex (oldest)
Homeostatic maintenance body: breathing, digestion, reproduction.
Fight Flight System Ritualistic and hard to
change
Limbic System Primary center for control
of emotion, reward and goal motivation
Amygdala, hippocampus, anterior cingulate insula…
Neo-cortex (newest) Cerebral cortex Logical thinking Planning Speech Control -- Regulation INHIBITION MACHINE
Down-regulates heightened emotions and urges
“Executive Functions” Governing emotions Judgment Planning Organization Problem Solving Impulse Inhibition Abstraction Analysis/synthesis Self-awareness* Self-concept* Identityand Spirituality
Williamsgroup, 2003: Please credit Protecting You/Protecting Me (PY/PM)
*Self- “everything”
The Frontal Lobes
Frontal Lobes for Behavioral Control, Birth - 21
Age
Overproduction and Exuberance Pruning
The Brain Bonsai
The Fear Response: Fight or Flight and Stress
Visual Cortex
Visual Thalamus
Amygdala
Scientific AmericanThe Hidden Mind, 2002, Volume 12, Number 1
Amygdala
Hippocampus
EmotionalStimulus
PIT
Cortisol CortisolCRF
ACTH
Amygdala Hippocampus
AdrenalCortex
HypothalamusPVN
+ + - -
LeDoux, Synaptic Self
03-002
Amygdala and Hippocampus
Anterior Cingulate Cortex
Limbic System for Birth - 21
AgeYears
What emotion do you see?
Deborah Yurgelun Todd McLean Hospital Belmont, Mass (2004)
Deborah Yurgelun Todd McLean Hospital Belmont, Mass (2004)
Adolescents use the Amygdala (fight or flight response) rather than the Frontal Cortex (used by older adults) to read emotions
Teens are more likely to Teens are more likely to misinterpret misinterpret facial expressions facial expressions of emotionof emotion
See anger when there isn’t angerSee anger when there isn’t anger
Process in the amygdalaProcess in the amygdala
May react quicklyMay react quickly
Communication Gap
Deborah Yurgelun Todd McLean Hospital Belmont, Mass (2004)
“Emotional Brain”
Development
Emotional brain dominates
Prefrontal cortex is not ready to take charge
Emotional brain seeks pleasure, in the form of novelty, excitement, and risk
Deborah Yurgelun Todd McLean Hospital Belmont, Mass (2004)
ACC The “Oops Centre”
The Cognitive Affective Balance
Early Adolescence Early Adulthood
Ideally!
KEY: Not the overall balance that matters, it is the flexibility to shift when needed
SCENARIOS
What we THINK….
Affects what we FEEL…
Affects how we ACT….
From Deficit to Resiliency
The Deficit/Risk Model
• Historically, the social and behavioural sciences have followed a problem-focused approach to studying human and social development.
• As a result, the helping community has been preoccupied with the deficit or at-risk paradigm for understanding and serving children in trouble and their families.
Wayne Hammond :Resiliency Canada 2006
Deficit ThinkingSpecialtyDiagnosis Reaction
Education Disruptive Reprimand, suspend, expel
Social Work Dysfunctional Intake, manage, discharge
Corrections Delinquent Adjudicate, punish, incarcerate
Behaviourism Disordered Assess, conditioning, time out
Medicine Diseased Diagnose, drug, hospitalize
Psychopathology Disturbed Test, treat, restrain Wayne Hammond :Resiliency Canada 2006
To see all individuals as “at promise” rather than “at risk” is a fundamental shift that means facilitating rather than fixing, pointing to health rather than
dysfunction, turning away from limiting labels and diagnosis to
wholeness and well-being.
“ If we think we are fragile and broken, we will live a fragile, broken life. If we believe we are strong and wise, we will live with enthusiasm and courage. The way we name ourselves colors the way we live. Who we are is in our own eyes. We must be careful how we name ourselves.”
Wayne Muller
What is Resilience? Anne Masten
Positive patterns of adaptation in the context of past or present adversity
Doing OK despite risk or adversity Positive outcomes from high risk context Recovery from Trauma Overcoming adversity to succeed in life Unexpectedly positive development
MASTEN
MASTEN
MASTEN
MASTEN
MASTEN
MASTEN
MAsten
The Short list
Effective Parenting Connections to
other caring and competent adults
Problem solving skills
Self-regulation skills
+ve self perception
Life has meaning and hopefulness
Spirituality Talents valued by self or
society Socioeconomic
advantage Community
effectiveness and safety Connections with
prosocial and competent peers
Masten
Masten
Masten
Masten
Principles of Resilience Belonging – need to engage and build trust
Building Capacity – recognize strengths and passion
Independence – promote ability to creatively draw upon internal and external resources
Purpose – nurture belief that “my life” has meaning
The core of strength-based resilient prevention is paying attention to what works and identifying strengths rather than deficits in the youth.
It focuses on what is important and not just what is urgent
It takes a whole community practicing a
strength-based philosophy when working with youth at all levels of implementation of preventative interventions
A Resilience Approach
A Resilience Approach Needs to be process and relationship
oriented with less dependency on techniques and professionals.
Strength-based practice is about partnering in order to help youth identify and use their own strengths and resources to overcome obstacles and live empowered lives.
Characteristics of Resilience-Based Practice
1. A focus on language – “Language is not innocent” (Anderson, 1996)
2. A focus on story – Stories of self guide how people act, think, feel, and make sense of their past and present lives
3. A focus on strengths, abilities, and resources – a firm and committed belief that all people of all ages, and all families possess ability, competence, and other special qualities regardless of their life experience or current situation
Resilience-Based Practice
4. A focus on collaboration – acknowledging that people have a view of their current situation, its potential solutions and ideas about how the change process should unfold
5. A focus on relationship – walking with as opposed to dictating
Critical Components of ChangeAn analysis of 40 years of research found the
best predictor of successful change are two factors:
1) engagement in meaningful relationships
2) engagement in meaningful activities
83% of change involves these two factors17% is a result of technique
Change does not come from special powers from professionals
Change happens when a person uses their inherent strengths and resources and are supported by relationships that take your innate goodness as a given
Change happens when you create a plan that is tailored to the person’s ideas and therefore inspires the hope necessary for action
Effective, Strategic, Prevention Intervene early in cascade to prevent
snowballing or co-morbidity Promote competence and regulatory
capacity, both self and social –regulatory Decrease trauma exposure and increase
protection for youth in at risk environments Strengthen scaffolds during periods of
change for adolescents Provide opportunities, mentors and second
chances
MASTEN
The Relational Landscape is Changing.
Children have fewer social, cognitive and emotional interactions, with fewer
people.
The impact of “modern life” on the developing child has yet to be fully
understood
Dr Bruce Perry www.childtrauma.org
Poverty of Relationships
The compartmentalization of our culture has resulted has resulted in material wealth yet poverty of social and emotional opportunity
Dr Bruce Perry www.childtrauma.org
Vision and Mission of Search InstituteCreate a world where all children are
valued and thrive.
To provide leadership, knowledge and resources to promote healthy children, youth and communities.
Two Shifts
Beyond programs
Relationships
Second ShiftSecond Shift
to
From fixing young
people’s problems
First ShiftFirst Shift
Promoting young
people’s strengths
to
From To
The Asset-Building Difference
Young people’s problems Young people’s strengths
Professionals’ work Everyone’s work
Young people absorbing resources Young people as resources
Programs Relationships
Troubled young people All young people
Accountable only for own Accountable as well for behavior other adults’ behavior
Incidental asset building Intentional asset building
Blaming others Claiming responsibility
3 General Strategies for Promoting Asset BuildingBuild RELATIONSHIPS with children
and youthCreate positive and supportive
ENVIRONMENTSConnect asset building with programs
and practices
THRIVE
The Canadian Centre for Positive Youth Development
1-800-265 2680
www.thrivecanada.ca
The Search Institute www.search-institute.org
Slides will be available at:
www.ascy.ca
www.offordcentre.com