health problems. One extensive study of over 9000 people found that half of all lifetime diagnosable mental health disorders start by age 14. Youth ministry professionals can play an important role on the team involved in assessing, diagnosing, and treating mental health issues in youth. You may be a source of information for mental health professionals who conduct assessments and create treatment plans. You can also support youth and their families, through prayer, conversation, and encouragement. Whatever role you play, you can commit to learning more and to seeing youth for the unique children of God they are, not just statistics and profiles. These mental illness statistics can seem overwhelming, so let’s not forget that researchers are looking more closely at factors linked to healthy mental development in youth as well. In fact, a field called positive psychology has received increased attention, especially due to the work of a psychologist named Martin Seligman. His work, and the work of others who study positive psychology, have emphasized the importance of studying the attributes and characteristics linked to healthy development. We can gain additional insight into positive mental health and best practices in achieving them by looking at the work of the Search Institute. This organization has conducted extensive research to identify developmental assets in youth that are linked to healthy outcomes. Not surprisingly, many of these assets are supported by the work we do in congregations. Secrecy and shame have long surrounded mental illness. As people of faith we are called to pray for and reach out to those who are most vulnerable. As youth ministry professionals, you can provide a unique and important context that supports mental health for youth and that rejects the stigmas associated with mental illness. The next few topics are gender specific. While they don’t apply to every girl or guy in your youth group, knowing about these topics can definitely help you recognize when they do arise as issues in the youth you serve. [Caption: Early-onset Puberty in Girls] One gender-related issue is the more recent phenomenon of girls who undergo the changes of puberty much earlier than in the past, sometimes starting at age 6 or 7. Let’s clarify a few definitions here first. Puberty is a developmental period of time defined by the physical changes of adolescence, including some changes that are more visible and others that are more private. Adolescence is a broader term describing a time period that encompasses this physical growth but includes many cognitive, social, and emotional changes as well. Puberty spans a few years, but adolescence span the time of puberty’s onset until the onset of adulthood.
health problems. One extensive study of over 9000 people found that half of all lifetime diagnosable mental health disorders start by age 14. Youth ministry professionals can play an important role on the team involved in assessing, diagnosing, and treating mental health issues in youth. You may be a source of information for mental health professionals who conduct assessments and create treatment plans. You can also support youth and their families, through prayer, conversation, and encouragement. Whatever role you play, you can commit to learning more and to seeing youth for the unique children of God they are, not just statistics and profiles. These mental illness statistics can seem overwhelming, so let’s not forget that researchers are looking more closely at factors linked to healthy mental development in youth as well. In fact, a field called positive psychology has received increased attention, especially due to the work of a psychologist named Martin Seligman. His work, and the work of others who study positive psychology, have emphasized the importance of studying the attributes and characteristics linked to healthy development. We can gain additional insight into positive mental health and best practices in achieving them by looking at the work of the Search Institute. This organization has conducted extensive research to identify developmental assets in youth that are linked to healthy outcomes. Not surprisingly, many of these assets are supported by the work we do in congregations. Secrecy and shame have long surrounded mental illness. As people of faith we are called to pray for and reach out to those who are most vulnerable. As youth ministry professionals, you can provide a unique and important context that supports mental health for youth and that rejects the stigmas associated with mental illness. The next few topics are gender specific. While they don’t apply to every girl or guy in your youth group, knowing about these topics can definitely help you recognize when they do arise as issues in the youth you serve. [Caption: Early-onset Puberty in Girls] One gender-related issue is the more recent phenomenon of girls who undergo the changes of puberty much earlier than in the past, sometimes starting at age 6 or 7. Let’s clarify a few definitions here first. Puberty is a developmental period of time defined by the physical changes of adolescence, including some changes that are more visible and others that are more private. Adolescence is a broader term describing a time period that encompasses this physical growth but includes many cognitive, social, and emotional changes as well. Puberty spans a few years, but adolescence span the time of puberty’s onset until the onset of adulthood.
4%20Story%20of%20Adolescence.docx