Presenting….

The Behavioral Health Adolescent Provider Toolkit

Adolescent Health Working Group

Practice Readiness

Scenario

16 year old young woman and her mother come to your office/clinic for an annual sports physical.

Start the Conversation

“What’s going on in your life?”

Her parents just went through a divorce. She is currently living with her mother and grandmother. Her grandmother is ill and needs to be taken care of.

Psychosocial Screening and Assessment

Building off of Adolescent Health Care 101 Toolkit

Home: “How do you spend time with your family?”

Teen sees her mother once in the morning and sometimes at night. Teen is on the swim team and doesn’t get home from swim meets until 8:30PM. Then she goes into her room to study.

Education: “How are you doing in school?”

Teen says her grades have been slipping this semester. Classes are getting harder and being on the swim team takes up a lot of time. Her mother will be very angry about the bad grades.

Sexuality: “Are you attracted to guys, girls, or both?”

Teen says she has been dating a boy from her class for the past three months. She hasn’t told her mother because her mom won’t let her date until she is 18.

Sexuality: “Does your partner ever hurt you physically, emotionally, or sexually?” Teen says she feels really sad and

alone when her boyfriend doesn’t return her phone calls and ignores her at school. Her mom is too busy with work and caring for the grandmother. Teen feels none of her friends understand what she is going through.

Red Flag Risk Factors!

Parental divorce Primary adult caregiver is stressed

and often unavailable School-related stress Emotionally abusive boyfriend Isolation: Risk for depression and

suicide

Issue Briefs

Urgency Determination

Suicide Risk:

Teen has thought about hurting herself but has no suicide plan and says she would not attempt suicide.

Level of Urgency:

Low risk for suicide Currently, no need for urgent referral Provide in-office counseling Follow-up

Encourage teen to engage in self-care and come to follow-up appointment

Health Education Handouts for Teens and Adult Caregivers

Referrals to a Behavioral Health Provider

While Waiting for a Behavioral Health Appointment

Your Feedback:

Comments?Questions?

Contact AHWG:

Adolescent Health Working Group

1390 Market Street, Suite 900

San Francisco, CA 94102

(415) 554-8429

tina@ahwg.net