Amy is looking forward to starting a new chapter and wants to meet many new people. However, several red flags in her statements singled out that the girl might experience difficulties in unknown circumstances and the environment. As Amy has been visiting me for six years, we have built a trusting relationship. She knows that I respect her confidentiality, thus she will probably share more information about her college expectations and listen to my recommendations.
The first red flag necessary to clarify with Amy is her prioritization to meet new people and attend parties, not gaining knowledge. I will start asking her about the college, its faculties, the number of students, and if Amy tells more about her desire to make new friends at the parties, the necessity to educate her about the balance between studying and socializing will appear. I will also check Amy’s stress tolerance and ask how she deals with difficult situations. The inability to cope with such experiences combined with a lack of parental control might lead adolescents to develop addictions like alcohol or drugs (Truong et al., 2017). Moreover, these poor health habits are on the list of the leading causes of adolescent mortality, therefore, it is vital to discuss such attitudes as a preventative health measure.
Another red flag in Amy’s statements is that she has never lived far away from home. To gain more information about her readiness to put herself in a different environment, I will ask her to tell more about the place she is going to live. After listening to her, I will ask if she wants to receive some recommendations to maintain a good mood, motivation to study, and thriving health even in entirely new conditions. Amy is the representative of late adolescence, and she understands that her everyday choices and habits affect her health and are necessary to be managed consciously. Kim and Kim (2020) state that “improving adolescents’ future orientations about their life chances may improve adult health” (p. 6). I will clarify if Amy has expectations about her plans after college and plans to do anything particular. Her response will help me assess in which aspects she might meet mental or physical health obstacles and share preventative practices with her.
The last red flag is Amy’s concerns about the parents worrying about her leaving for the first time and for such an extended period. She states that they also studied away from home, and it might mean they feel that their daughter is not ready for such an experience. Another reason for their worries might be family relationships as factors like a lack of trust, inadequate expectations, and general misunderstanding can severely affect an adolescent’s grades and future (Kapali et al., 2019). I will ask Amy if she wants to tell me anything about how her parents talk to her to find out if there are any particular threats they are afraid she might face.
Adolescents can treat counseling about health as an unnecessary activity due to their perception of youth and their bodies’ endless abilities. However, such conversation can help students like Amy develop habits to maintain prosperous physical and mental conditions through their college years and later in life. Addressing these red flags during the visit is necessary to discover weak points and provide an adolescent with preventative practices she will probably need in her new life.
References
Kapali, G. D., Neupane, S., & Panta, G. (2019). A study on academic stress, parent-adolescent relationship with parents, and academic achievement of adolescent students. Journal of Health and Allied Sciences, 9(2), 70-74. Web.
Kim, T., & Kim, J. (2020). Linking adolescent future expectations to health in adulthood: Evidence and mechanisms.Social Science & Medicine, 263, 113282. Web.
Truong, A., Moukaddam, N., Toledo, A., & Onigu-Otite, E. (2017). Addictive disorders in adolescents.Psychiatric Clinics, 40(3), 475-486. Web.