Course

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Youth Mental Health

Self-paced
2.5 credits

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Full course description

Description

This comprehensive training addresses the urgent mental health challenges facing youth and vulnerable communities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. It begins by exploring the significant impact of the pandemic on youth mental health, with a panel discussion on recent research findings and a personal account from an adolescent that enriches understanding of these challenges. The session also highlights the emerging public health issue of climate change, discussing how it negatively impacts mental health through extreme weather events, chronic stressors like food and water insecurity, and climate anxiety, with a focus on vulnerable groups such as tribes, Black communities, other communities of color, low-income populations, and youth. A 2021 global survey revealed that 59% of youth are extremely worried about climate change. Additionally, the training emphasizes the importance of cultural competence in mental health treatment, underscoring the need to understand clients' cultural backgrounds for more effective therapy and better outcomes. It also addresses the lack of diverse mental health professionals, advocating for systemic changes in hiring and training practices to improve access for people of color. Finally, the session discusses the importance of therapists being mindful of microaggressions, which can undermine the therapeutic relationship and discourage clients from sharing their experiences.

Target Audience

This training video will be helpful to:

  • Youth, adolescents and adults

Learning Outcomes

After completing this training, you will be to:

  1. Examine the Mental Health Challenges Faced by Youth During the COVID-19 Pandemic:
    Participants will be able to identify and analyze key mental health challenges encountered by children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on recent research findings.
  2. Understand the Lived Experience of Adolescents During the Pandemic:
    Participants will gain insights from a personal perspective shared by an adolescent, enhancing their understanding of the emotional and psychological impact of the pandemic on youth mental health.
  3. Foster Awareness of the Urgent Mental Health Needs of Youth Post-Pandemic:
    Participants will develop a deeper awareness of the urgent mental health needs of young people in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, recognizing the importance of timely intervention and support.
  4. Engage in Dialogue Around Strategies to Address Youth Mental Health Needs:
    Participants will be able to contribute to discussions and explore strategies aimed at addressing the growing mental health needs of youth, fostering collaboration and action to support recovery.
  5. Understand the Mental Health Impacts of Climate Change:
    Participants will be able to explain the emerging public health issue of mental health effects related to climate change, including the findings from the 2015 climate and health profile report.
  6. Identify the Three Main Pathways Through Which Climate Change Affects Mental Health
    Participants will learn to identify and describe the three key pathways through which climate change adversely impacts mental health: increased extreme weather events and disasters, chronic climate stressors (such as food and water insecurity), and climate anxiety.
  7. Recognize the Risks Faced by Vulnerable Populations:
    Participants will gain insights into the heightened risks associated with climate change mental health challenges faced by vulnerable groups, including tribes, Black communities, other communities of color, low-income populations, and youth.
  8. Explore Strategies for Supporting Affected Communities:
    Participants will be equipped with practical strategies to address mental health challenges stemming from climate change and to support communities disproportionately affected by these issues.
  9. Understand the Importance of Cultural Relevance in Mental Health Treatment
    Participants will be able to explain how understanding a client’s cultural background is essential for effective therapy, fostering trust and promoting better mental health outcomes.
  10. Recognize the Impact of a Lack of Diverse Mental Health Professionals
    Participants will learn about the barriers to access faced by people of color due to the lack of diversity among mental health professionals, highlighting the need for systemic changes in hiring and training practices.
  11. Explore the Role of Culturally Competent Care in Building Therapeutic Alliances
    Participants will gain insights into how culturally competent care strengthens the therapeutic alliance by creating an environment of trust and understanding between therapists and clients.
  12. Identify and Address Microaggressions in Therapy
    Participants will be equipped with strategies to recognize and address microaggressions in therapy, understanding how these can undermine the therapeutic alliance and discourage clients from sharing their experiences.

Key Topics

  • Mental health effects of climate change, impacts of covid-19 on mental health and cultural relevance in mental health treatment.

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