Issues Typically Connected with Teens…
I believe Teens live heroic lives despite what our culture labels them as (e.g., lazy, apathetic, impulsive, absent minded). Never before or again the lifespan will a human being face so many converging forces like it does during the Teen years. Biology, brain development, social development, family issues, academic challenges, sexuality, gender, self-esteem, empathy, sense of meaning and purpose, identity – the list goes on and on. Furthermore, the brain is going through the process of pruning unneeded neural connections, and strengthening essential neural connections that will shape most of who you are as an adult. This stage of life known as Adolescence begins at puberty, and actually ends about age 25, when most neuronal growth stops in our most complex area of the brain (the frontal lobe).
Making it through the Teen years is an heroic act just on its own. In fact, surviving the Teen years defies the three CDC statistics that always terrify me: #1 cause of death = accidents; #2 cause of death = suicide; and #3 cause of death = homicide. You are at-risk for death, simply by being a teenager. So, yes, I believe Teens are heroes, and they deserve to be thought of in this way.
I have a strong commitment to working with LGBT TEENS and young people from diverse ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds. I have training and years of experience working with Trans Teens, and am excited to work with these courageous young people and their families. My primary identifications are: straight Latino, cisgender male.