Did you know that adolescent brains are basically under construction? Teens are wired to explore, question rules, take social risks, and sometimes make adults wonder, “What were they thinking?” The truth is, this is a normal and healthy part of development. Their emotional and reward systems are working at full speed while the planning and impulse-control parts are still catching up.

One of the best things supportive adults can do is become an “approachable/askable adult” by creating small, low-pressure moments for connection.
Some of the best conversations happen during car rides, snack runs, gaming, cooking dinner, or while sending each other ridiculous memes. A simple “Tell me more about that” can go much further than a lecture. Staying curious can feel hard at first but the reward is worth the effort. Even when adolescents act like they want space, supportive and consistent adults still play one of the biggest roles in helping them build confidence, resilience, and a sense of belonging.

References

• Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University – Research on adolescent brain development and executive functioning.
• The Search Institute – Developmental Relationships Framework and developmental assets research.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – Youth connectedness and protective factors research.
• The National Scientific Council on Adolescence – Adolescent development and relationship-based protective factors.
• Child Welfare Information Gateway – Protective relationships and adolescent well-being in youth-serving systems.

For more information, contact Adolescent Transitions Program Manager Gavyn Tann at gavyn.tann@dcyf.wa.gov.

Coordinated Care has partnered with Adoptee Mentoring Society (AMS) to provide no-cost, virtual individual and group mentoring for youth in Washington (ages 12-18) adopted from foster care. Adoptees can access no-cost, one on one, virtual mentoring with a trained adult adoptee mentor who listens, supports, and provides resources.

These sessions empower youth adoptees to shape their own narratives while discussing identity, birth family, race, gender, and more. Adoptees age 12+ can also access no-cost group mentoring (“adoptee lounges”). Group mentoring is limited to five youth who share the experience of having been adopted from foster care and is facilitated by Angela Tucker. Group mentorship creates meaningful connections which provide adoptees with confidence, clarity, and a sense of belonging.

To register, email info@adopteementorship.org and include which session(s) you would like to register for. AMS will provide a coupon for the session to be fully covered by Coordinated Care.

Finding the right help is hard. Help Me Grow WA makes it easier.

Whether online or over the phone, Help Me Grow WA connects Washington families like yours to needed resources. Find essential food, health and child development resources in your community to support your family.

This month, our online Resource Finder has new filter fields, so you can search by language, culture, age-range of child, and virtual or in-person resources. Try it out and see what is available in your community! Help Me Grow WA is a nonprofit organization connecting Washington families to what they need when they need it since 2010.