A Common Sense Intervention That Saves Lives
Growing up in a rather sheltered environment and experiencing the “military brat” existence of moving every 3-4 years, I never really understood or heard a lot about mental health issues amongst my peers as a teenager. We didn’t watch a ton of TV or movies, and most of the music I listened to was pretty tame compared to what was out there at the time. Plus, when you move a lot, most of your time entails getting to know new people – not necessarily understanding the challenges and stresses facing your friends. I didn’t really understand what depression or anxiety looked like, nor really cared much to talk about it. I was busy trying to keep up and worry about myself.
ACEs
ACE – Does that mean anything to you? For some it might conjure up the lyrics of an old George Straight song that says, “You’ve got to have an ace in the hole.” For others it brings images of poker games and winning hands. For others, names of all-star professional baseball pitchers. For others, the experience of serving in tennis and never getting a volley back. Maybe for you, it’s the terminology for someone who is always seemingly ahead – “He’s holding all the aces.” But how many of you saw ACE and thought about difficult childhood experiences? I’m guessing not very many of you. This past week I had the opportunity to sit in a training which discussed trauma informed care. As part of that discussion, the ACEs were mentioned.
4 Ways to Finish with Success
At the end of 2018, our team decided to focus on finishing well by reading Jon Acuff’s book, Finish. It was a great book to end the year with, but as I was reading, I couldn’t help but wish I had these tools at the beginning of 2018. My goals were already set, completed, or abandoned by that point. But the great thing about goals is that you don’t need a new year to start (even though it is pretty handy that 2019 just started). As Teen Life looks forward to 2019, we will be using many of the tips, tidbits, and tools from Jon’s book. While I will recommend that you pick up your own copy, here are 4 things that can help you get started as you set your own goals this year.
All I Want For Christmas Is…Groups!
One of my favorite parts of my job is getting to lead a Support Group each week. This year, I spent my Wednesday mornings with 6 high school students who laughed, questioned, shared, and began to trust each other by the end of our time together. It was awesome. But the best part came during our last meeting when the students had a chance to share encouragement with each other through symbols. Each group member passed their sheets around and added symbols to describe each person. Some of these symbols included things like: strong, easy to talk to, brave, calm, keep a secret, safe with, smart, and spend the day with. It was so encouraging to get your own sheet back and see what the group thought of you.
The Enneagram & Teens with Suzanne Stabile (part 2)
Join Chris and Karlie as they continue their conversation with Suzanne Stabile - Enneagram expert, teacher, coach, and author. Through decades of researching and studying the Enneagram, Suzanne has a unique perspective on this incredible tool, it's...
The Enneagram & Teens with Suzanne Stabile (part 1)
This week, Chris and Karlie had the honor of sitting down with Suzanne Stabile – Enneagram expert, teacher, coach, and author. Through decades of researching and studying the Enneagram, Suzanne has a unique perspective on this incredible tool, it’s relational aspects, and how it can impact the lives of teenagers. In this episode, Suzanne with cover her background with the Enneagram before addressing the Enneagram as it relates to teenagers. Suzanne gives some great wisdom for helping adolescents explore the Enneagram. Then, she also covers the first 4 numbers on the Enneagram by talking about what struggles teenagers face in each type and how adults can better interact with them. This interview is incredibly practical and full of wisdom! Join this conversation with Suzanne Stabile as we learn how to better understand and support teenagers through our knowledge of the Enneagram.
Repost: Helping Students Find Hope in Hopelessness
A few weeks back, I was sitting with some students from a really tough part of our city and working through some of their resources. Part of our groups involve identifying and building up the student’s sense of courage, connectedness, self worth, and capability. What we noticed with this group is a general lack of self-reported capability. This seemed to be the trend throughout the group of young men. This was a strange happening in my experience. Generally, a group of young men will tend to overstate their courage and capability from a place of machismo or even lack of self-esteem. It’s a coping mechanism everyone uses from time to time to protect us from being real with each other.
The Enneagram & Teens with Beth McCord (part 2)
Join the Teen Life Podcast as we continue our conversation with Enneagram coach and expert, Beth McCord! In part two of this interview, we finish discussing characteristics of each Enneagram type and then dive into how you can use the Enneagram to reach teenagers, especially in the context of parenting. In this episode, Beth with cover the core desires, core fears, weaknesses, and longing of Enneagram numbers 7-9. She will then use her own parenting and Enneagram experience to discuss how we can help teenagers find their type, and how we can use the Enneagram to better work with teens. The Enneagram can be a powerful tool when working and living with teenagers. Jump into this incredible discussion with Beth McCord as we take a look at some practical ways to use this tool.
The Enneagram & Teens with Beth McCord (part 1)
We are excited to have Enneagram coach and expert, Beth McCord join the Teen Life Podcast! In part one of this interview, we start discussing characteristics of each Enneagram type. Beth does an incredible job of introducing the numbers of the Enneagram, especially if this is your first time to hear about each type. In this episode, Beth with cover the Enneagram numbers 1-6 by discussing things like core desires, core fears, weaknesses, and what each number longs to hear. With her Biblical perspective on the Enneagram, Beth is full of wisdom and passion as she helps others explore the Enneagram. Let’s start diving into the numbers on the Enneagram as we seek to better help the teenagers in our lives!
Can I Say That Here?
I was recently leading a support group with 7th grade students. During one of our introduction activities, a girl started to share — and then paused. She thought for a moment, and then said, “My answer is from The Bible. Can I talk about that here?” This is the constant question of students around us – students who live in an unsafe world – Is it okay to say what I feel here? Or the deeper version – Is this a safe place? I opened it up to the group, and the consensus from the seven other students in the room was that she could share and not be picked on or made fun of in our circle, despite many of the others in the room having vastly different beliefs. Seventh graders don’t typically ask if a group is safe unless they have spent time in spaces that aren’t.
