Complexus - Clinical Center for Psychology and Psychotherapy
info@centroclinicocomplexus.it
Viale Majno, 26 - Milan 20129
Psychological Support ◆ Psychotherapy ◆ Family Mediation ◆ Training
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Paths for teenagers
The phase of adolescence is historically and consensually recognized as fundamental within the life cycle, because it is characterized by fundamental evolutionary tasks . The adolescent in this period of life faces problems such as the search for autonomy, the need for separation, the search for identifying models, falling in love, affiliation with groups, up to the construction of identity and one's own role within the company.
In particular, this is a fundamental moment for the development of identity through experimentation with oneself and possible social roles. In this evolutionary phase, the adolescent's privileged channel of expression is the body , a body that changes, transforms, that betrays and fascinates you; a body that seeks an encounter with the other and on which the adolescent draws thoughts, a need for creative and transgressive expression and uses as an expression of discomfort.
These characteristics are common to adolescents of all times; in addition, in the hyper-modern era the changes triggered by digital devices should be also considered. Through these devices children have triggered a bifurcation that makes them protagonists of a complex world full of potential and pitfalls.
Furthermore, the Covid19 pandemic has profoundly undermined the premises on which development is based
adolescent psychology:
- Extra-family contexts have been canceled for an extended period (at least at a regulatory level)
line of comparison between peers and over time have left a greater tendency towards individualism and in some cases the difficulty in returning to the group dimension
- During the acute phases of the pandemic, parent/child distances were cancelled, forcing
children in centrifugal movement to an almost exclusive closeness with adults with parental functions, while from a psychological point of view the processes of identity construction and separation took place
- There has been a lack of contexts in which to find other adults of reference who are important for building an identity, within the differentiation process; even with the recovery, the adult world has often been more focused on moving forward, making up for lost time and less on absolving what has happened and changed for these kids
- The corporeal dimension has become blurred, in a context where corporeity has been replaced by virtu-
tual, but where the adolescent is left alone with his body size.
It is therefore essential to support adolescents to help them cope with stress, identify normal emotional reactions, engage in dialogue and social exchange, maintain appropriate lifestyles and social contacts, avoid smoking, alcohol and other drugs, to seek the help of health professionals as needed, to seek information from reliable sources, educate them about media exposure and help them develop strategies for emotional regulation.
For this reason we offer paths not only for individual psychological support and psychotherapy but we also offer paths for the development and enhancement of psychological well-being within the peer group . In this way we convey to children not only the importance of knowing how to listen to their own inner world but also the importance of sharing it with their peers in order to determine a shared social culture that is based on listening and mutual support.
In particular we work on dimensions such as:
◆ Reflection and reworking of one's personal history
◆ Ability to look at the past to project ourselves effectively into the future
◆ Tools, practices and ways of thinking to be used in everyday life to cope with moments of stalemate
◆ Activities on the promotion of the so-called dimensions of subjective psychological well-being (autonomy, self-acceptance, ability to have and maintain good relationships, environmental mastery, life purpose, personal growth)
◆ Activities to promote active listening behaviours and empathy
◆ Learn conflict management
Most of the time we operate within the school context and therefore with class groups, but it is possible - upon request - to also define informal groups of adolescents in other aggregation contexts.