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Colloquium “Adolescents in distress: the urgency of a care policy in Europe”
was organised by Action for Teens aisbl on November 15th 2012 at the European parliament in Brussels.
Click here for the Executive Summary speakers in english
or here for Executive Summary speakers in French.
Click here to see the photo album.
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Adolescence is a period of major physical and psychological change, as well as great changes in social interactions and relationships.
Everyone dealing with teenagers today will confirm the following fact: adolescence is no longer what it used to be.
Although the themes proper to adolescence such as love, death or sexuality, remain unchanged, the cultural modifications that took place these last decades have undoubtedly strongly influenced the way teenagers try to deal with these issues.
15 to 20% of the adolescents in Europe, irrespective of the social class they belong to, suffer from one or more psychological of behavioural problems.
The traditional structures often do not meet the specific needs of young people and there is a huge shortage of specialised facilities. In order to alleviate these shortcomings a group of psychiatrists and psychiatry professors, all specialists in adolescence, have created Action for Teens, a European network of experts.
In the beginning of 2009, the idea emerged from meetings held between European specialists in adolescence of working on specific houses for adolescents. Several psychiatrists from European universities and hospitals have gathered to create Action for Teens (European Network of Houses for Teenagers - aisbl).
The goal of this European network is to develop in each European country, structures that can provide the adolescent in psychological need with the appropriate support linked to this specific period in his life: adolescence.
The houses for adolescents need to be easy to access, welcoming and open on the city.
Each youngster suffering from a psychological disorder has to find adequate help, taking his specific world into account and re-establishing the balance between himself and his environment.
A multidisciplinary dimension, bringing together different specialists such as psychiatrists, doctors specialized in adolescence, psychotherapists, family therapists, teachers, nurses, educators, social workers, legal advisors if necessary, is essential.
The parents and their teenagers, the teachers or educators should be able to be heard and fully supported.
Action for Teens is also a scientific movement for research, training and development. |
