“Just Say No” was a prevention strategy way back in the Reagan Era. It was often ridiculed as too simplistic. Yet it is certainly a desired outcome and knowing exactly what it takes to resist the pressure to conform is vital to any serous prevention effort. This workshop examines the personal attributes that student must possess or develop to increase their resilience and improve decision-making skills.
In this session participants will:
- Learn the difference between self-concept and self-esteem.
- Be informed about developmental challenges and imbalances that render students vulnerable.
- Discuss myths about relationships and intimacy the set students up for manipulation by peers.
- Be asked to share their own adolescent experiences and ideas about increasing resiliency in students.
The presenter will walk the audience through the everyday experience of adolescent and their hidden motivations for experimenting in alcohol, drugs, and sex. These behaviors are more than just pleasure seeking or succumbing to peer effects. Students are especially vulnerable during times of transition or after a major loss. The are many variations and students need to be assessed as individuals before they fall into patterns of unhealthy behaviors.
