Week 4:
Assessment of Adolescents

Adolescence is often one of the most difficult stages individuals experience in their lives. Think back to your own teenage years and consider some of the questionable choices you made at that time, or reflect upon some of your responses to situations that may now seem emotionally and hormonally driven. Given the nature of the developmental changes that occur during adolescence, it can be quite challenging for a clinician to assess what a client is actually experiencing. During the adolescent stage, teens will often exhibit behaviors that seem unhealthy, dangerous, and sometimes even pathological. A closer look at the current developmental stage of the client and the familial history may lead to a very different conclusion. Therefore, social workers need to be very thorough when assessing adolescents and take into consideration multiple factors prior to planning and intervening.

Learning Objectives

Students will:  not a assingment

• Apply attachment theory to a case study
• Analyze attachment styles in adolescents
• Analyze developmental stages in adolescents
• Apply developmental theory to a case study

Learning Resources

Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings

Gutiérrez, L., Oh, H. J., & Gillmore, M. R. (2000). Toward an understanding of (em)power(ment) for HIV/AIDS prevention with adolescent women. Sex Roles, 42(7–8), 581–611.

Discussion 1: Attachment Theory

The adolescent stage can be described as a time where there is a loss of innocence and a preentry into adulthood. A large part of being an adolescent is beginning that process of stepping out into the world and learning about oneself as a unique and autonomous individual. This movement out into the world is contingent upon the knowledge that this young person will have a safe and secure home to return to at the end of the day. If a traumatic loss or event has occurred in the adolescent’s life, there may be no safe base to which this individual can return. Attachment theory teaches us that a young person’s ability to attach/engage with peers, family, and other potential support systems is an important aspect of the developmental process. During the adolescent stage of development, assessing attachment styles is important because it provides a window into how the adolescent relates to others, which allows the clinician to choose the appropriate intervention.

1.      Post a 1 hole page or more answer and support all of your written ideas with 2 APA citations and references per paragraph. Use the Learning resource in the work instructions as REFERENCES. Answer in an application of the attachment theory to the case of either Tiffani or Brady. Discuss the connection between his or her attachment style and the exhibiting behavior. For this Discussion, choose either the program case study for the Bradley family or the course-specific case study for Brady. This answer is for a Masters course not a Bachelors course.

Discussion 2: Developmental Stages

Understanding an adolescent’s behavior can be at times elusive and even frustrating. Due to the multiple aspects of the developmental tasks during these years, it can be at times quite challenging to clearly define the issue(s) at hand. Assessment during this stage will include an evaluation of whether an adolescent’s actions are indicative of unhealthy behavior or merely representative of being an adolescent. A comprehensive assessment that includes an evaluation of the client’s developmental stage is a priority when working with this age group.

2.      For this Discussion, choose the opposite case from Discussion 1 and use Erikson’s developmental theory. Post a 1 hole page or more answer and support all your written I ideas with 2 APA citations per paragraph and references. Use the Learning Resources given in the work as REFERENCES. Write your answer with an assessment of whether the client is mastering the stage of identity. Identify the areas that should be addressed in an intervention based on his or her developmental stage. Describe how you might address those areas. This is for a Masters course not for a Bachelors course

Support your posts with specific references to this week’s resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references.