Page 49 - Meeting with Children Book

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In meeting with youth, the ADR practitioner must ask
critical questions:

 What is the length of time of the parental
separation?
 What is the degree of conflict?
 Are the parents using their child/youth to
forward a position?
 How capable are the parents to differentiate
their needs from their adolescent’s needs?
 Is the adolescent in a difficult position related
to his/her parents’ needs? Will the adolescent
need to support one or the other parent to feel
“loved”?
 Has normal separation and differentiation from
the parents been interrupted? For instance, is
there high alliance with a primary caregiver and
does the youth mirror a parent vs. display some
degree of individual thinking/understanding of
the family circumstances?
 What non-normative role does the youth play
in the family dynamics? (Caregiver, partner,
scapegoat, confidant, etc.)
 What are the youth’s temperament factors?
 What supports are present in the youth’s life?
 Impulsivity and a focus on rewards and instant
gratification

Meetings with Adolescents
Adolescence spans a long period of development from
age 12 to 20 years. When meeting with an adolescent,