Page 51 - Meeting with Children Book

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to provide their parents or third parties messages that
are inconsistent from one meeting to another.

At 15 years, adolescents are really asserting their
independence and increasing experimentation and
further testing limits. This age group becomes more
private and they are not likely to share as much with
parents. Understanding the youth’s increased need
for individuality and privacy is important when
meeting with 15 year olds as they may want to share
with a practitioner, but they may not provide approval
for the practitioner to share what they think or feel
with their parents and other third parties. They may
also not easily verbally share what is important to
them with a practitioner.

Sixteen year olds are more likely to feel, act and
believe that they know everything and challenging
them or providing feedback to this age group
becomes quite difficult. Life skills leading to greater
independence such as getting a driver’s license are a
major focus and task for this group. Responsibilities
increase and sexual and emotional relationships
become more complex. Sixteen year olds may be
suspicious of particular questions or comments that
are suggestive of an adult agenda.
Psychological defenses for all of the above ages are
necessary, as adolescents are still working out who
they are in relation to others and forming internal
working models and structures to manage
interpersonal and psychological complexities and
conflicts about the self and others. When conflict in