ABOUT

OBJECTIVES:

Teach teens effective coping and problem-solving skills.
Equip teens to manage stressors by enhancing their self-awareness, so as to recognize destructive and unhealthy behaviors.
Advocate for easy access to engage in prevention and treatment services.
Foster communication with school advocates such as counselors, social workers, and psychologists, as well as other mental health personnel outside the school system.

STRATEGIES:

Provide evidence-based cognitive behavioral patient-focused treatment.
Strengthen community by empowering local youth.
Increase engagement by implementing mindfulness group activities.
Improve communication and self-advocacy skills through group activities and individual counseling sessions.
Build a culture around compassion, kindness, and service.
Through established guidelines for consistent quality, our clinical team will uphold the highest standards of care.

OUR APPROACH

The participants in our program are referred to us by local school advocates, hospitals, and other counseling agencies.

From the onset of care, parents, clinicians, and the youth will share decision making strategies as individual treatment plans are formed, using intake forms, assessment tools, and evaluations.

Individual treatment plans could potentially include counseling services, behavioral health treatments, and mindfulness techniques.

Clinicians will assess to determine if supplemental community or mental health resources are warranted and attempt to facilitate this process with parent/guardian.

WARNING SIGNS

Inadequate hygiene
Psychosomatic symptoms
Changes in sleeping patterns
Extreme variance in mood
Change in appearance
Self-isolation

Excessive worrying
Difficulty concentrating in school
Decrease in grades
Change in peer group
Lack of interest in activities they used to enjoy

WHAT IS OUR WHY

Our founders were drawn together by their mutual mission to change the circumstances of underprivileged youth. Often mental health needs are key factors to the continuation of this demographic's circumstances and the inadequacies of access to services perpetuate these concerns. Navigating through the mental health system is not an easy task for anyone. But knowing what is needed or how to access it is almost impossible for vulnerable youth. One pillar of The Mindful Youth Foundation is to provide a seamless process to obtain immediate support for mental health concerns for youth in need. Quality clinicians with access to valuable services is another enormous concern for our founders. With this in mind, MYF will be staffed with highly trained clinicians to mentor and provide individual, multifaceted, evidence-based therapy. As well as group activities with a mindful based cognitive platform to struggling socio-economic families.

A massive increase in stress is detected in adolescents as the expectations from school, home, and often even work begin to heighten. Social media is a new, but ever present contributor to stress and anxiety levels as well, and can even increase suicidal ideation and completion. This demographic is being challenged now more than ever. Our goal, first and foremost, is to provide a safe haven for learning, growth, recovery, and success. We want these youth to experience a program where they feel a sense of belonging and connectedness. Vulnerable youth need mentors to guide them as they learn how to advocate for themselves, use positive coping strategies, regain a sense of purpose, and traverse the pitfalls of life. We at The Mindful Youth Foundation want to see these youth become all they have the capacity to become.

We want at-risk youth to RISE, ENGAGE, PIVOT, AND SOAR!!