Foster Care Training

Youth involved in the child welfare and juvenile justice system are at increased risk of depression and self-destructive behaviors. The course reviews mental health issues impacting youth with self-destructive behaviors including depression, trauma, anger, and multiple losses. Approaches to working with youth are discussed including counseling youth with depression and trauma, helping them to develop coping skills, improving their self-care, psychotropic medications, and guidelines for specific mental health issues. The course also provides participants with guidelines for addressing self-destructive behaviors including cutting, warning signs of suicide, talking with suicidal youth, crisis risk assessment, and helping youth cope with grief and loss.

By the end of the course participants will be able to:

• Describe the backgrounds and contributing factors to self-destructive behaviors of youth in child welfare and juvenile justice.
• Identity mental health issues impacting self-harm behaviors including depression, bipolar disorder, borderline personality, PTSD, psychotic disorders, behavior disorders and substance use.
• Identify treatment approaches for working with youth who have self-destructive behaviors on depression and including counseling guidelines, skills building techniques, and medications.
• Describe issues and approaches for addressing self-destructive behaviors with youth including cutting, crisis risk assessment, suicidality, and coping with grief and loss.