“What’s Going on in that Teenager’s Brain?” Understanding the Adolescent Brain and its Effects on Hospitalization

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Working with adolescents can be challenging inside and outside of the hospital setting. Understanding the development of the adolescent brain, both anatomically and psychologically, can provide a child life specialist greater insight into assessing teens and creating effective interventions to implement in daily practice. When teenagers are hospitalized frequently, it can leave many adolescents feeling isolated and possibly burdensome to their family. It can be difficult for the teens to identify what “needs” they may have. Through interventions focusing on identifying emotions related to their hospital/illness experience, positive coping strategies can be taught to empower adolescents in their daily lives.

After this webinar, participants will have:

the ability to discuss adolescent brain development and how this affects adolescents’ decision making

the knowledge needed to identify the effects of illness, stress, and hospitalization in adolescents

the tools to implement interventions and facilitate conversations with family and staff in an effort to provide maximum support to adolescents in the hospital

Julia Mendoza

CCLS

Julia Mendoza has been a child life specialist at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, TX, since 2006. She has worked with the neonatal population, on a surgical inpatient unit, and has been the pediatric dialysis child life specialist for six years. Working in the pediatric dialysis unit, Julia has had a variety of experience with adolescents dealing with a chronic illness. She has also been the child life internship coordinator since 2009 and is a current member of the ACLP practicum task force.

Kimmie Bayliss

CCLS

Kimmie Bayliss has worked as a child life specialist at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, TX, for 9 years. Areas she has worked in include a level one emergency center, an intensive outpatient program focusing on teens with medical and mental health needs, and pediatric intensive care unit/intermediate monitoring unit. Since 2005, Kimmie also gained experience with teens living with chronic illnesses and their siblings while working at Camp For All in Burton, TX.