Andrea Lopez Larios: Treatment for girls struggling with complex emotional and behavioral issues.

I am from Tijuana Mexico. However, because of schooling my husband and I decided to live in Provo UT for a couple of years until we finish our bachelor’s degrees.  Since I have been outside of Tijuana for several years, I just thought it will be easier to look out for public health trends in Utah County. I talked to Shea Rodriguez; she is a good friend of mine who was a public health major and works as a residential staff member in a school called New Haven.      

We discussed how our society has a huge need to create a framework for change in healthy behaviors among young women in our society.  I thought that New Haven was only a Utah school. However, it is not only well recognized outside of Utah, but also outside of United States for its committed and medical sophistication to provide safe treatment to girls suffering from health issues that would prevent their admission to most programs. Most of the girls studying there have problems associated with complex behavioral and emotional issues, low self-esteem, low self-acceptance and poor decision making.  Family disruption is an example of both an emotional and behavioral issue that leads many young women to suffer psychosocial maladjustment, depression and mood disorders, among others. Public Health workers along with other clinicians and therapists are working together to deliver clinically sophisticated therapies to combat a wide range of emotional and behavioral struggles.

Low self-esteem: Despite a beautiful and confident outward appearance, many young women suffer from low self-esteem and lack of self-acceptance.  As we learned also in class, this has been a major concern among the young women in the past years.  For these girls, things have stopped working for them and they appeal to eating disorders, anxiety, or substance abuse as a way of release.  Public health staff helps to provide safe treatments and nurturing healthy behaviors.  They are attempting to educate the girls on health awareness and behaviors by implementing patient center therapies, nutrition and psychological treatment.

Substance Abuse:  Substance abuse as a high risk for youth is another public health major concern that I found very interesting. Prevention plays a key role while combating substance abuse and promoting safe and healthy communities.  New Haven public health officials offer materials and access to substance abuse prevention resources. They work to promote youth development, build resilience, assets, and reduce risk-taking behaviors.  New Haven is a great program designed to prevent violence and substance abuse among young women.

Public health personnel and therapists apply the most current, clinically sound approaches to a treatment for adolescent girls. Due to the fact that women are most likely to face immense pressure in the teenage years, it is very important to find the most effective treatment approach available for adolescent girls.