A simple method for responding with understanding the inner world of the young person recovering from a tough start to life is to consider these three questions:
- If they could or would, how would they describe:
- Themselves?
- Others?
- Their world?
- How fast is their motor running?
- What did they learn about access to needs provision in their first learning environment?
The answer to these questions is anticipated to assist with working out the reasons for the complex, challenging, and self-defeating behaviours exhibited by young people recovering from a tough start to life, and responding therapeutically to them.
For example, think about the young person who takes up vaping at school. They tend to be uninterested in relation to any harm that they might be doing to themselves. They don’t care. Vaping offers them an opportunity to connect with other young people who vape, and an associated feeling of belongingness. It shows that they are prepared to compromise their own health and access to education to achieve belongingness. Banning access to vaping will do little to address these reasons for vaping. Rather, it is important to intervene in a way that supports their self-worth and feelings of connection with others.
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