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09/25/2019 08:18 AMAlicia Farrell, in her 20-plus years of clinical experience as a psychologist, has seen a lot and knows a lot about what makes the teenage brain work. This fall, she’s sharing her insights in a series of talks that cover the behavioral and neurological issues that make adolescence a struggle for both teens and adults with an upcoming talk on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at the Guilford Free Library.
“The teen years are challenging, they’re challenging for the teens and they’re challenging for anyone is trying to guide them and parent them,” said Farrell. “From my perspective, what teens want more than anything is they want to be understood. And they want to be heard...and oftentimes we forget to do that.”
Farrell said she was contacted by Kristen Eveland and Kim Beckett of the Guilford Special Education Parent Teacher Organization, which received a grant from the Guilford Foundation to fund three talks. Farrell said she worked with Eveland and Beckett to find “topics that were representative of what people are wanting to understand more about.” All of the talks are free and open to the public.
The first talk Farrell gave was on Sept. 16, and focused on the neuroscience of adolescence, a topic she said is very helpful for some adults to understand what a teenager’s needs and tendencies are.
“That period of time...is very unique to the adolescent years,” Farrell said.
Though her academic background means she is very capable of delving deep into complex topics, Farrell said she always relates the science to everyday, functional ideas.
“My talks always have a little bit of brain science, and a whole lot of roots on the ground,” Farrell said, “so people walk away with practical tools and skills that they can apply immediately.”
Farrell cited technology and substance abuse as two of the more urgent and important struggles that currently affect schools and parent-teen relationships. The damage marijuana does to a developing brain was a particular concern that she said many parents are not aware of.
Another struggle she said is overwhelming screen time, which contributes to anxiety and depression in young people.
For any conflict, though, Farrell said the parent’s approach can do a great deal toward nurturing understanding instead of resentment.
“You want to really parent from a place of collaborative problem solving with your teen. It’s important to start to communicate with your teen as if they’re adults, even though they might not act like adults all the time,” Farrell said.
Farrell’s next talk will take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at the Guilford Free Library. The presentation will screen the documentary Resilience followed by a talk that will focus on “trauma-proofing,” which she said is an approach that seeks not to spare children and teens from difficulties and anxiety, but instead focuses on ways to help them build strength from these experiences. On Monday, Nov. 18, she will speak at the Guilford High School library to present Anxiety: The Monster Among Us.
To register or learn more about the talks, visit www.guilfordfreelibrary.org and select “Events.” For more information of Farrell and her work, visit aliciafarrellphd.com.