Around Town
‘You Will Walk Out with a Game Plan’: Panel Discussion on ‘Building Family Resilience’ To Be Held Feb. 8 at Town Hall
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Most everyone is affected in some way by problematic behaviors such as substance use or abuse, anxiety or depression, according to one local expert, and adolescence is in and of itself a period of developing an identity. During that time, adolescents move away from their parents as guides to who they are “and look more to their peers for that feedback and developing their role,” according to Tracey Masella, manager of the adolescent transitional living program at Silver Hill Hospital. “That creates a lot of dissonance in a family. Some parents are not ready for that and often, adolescents in this process of identity formation will try out a lot of behaviors that are risky, to see what fits. It’s a time of great confusion for families as they try to navigate their kids moving away from them—as they have to do, and should do—but sometimes that creates a lot of stress and anxiety.”
As part of a panel to be held next Wednesday, Masella will offer tools and strategies for parents and adolescents seeking to get through this difficult period.