Girls in Crisis: Improving Care for Tween and Teen Girls with ADHD (and more)

Recorded Webinar
Instructor: Sharon Saline, Psy.D.
CEs: 2
Level: Intermediate
Target Audience: Social workers and other social service providers.
Course Delivery Method and Format: Recorded webinar, self study. All courses are hosted on SmithOnline. Login information will be emailed immediately after registration to the email address entered during registration.
System Requirements: Attendees will need access to a computer with internet and the capability to play recorded videos.

Date of original webinar: October 30, 2023

Today’s girls are in crisis. For girls with ADHD between the ages of 10-18, the risks of depression, anxiety, social isolation and self-harming behaviors are even higher. This webinar will specifically address the intersectionality of ADHD in girls with learning disabilities, mental health issues, level one autism and cultural influences. Sharon Saline, Psy.D. will examine the complicated journey of growing up as a neurodivergent female by looking first at the biological, cognitive and psychosocial factors affecting girls today. She will cover topics related to puberty/hormonal changes, gender identity, sexual orientation, racism, societal standards of beauty, twice exceptionality, bullying and perfectionism. Saline will offer effective tools to assist clinicians and educators with interventions directed at improving executive functioning skills, social-emotional learning confidence and self-advocacy for their clients/students. The role of social media, access to care (or lack thereof), and strategies for fostering resilience will also be explored. Participants will gain insight into key strengths-based approaches and practical strategies that help their clients develop productivity, authenticity and self-esteem.

Registration Fee and Deadline:

$45 (one time registration fee of $5) | Ongoing

Learning Objectives:

1. Examine the data related to girls with ADHD including learning disabilities, level one autism, twice exceptionality and various mental/physical health issues
2. Clarify cultural influences, access to care inequities, gender and sexuality identities, puberty and substance abuse as they affect development
3. Identify the effects of social media on self-concept and peer relationships
4. Create strategies and interventions to improve coping skills, decision-making, executive functioning and self-care for neurodivergent girls
5.    Develop best practices for fostering resilience with awareness of intersectional and contextual factors 

Outline:

• Introduction
• Current data and research about ADHD in girls including mental health issues, access to care, gender identities and sexual orientation
• Social fabric of female teenagerhood (discussion of various cultural influences, peer relationships, social media and intersectionality)
• Social anxiety, rejection sensitivity disorder, perfectionism and bullying
• Risky behaviors (substance abuse, eating disorders, early sexual activity) Interventions to improve executive functioning skills
• Strategies for fostering resilience and strengths-based approaches
• Q & A

Instructor Biography:

Sharon Saline, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist and author of the award-winning book, What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew: Working Together to Empower Kids for Success in School and Life and The ADHD Solution Deck. She specializes in how ADHD, learning disabilities and mental health issues affect children, teens, young adults and families. Her unique perspective, namely growing up in a household with a sibling who wrestled with untreated ADHD, combined with decades of clinical experience, assists her in guiding families as they navigate the confusing maze of information, emotions, stress and conflict related to ADHD. She helps them appreciate the positive aspect of living with ADHD and create successful dialogues, interventions and connections.

Saline has also worked extensively with schools on mental health issues in the classroom, interpreting psychological evaluations and improving teacher/parent communication. As an internationally sought-after lecturer and workshop facilitator known for combining her expertise in psychology with a background in theater, she addresses a variety of topics such as understanding ADHD and executive functioning, new tools for managing anxiety, making sense of the teen brain and working with different kinds of learners. Saline is a regular contributor to ADDitudemag.com, Mass Appeal Live on WWLP-TV and Psychologytoday.com. She is a part-time lecturer in the professional education program at Smith College School for Social Work. A magna cum laude graduate of Brown University, she received her master’s degree in psychology from New College of California and her doctorate in psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant University.