Adolescence is a time of significant emotional, social, physical and psychological change. For some young people, adolescence is characterized by high-risk and antisocial behaviors such as drug abuse, school failure, delinquency and violence. Clinical concentration students in the High-Risk Youth Track learn about the causes of adolescent problem behaviors, as well as intervention skills and strategies to prevent and treat such problems.
In this track, you'll learn to understand prevention and treatment within a framework of risk and protective factors, and you'll examine racial, ethnic and gender differences as they relate to adolescent problems. You'll also examine policies aimed at preventing or controlling problems during adolescence.
If you select this track, you'll take:
- an overview course examining healthy development in childhood and adolescence
- two required courses on prevention and treatment of adolescent substance abuse, juvenile delinquency and youth violence
- a policy course
- 4 elective courses
- 2 practice evaluation research courses
You'll complete your field internship in an agency or program serving high-risk youth.
