What to talk about today?!

     Being a counselor I can argue that I naturally have the tendency to want to help everyone. However I know that to be the best counselor I have to develop a speciality  or specific population that I focus on so that I can be somewhat of an expert in that field. With that being said, I've decided to focus this blog on resources, facts, and counseling techniques proven to be effective for at-risk and/or poverty stricken youth. Although many people might use the terms "at-risk youth" and "low-income youth" interchangeably, there most certainly is a difference. This pdf by Child Trends has done a nice job of adequately defining what an "at-risk" youth is, and what these youth are at risk of developing. In addition, one misconception is that at-risk youth are also youth living in low-income homes yet that is not the case necessarily. This Fact Sheet from the US Department of Health & Human Services shows that youth from low-, middle-, and high-income families have similar likelihood of engaging in risky behavior. All in all, this blog with enlighten you to help that may be available if you ever find yourself having to deal with an at-risk adolescent.