Adolescenza&Giustizia is a Centre aimed at preventing and treating conduct problems and antisocial behaviours amongst young people, through various activities including psychological assessment, consultation and psychotherapy, integrated with interventions of educational nature.
The Centre also provides prevention programs taking place either in schools or other growth environments of the young people, as well as courses educating the young people to take responsibility for their behaviours. Counseling takes place in classes where antisocial behaviours occur. Groups of parents seeking support in taking up their role have also been run.
The Centre provides training programs for teachers, facilitators, social professionals or facilitators working in therapeutic communities. The partnership with other European Centres is aimed at promoting an exchange on assessment and the best practices, with a particular interest in outcome evaluation.
Adolescenza&Giustizia promotes a scientifically informed approach to conduct problems and juvenile delinquency, fostering an exchange between Public Services and private provisions, and the dialogue between the professionals of the field and whoever is interested in behavioural problems during adolescence.
MAKING THE ADOLESCENTS RESPONSIBLE
Breaking rules is a widely spread behavior during adolescence, as the expression of developmental tensions between the internal and the external world. Antisocial behaviours represent a difficulty in taking responsibility and forming one’s social identity, in what may be the expression of both personality features of the adolescent and shortcomings of his environment.
The research on the psychological reasons underpinning antisocial behaviours may help understanding its meaning and defining the features of effective models of prevention, consultation and psychotherapy to parents and to young people displaying behavioural problems.
An approach integrating psychological, social and educational interventions on adolescents breaking rules or laws promotes the process of taking responsibility and resuming one’s development, thus reducing recidivism risk.
