Teens in Ocean Beach can get by with a little help from their friends at San Diego Youth and Community Services (SDYCS). The nonprofit organization is offering a drop-in teen support group every Tuesday, from 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m., to confidentially discuss problems, stresses and concerns with peers and SDYCS staff.
The goal of the program is to provide a safe environment where teens can share the struggles of everyday life and receive solid advice from trained professionals.
“They get the support of a listening adult “” someone who is qualified in a lot of these issues “” and also they get other teens to talk about what is going on,” said Carey Rodgers, SDYCS clinical case manager.
The informal discussion will be co-facilitated by Rodgers, who holds a Master’s in social work, and an intern. Conversation topics will include school, family, stress, friends, self-image, dating, drugs and alcohol, sexuality and bullying. The intention is to help teens develop better social skills, feel less isolated and alone, and provide feedback on their concerns.
Teens will convene at the same time as a kinship support group, a meeting for grandparents, aunts, uncles or siblings who are caring for a relative’s child. Teens not living with their biological parents, but rather relatives or foster parents, are encouraged to attend the teen group because of the additional hardships they face.
“It started because we have so many kinship and foster care youth,” Rodgers said. “A lot of these teens that I’m working with don’t have an opportunity of a support group and they have specific issues because they are not with their families anymore, or their biological parents.”
However, all teens are welcome and Rodgers hopes that the meetings will serve a link to the many programs offered by SDYCS.
“It’s a great way to get them matched up with services that they need or their family needs,” Rodgers said.
SDYCS operates two teen shelters for homeless and displaced youth, a day treatment facility in East County, an NFL educational and recreational center and three county community centers.
The Coastal Community Center, 5041 Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach, offers counseling and emergency assistance for people in crisis, as well as clinical case management. Support groups and counseling address drug and alcohol issues, abuse, depression and relationship problems. For teens, a mobile clinic offers free pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases screenings every Tuesday, coinciding with the teen support group.
This is the first teen support group offered by the Coastal Community Center in recent years. While turnout is not expected to be strong for the initial meetings, Rodgers hopes that people become aware of the group and take advantage of the important service it provides.
“Teens need as many resources as possible because it’s such a trying time in life and they have so many things going on.”
For more information, visit www.sdycs.org or call (619) 225-9305.