Feeling\u00a0loved and accepted is a vital part of\u00a0teenage identity development.\u00a0 Often,\u00a0a\u00a0teenager\u00a0won\u2019t\u00a0accept herself\u00a0for who she is.\u00a0 Instead, she might project this insecurity\u00a0onto others, creating the feeling that no one accepts her.
\nA lot of the girls at Sunrise Residential Treatment Center have the same story: they have no idea who they are or what makes them special. \u00a0Because they lack an\u00a0identity,\u00a0they latch onto extreme habits or actions thinking it will make them whole.<\/p>\n
Drugs, alcohol, and promiscuity are some ways that teenage girls try to connect\u00a0to others. These actions have two main purposes:<\/p>\n
For example, a\u00a0girl can say, \u201cI struggle forming relationships because all I am is an alcoholic!\u201d The girl may be making alcoholism her identity so she doesn’t have to go into the real reason she has relationship problems. The hard part is helping the teenage girl explore the idea that this is not her identity.\u00a0\u00a0Drinking\u00a0is just what she has\u00a0chosen to be apart of. This can crush the teens world because she is back to square one searching for an identity. She may even feel that she isn’t loved and accepted.<\/p>\n
This is where the Sunrise staff come in! As staff, we use experiential activities and a lot of self-esteem<\/a> work to start the process of true identity building. \u00a0\u00a0As soon as a girl is admitted into our program, our staff are getting to know her and learning her story. I recently attended the ceremony of a girl\u00a0as she graduated from Sunrise. \u00a0As I sat\u00a0surrounded by people who love\u00a0this young woman, I reflected upon her journey. \u00a0Her self-esteem was\u00a0at such a different place than where it was at the beginning. The staff were able to challenge her in activities that she loved and activities that she hadn\u2019t tried before. \u00a0This\u00a0student was able to do so much more than she had ever dreamed\u00a0of. \u00a0She had discovered her identity was\u00a0more than\u00a0the drugs she dealt. \u00a0She was worth\u00a0so much more than\u00a0the attention her ex-boyfriend sometimes gave her. Feeling\u00a0loved and accepted is a vital part of\u00a0teenage identity development.\u00a0 Often,\u00a0a\u00a0teenager\u00a0won\u2019t\u00a0accept herself\u00a0for who she is.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4828,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[131,146,147],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunrisertc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4827"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunrisertc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunrisertc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunrisertc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunrisertc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4827"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sunrisertc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4827\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7822,"href":"https:\/\/sunrisertc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4827\/revisions\/7822"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunrisertc.com\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunrisertc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunrisertc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunrisertc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nWe find out what experiential activities that the girl may like, such as running, yoga or singing. \u00a0Then we explore\u00a0activities she has\u00a0never tried before, like rock climbing, hiking\u00a0or camping. Our goal is to find an activity that helps the girl feel connected to the other girls, their family, and most importantly, themselves.
\nIf a girl has a passion for music, we will schedule off campus music lessons. \u00a0We want to further her knowledge and love of the art. \u00a0Or if a girl seems to have rhythm anytime a song comes on, we will look into getting her into a hip hop class with other girls her age. \u00a0That way\u00a0she can connect with others in a way that pushes her outside of her comfort zone<\/a>.
\nSunrise\u00a0staff\u00a0are\u00a0with\u00a0each\u00a0girl\u00a0every\u00a0step\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0way,\u00a0giving\u00a0them\u00a0positive feedback and praise. \u00a0The girls at Sunrise aren’t the only ones\u00a0learning and growing. \u00a0If the hike is hard for a girl, it is probably hard for the staff. \u00a0Relating back to the student is one of the best ways to connect and share feelings and thoughts. \u00a0It also shows the girl that it is okay to do hard things.<\/p>\nA Girl’s Journey of to Find Her Identity<\/h2>\n
\nThat climb to the top of the mountain meant that she was capable and that flute recital meant that she also valued<\/a> herself by sticking with it. The friends that she gained are real supporters who love her and will look after her best interests. Her family sees her true self by how she glows and wants\u00a0to include them into her world.
\nThis is how the we facilitate teenage identity development at Sunrise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"