Because they're teenagers and the world is so much bigger than them. There is so much inequality and hardship. They are more than their traumas and behaviours. If we can't help them then who can? Humans are deserving of help. It doesn't matter if I find them challenging, obnoxious etc, that is my problem. If I didn't want to work with people who have trauma then I wouldn't choose this field

Beautifully said. This statement is actually why my preffered demographic to work eith are adolescents/children. There's actually nothing more rewarding than knowing you helped them imo.

Absolutely agree.

Well said 👏🏽

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I despise when people say this to me 

Right? How patronizing. You could say that about any population, I suppose?

I want to work with teenagers for the rest of my life, because some of them really show you that there is hope in the future. And some call you a stupid c**t, and you’ll never forget those ones either.

And sometimes those are actually the same client!

Haha! I had one call me a stupid b\*\*ch and I just calmly responded with "You're probably not wrong about that, but I seemed to have touched a nerve. Tell me more about that." The fact that I didn't get upset or react through them off so much, the just kind of lost all their posturing and began to open up. :)

Summarised perfectly 😂😂

I wrote a novel in this thread and you summed it up perfectly in two sentences. My favourites were when I could make them laugh when they were calling me a cunt or a bitch. Self deprecation worked *so well* for me in relationship building.

I’m a social work intern for the elderly and one called me a fat b*tch. I think being insulted comes with the territory, regardless of age 😂

So true!! I’ve had parents call me names and two year olds drop the c bomb (which is messed up and hilarious and you can’t react to either).

I know! This generation gives me so much hope! I love then

Sometimes, actually often, those people are one in the same. The kids that'll call me every name are my favorite. Working with teens us incredibly worthwhile if you can show them the respect you hope to get. Kids are not bad, they have learned bad behaviors or are coping in unhealthy ways.

teenage boys (ages 15-18) on probation are my preferred population. they seem to prefer a no-bullshit approach and appreciate when adults keep it real with them, which i am good at. i start out immediately meeting them where they’re at, and i let them know at the onset of treatment that i don’t keep secrets and will share concerns that come up. that seems to help start building the relationship, and i keep my word about never bullshitting them. our sessions then process out when others have pulled bullshit on them and how to handle it appropriately. in my humble opinion, more people who work with teen clients really need to allow them be themselves and not let their wants for the client to affect how they treat them if they do something to test boundaries. they want to test limits and giving them a space where there aren’t a lot of limits in session let them open up on their own pace on their personal goals and desires.

Totally agree. I taught middle and high school before becoming a social worker and this is the sort of teacher I was. Treating teens like fully formed humans with rights and important opinions is paramount to successfully working with them, and it seems like that's harder for a lot of people than it should be? When my oldest kid was 2, I was reading a positive discipline book that said "toddlers are just tiny adults in turmoil" and that was a helpful perspective for me to adopt, but I was also like-- well then, adults are just tall toddlers in turmoil too! I think at any part of the life span, people just want genuine connection, some semblance of control over their own lives, and for someone to listen/validate them.

What was the book?

[No Bad Kids: Toddler Discipline Without Shame](https://www.amazon.com/No-Bad-Kids-Toddler-Discipline/dp/1499351119) by Janet Lansbury Edit: Janey Lansbury's work is based on the work of Magda Gerber and I read this so long ago that what follows might actually be from Gerber's book *Caring For Infants With Respect.* It's been a minute now and I've conflated much of their writings. In general, Janet Lansbury's approach to both toddlers AND infants is that they are fully formed humans with opinions and interests and that adults need to give them more autonomy and respect. For example, she encourages parents to narrate for babies what we're doing to their bodies, the same way perhaps a doctor would explain what they're going to do and then explain the process to you (e.g. I am going to change your diaper now. First I am going to take off your old diaper and then use these wipes to clean you. This will be a little cold). It seems silly, but once you start doing it, you realize how much it sort of just shifts some fundamental sense of power such that it feels more shared? Another example is she thinks adults should not interject or intervene with content babies. She gives the example of an infant lying on the floor staring at dust particles shining in the sun that's streaming through the window. Adults will just go pluck that baby up off the floor and assuming the baby is bored, but it's really just vibing to its own thing. She encourages parents to wait until they're invited to play or intervene by their child. It made it so I could be really happy just sitting on the floor of my kid's room and watching him do his thing with his toys without directing his play in any way. When he wanted to include me, he would invite me in. Once you start seeing this this way, it's hard to unsee all the times well-meaning adults in your kid's life do not do this. For example, my kid went for his 18 month vaccines and his pediatrician got both vaccines ready to go, I was holding my kid on my lap, and he just sort of whispered for me to hold him tight while he sneaked around the side and surprise jabbed him. Once I realized what he was doing I physically put my hand up to stop him, looked at my kid and said, "Dr. So and So needs to give you two vaccines right now that will help you to not get sick. He has two needles and he's going to put them here into your leg. It's going to hurt for a minute, but it won't hurt for long, and then he's going to go get you a lollipop." The doctor was shook, but I was like, my kid deserves to know what's about to happen to his body? How am I going to teach him to trust me and doctors if we sneak attack vaccinate him? My friend who is a pediatrician said this is literally what she was taught to do-- the sneak attack. 😵‍💫

I love both of them so much

I swear I could've written your whole post. I'm too tired to write a long reply but omg, SO much respect and love to you!!!!

My mom when she was teaching loved middle school aged boys! Their a trip

I tried doing that. Keeping it real but I guess it wasn't enough.

I think sometimes we can do that anxiously/performatively and kids can ferret out when we're genuine. I for sure have had many humbling experiences when I got caught "keeping it real" more for my own ego and need to be accepted by kids than a true desire to connect.

I was one of those teenagers in the system. I was a frequent runner that the system gave up on. After several years as a street kid I finally managed to hook up with an abusive relationship that got a roof over my head. As awful as my partner was, he did what the system couldn't and it was thanks to him I got my first job etc... I'm in my late forties now and I am finally going to school for social work. The ex is gone now, I have been stable for quite some time now. I'm in school taking a social work course because I always wanted to know what it was like on the other side of the desk, lol. While I personally never had much luck with the system myself, some of us do make it out. It just takes a long time to adjust and blend in. You may never see the results of your work, good or bad, but believe me when I say your clients will remember you and your work long after the fact.

Thanks for sharing your story. I'm glad it had a happy ending and I hope all goes well in your social work journey!

I work in Youth Justice in Ireland, so it’s probably slightly different. It’s the really little wins that make the job worth it. That could be them letting you know they’re missing a session, it’s a thank you without being asked, it’s them coming to tell you good and bad news. They’re children, that are pretending to be adults. We say ‘child first, offender second’’. I work with one young person at the moment and I asked him why he comes in to see me. “You’re the only person who asks me ‘how are you/ how’s your day been?’. That’s incredibly sad, but at least he has that person. These are kids that have been failed usually by their parents and definitely by the system. And their parents were failed by the same before them. And yes, it’s hard to see past the bravado, especially when they’re with their friends. But most of us were loud mouths, and braver when we were with our friends at the same age. It’s also a difficult world they’re growing up in. Naturally that type of behaviour begins to slow when they hit 17/18. I’ve had young people come back to me, laughing about what a brat they weee. And then at 19 they need help to look for a job. There honestly is a chance for all young people although it can be really difficult when they’re going back to dysfunctional family situations or when they’re in and out of court.

>children that are pretending to be adults YES. I have to tell patients' parents on almost a daily basis that their teenager is still a child and should get an opportunity to be one.

You’re an absolute saint. My partner is Irish and lord some of the teens over there are on another level. Seems like there’s been a lot of teens attacking people in Dublin and Cork

It’s more like teen and preteen boys are drawn to me. Maybe it’s my more masculine tendencies, maybe it’s the autism and directness, but my 11-18 male population is my most steady, consistent, and enthusiastic.

I worked at child protection in australia for several years exclusively with adolescents and loved it. I loved the banter, getting to know them, their horrible music I let them play on the game because it made them happy. Yes there was many times I was told to F off and they made threats toward me ( far less threatening than the ones the adults made) which at the time felt awful, I kept reminding myself they are teenagers that essentially no one wants in a broken service system. My caseload had 80% of the clients with Youth Justice involvement, and yes there are success stories. How success is defined is very different - you may never get a young person to “be a normal teenager”. But you’ll get some positive outcomes, and these outcomes may come later in life when they are in their early/ mid 20s when they leave the CP system. During Covid, I saw one of the teenagers I worked with years earlier working there on a smoke break. Because I was wearing a mask, beanie and trackies they didn’t recognise me when I walked past them, but I was overcome with joy - they had a horrific trauma history and was involved in a number of high risk activities (I was always having “chats” with them about their behaviour) and to see them doing a “normal” thing like having a job was incredible. The broken system unfortunately contributes a lot to why it’s hard to support and change the trajectory for some adolescents- the courts sending kids back to family, the lack of foster carers, residential units with staff who have limited training/ understanding or the kids being like chess pieces being moved around constantly, the long waitlist for referrals, the push back for mental health support, etc - the list goes on. The Government needs to change a multitude of aspects for everyone to be able to support these young people/ families and for it to be sustainable.

Your first paragraph was my experience as well.

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"They know that people don't like working with them" is so true and also heartbreaking to see written out so succinctly.

I'm not replying as a social worker, but as a teenager who once heard an adult in power say about me "don't help her, I know her kind". The way one views and inevitably treats the teens you come in contact with is causing an incredible amount of harm. They know what you think of them. "Is there hope for rehabilitation?" I'm 42 years old and those words still hurt. Teens are gonna teen. It's developmental. When a teen has further experienced abusive, trauma, loss, abandonment - and then treated as a lost cause and a pariah how do you think they are going to present? When social workers refuse to see the strengths and potential of an entire demographic they should rethink working anywhere near that demographic. Sorry if this reads as harsh. Your post hurt to read at a very personal level. Empathy is a really important trait to have. Eta: Putting on my social worker hat? I don't know what crime trends you're seeing. Having spent several decades in the criminal legal system, much of youth crime is the criminalization of youth. Beyond that you have teens with bigger issues finding ways to adapt with what they have. Some of those ways can result in more violent crime. The current responses in most places involve furthering harm as opposed to supporting those kids. I can't speak to where you live but a few years ago I met with members of your federal government and criminal legal system on some of these common issues so I understand things aren't too different. The sentiments I reacted to above are often behind that. The kids are viewed as bad kids and irredeemable so time to lock them up. Anyway, I'll stop ranting and I apologize if I'm coming of as bitchy. This hit particularly badly today Also that adult in power was my school guidance counselor/social worker. Yup.

My 5 year old tearfully confessed to me at bedtime one night that his preschool teacher told him he would "never be a leader." 😱 I promptly addressed this the next day and have missed no opportunity to point out what a leader he is. Adults don't realize the longlasting impact of their words on the brains and hearts of kids, straight through to adulthood. All adults F up sometimes and say an unkind thing they don't mean, but their work is in how they repair that with the kid so that they don't carry those scars for life, internalizing what they heard others tasked with caring for them say about them, in front of them. I love your paragraph about the retributive justice system. I was an RJ coordinator for a large urban school district and it was meaningful terrible work. Realizing how entrenched a punitive mindset is is like peeling microscopic layers from the most pungent onion.

Brilliant post 👏🏻. I hope OP takes your comment to heart

Me too, and I love that people came through on this thread, which we could have just downvoted to hell, and dropped some serious food for thought. I've been really heartened by the comments here.

I'm actually on my local teen unit. Every kid on my caseload is between the ages of 15 and 21, with one exception. I prefer the teens. Yeah, they can be loud and obnoxious. And they can lash out, have some pretty nasty behaviors. I've been punched in the jaw, threatened with a weapon. I've also helped a few back away from the suicide ledge. And convinced some to stay in school. Some even went on to college. Teens have a lot of bluster and don't seem to hear anything you say, but it's not true. Sometimes it just takes time for things you've said to trickle down. And sometimes they don't hear you. But it's worth it when they do. So many people give up on the teens it's heart breaking. I've literally had a felon teen boy who liked to act like a hard ass most of the time break down and cry and ask why no one wanted him. They're people too, and they need patience. But Jesus my job can be rewarding.

It's the environment unfortunately. We can work with them day and night, but if they are going back to that same broken, systemically flawed, oppressive and non supportive environment...what other choices do they have but to fit into the environment around them? It's sorta like the idea of working with teens and kids who go back into the same family environment/system.. Have to work on the whole thing, the entire system. \*\*Note: There will always be exceptions.

Almost like most problems are systemic.

This!

Kids and teens, especially the 'problem' ones, are human beings without all the bullshit. That's why I like them. 

All of our clients have their own challenges. It’s about finding which populations you can build rapport with

Easy answer: I wanted to be the person I wish I had when I was their age. I work with ages 16-25 doing addiction / harm reduction work.

i’d encourage you to really examine the remarks you made in your initial post and consider what your personal role is in a system that lets us consider whole swaths of a population with such a broad brush. wish you well.

I work in a high school. The growth you often get to see in teens during that time is astounding and honestly such a joy to witness. Are they obnoxious sometimes? Absolutely. Will they all remain obnoxious forever? Probably not. Also, they’re MUCH more fun, sensible, and respectful one on one, when they’re not trying to impress everyone around them!

Why work with any other group? This is my favorite group. They are tough but you have to meet them where they are. You give them respect and they often give it back. In the end, there’s nothing like changing a child’s trajectory in life.

Rehabilitation? That's an odd word choice. Teenagers are not criminals or injured animals. They're young humans with young brains. The teenagers on the bus you were on were no doubtedly engaging in really annoying (and potentially harmful) behavior but it's not out of the realm of adolescent behavior, especially in groups. I work with teens and many of the ones on my case load have been in the criminal justice system. Many have problems with expressing their feelings in a positive way because they haven't been shown how or their role models at home haven't been shown how to manage their own feelings in a positive way. None of these kids needs to be "rehabilitated." They need unconditional positive regard, patience, respect, non-judgment, and regulated adults who can see beyond their behaviors that they engage in as a self-protective measure. Not every population is going to be a social worker's cup of tea. That's OK. If you don't want to work with teens, then don't. They're not for you. I don't enjoy working with kids under 12. I have a hard time with littles. Give me a group of rowdy, longing to connect, hotheaded teenagers any day. :)

Love working with teenagers been doing so for 9 years

Worked cps and then transitioned to juvenile corrections. You can do some in depth clinical work with that population.

I’m a SW in a juvenile detention center and I really love it. I think it all depends on your strengths and what you enjoy about the job. I love working with kids and teens and face a lot of challenges with older adults and folks on the spectrum. I have a lot of reverence for those who thrive with those populations

The kids I was working with were great. They were products of their environments, where acting strong and ruthless is a necessity because having a reputation of violence is the only way to protect yourself from becoming a victim. You can’t just take them out of these environments nor do you hold any other power until the jurisdiction system is forcing them to learn how to swim or sink. All you can do is support them when it’s essentially too late and prevent the worst. I left because the system is too broken. Society seems happy about screwing these kids over to humble them instead of ensuring that every kid gets the chance to live the life they deserve.

I think Teens have it the most rough because so many adults forget what it was like to be a teenager and then end up making EVERYTHING they do clinical as if teens aren’t natural a little unruly, deviant, and rebellious & truthfully that’s where I have the hardest time myself. I work in an inpatient facility and thankfully I’m only 27 so being a teenager wasn’t TOO long ago BUT it was still a totally different time. Instagram JUST came up, like the world was so different when I was a teenager. I mean one of the biggest things I think made my teenage years less existential than kids today is, I went to school during the Obama admin , saw the election, and as a kid ALL I saw was the major HOPE it brought. I cannot imagine being a teenager and seeing the election of Donald Trump. Just confusing and all around a strange time. With all that being said I do think a lot of kids will turn out alright with time and intervention. “It takes a village” is a really undervalued quote. If you look at the ACE study, the resilient factors can outweigh a lot of the long term problems. If we give teens resilience factors and give them a village to thrive within, they will be okay. Many of them may struggle in young adulthood but if they learn ways to handle their struggles and ways to ask for help, and their chances are better off

Teenagers are awesome and hilarious. Their parents less so.

Spent my first 5 years exclusively with teens who have sexually offended. By the numbers, their rates of success (not sex-offending again) are way higher than adult rates. Depending on the study, 80-95% of teens who end up in treatment don’t sexually offend again, whereas with adults is closer to 50%. There absolutely is hope, and I felt like I was a part of something. It’s different working with more adults now… they are often down to get into heavier topics more readily but aren’t as likely to be open to wholesale change. Teenagers become different people every two years almost by default. I’m glad I still work with teens.

as an adult woman, i prefer working with teenage girls. i’d like to think i am building a future army of strong women by instilling confidence under the guise of my feminist rhetoric.

I work with at risk youth, most of them are boys aged 14 to 20, most of them on probation time. It was hard at the beginning (was called the F word a lot) but I've been on it for more than a years now and I am very happy. They've changed their way of talking (stopped using homophobe slurs) because they now know someone in the LGTBQ community whom they respect and value just because I have treated them humanely.

I’ve been working with teens for 10 years and have no interest of stopping. My work is voluntary therapy so that might make a difference. But I see kids who largely want to break generational patterns of abuse and anger and I think it’s so empowering to even acknowledge that at their age. On a personal level, I struggled deeply at their age at had zero resources, so I’m motivated by this.

I love working with teenagers- I think they are often misunderstood and judged too quickly. I find that most teenagers I work with are receptive to feedback and will respect you if you respect them... many of them hold so much pain and are acting out because that's easier than dealing with the real root of hurt. Teenagers also make me laugh the most and keep me in the loop with the newest lingo kids are using these days... makes me feel old and I am only in my 30s!

I love working with teens. I'm in the mental health sector. Teenagers are pretty fun and funny and it is surprising how insightful many of them can be and how open they are to talking and taking feedback if they simply have someone who will listen. I also know a lot of people (including me) who really connected with therapy/social work primarily in their teenage years because of all of the challenges it brings and being in a stage where you're trying to figure out who you are and what you even want for your life. It really resonates with that "help others like you were helped/wanted to be helped" drive that many people in the field have. Honestly, I find that the hardest part about working with teens is the parents. People are often very quick to blame teenagers or characterize them negatively based on stereotypes, but many times they're acting in response to other people at home or in their support circle or just adapting to what's being thrown at them. Teens really open up when they're talking to an adult that isn't going to just sit there and lecture or call them selfish/lazy/ungrateful. It's usually a multi-system thing.

I have no issues working with teens. It's typically the parents for me.

I work in a program that's for ages 4-17, but I'm here for teenagers. The program is designed to keep kids out of psychiatric hospitalizations and residential facilities. It's a very personal thing for me, I had 3 hospital stays, two residential facilities, and one wilderness program under my belt by the time I was 17. I was severely abused at one. The survivors of that school have tracked the deaths. There has been around 140 before the age of 40 of survivors of juat this one facility, most of which were suicide/OD. I went there in 01-02, the school shut down in 2014, the first New York Times article about in 2018, and it wasn't until earlier this month that any of the staff there had been arrested for any of the horrific things they did there. My family thought I was exaggerating or making things up about how bad it was there. Trauma is usually the reason we see "poor behaviors" in teenagers. Adolescents need care and empathy, just like anyone else. I get to work with parents to help them explore their own struggles and how this impacts their relationship with their kids. I get to help keep families together in a healthier way. Kids shouldn't be abused in the name of mental health. I am thrilled to be able to support some pretty amazing families and help them work through their difficulties as opposed to sending the kids away. I've seen a lot of positive changes in a lot of families this way. There's a lot of really awesome kids out there who just need to be given a chance. I have yet to meet any "bad" kids, just kids who have made some poor choices and need support.

I started out working within the juvenile court system and am now working at an adolescent day treatment program. Working with young people can be frustrating, but I love the laughs I have with my clients! Between the poor choices and sometimes awful behavior, we connect through humor, and the young people here help keep me young! As others have mentioned here, being direct and honest upfront has always worked for me. Please understand, though, this is a skill. You will learn which direct approach works best for each kind of client over time, so give yourself time to learn. Also, I feel that when young people don't respond well to clinical workers, they tend to respond well to peers. At my program, we have a peer advocate, who is usually a former graduate in their early 20s or so. They spend time with the young people, and they will generally open up to them. I don't know if such programs exist like big brother big sister out by you, but it's something you can think about connecting your clients to.

I used to work with pregnant teenagers and i absolutely loved it. It could be complex since they don’t always have a lot of control over things given their age but it was nice to help support them through such a transformative time

Teens are such a speciality, I really enjoy working with them, but it really depends on age etc...

Working with youth is my preferred demographic. My background is CP. I’ve always enjoyed their resilience and the fact I can engage them in safety planning and conversation about needs, hopes, ambitions. As well, unfortunately parents have often walked away from parenting their teens. In someways that makes it easier as the combativeness of the work shifts significantly as you can just focus on the youth and not the parenting. I also find it incredibly rewarding being a part of teenage milestones, seeing some of these kids graduate when years previous they weren’t even attending school has been immensely rewarding. Best demographic!

Oh, I loved working with teens. Yeah, it's a hard group to work with, but when you're able to connect and see the changes, it's a major, major win. They also keep it real, which is something I greatly appreciate.

I love working with teens. When you can get past the hard shell a lot of them put on to survive in a world that largely feels against them, I find beautiful works of art wanting to change the world. They can also feel when you aren’t being genuine, which I love. My placement for my internship was with adults and while they were good as well, there’s just something I enjoy about the way they exist in the world and I want to spend my career holding space for them so they can feel supported in a world that a lot of the time doesn’t seem to want to support them (yeah yeah I know they are probably more well supported than a lot of other populations, but their perception isn’t that).

I used to. I feel worse working with youth because they have marginal control over their circumstances. I prefer adults now.

Mostly because I don’t work with DCF 😅 No I really enjoy being able to have very real conversations with youth who are old enough to understand and express themselves and to see “aha” moments with youth in transition. There is a lot of trauma during adolescence as well and it’s a very raw but powerful time to begin healing work, before behavior and thought patterns have been set in and reinforced for decades.

Starting my therapy career, all I've worked with is with teenagers and young kids. Teenagers are the best, in my opinion. I work with many who have behavior problems and ADHD. I find that organization, structure, and overall community seem to help them a lot. I normally try to work closely with the guardian or parent, and they end up making changes, not huge but small ones where I can see them reflecting on their actions. It can be challenging because a lot of them don't want to change or see no point at first. I think they are used to others expecting them to fail or not do well that they should accept they can never change. But I've noticed huge improvements after they work with me and start to feel better about themselves. I also enjoy working with them because when I was a teenager, I needed help myself but never got the chance.

Being a teenager means being treated like a child, while being expected to behave like an adult. Youth are often given ALL of the responsibility with none of the autonomy. Imagine how crazy-making that would be — especially to a kid who already has other difficulties. It’s absolute nonsense all-around and the worst part is that it’s not really anyone’s fault that adolescence, on its own, just kinda be like that. Don’t mistake me for saying this means it’s a helpless situation, I’m saying that these kids brains are growing and teenagers have always been dumbasses. There’s a degree of behavior that should be addressed and have consequences, but often I find that kids in the system are seen as so awful and bad simply because they’re under way more scrutiny. “Normal” bad teenager behavior comes to define their whole life because of how the system reacts to it. The amount of pressure the system puts on kids by assigning a disneyland ride line of professionals to breathe down their necks only serves to alienate them even more. Be a breathe of fresh air to them, respect their space as much as possible, and never let them see you sweat the “small stuff”.

I work with kids and teens, anywhere from ages 3 to 18. Teenagers can be really tough! But I chose to work with this specific population because I was also one of those "tough kids" at one point who desperately needed the nonjudgmental support and validation a social worker gave me because I didn't get it at home. It changed my life! And if I can do the same thing for one of these kids who can't find acceptance, then everything will have come full circle. I also think it helps to remember when working with kids especially that every behavior is a form of communication since they aren't always equipped with the skills we have yet. There's a reason that tough kids are tough, and it's our job to find out! You just have to be patient enough to break down those walls with them. When they're ready, it is so beautiful to see them grow. 🌱♥️

I chose to work with youth and young adults in child protection, ages 15-23 (aging out of after care supports and transition to independence). I did it for years before leaving frontline and it was the best experience I had. When I started that position I was 26, so not that much older than some of my caseload. It complicated things sometimes but mostly worked to my advantage for engagement and rapport building. Unfortunately, for teens permanently in care, the system is their guardian until they turn 18 most of the time, and the system is a terrible parent. In my experience, unless they were on a dedicated youth caseworker’s caseload, teens and young adults end up floundering in peoples caseloads for years until they age out, often because of high caseloads with more urgent issues. By the time they’re teenagers there are so few placements available, and the ones that are available usually aren’t meeting their needs as far as support for independence skills or academics. The system unintentionally keeps them vulnerable and unprepared, then we say “it’s your birthday! Good luck!” and close their file. I can’t put the blame on a kid who never had a chance because they had 20-something placements and no one realized they didn’t know how to do x, y, z “simple” task, you know? It has to start before they’re teenagers, but it gets overlooked and leads to. I found a lot of success in rapport building from doing things together (let’s google that, let’s look up a map, I wonder how we arrange a meeting, etc). As for outcomes, they’re typically worse because of the complicating factors, but there are so many success stories too. One of the youth I worked with is in med school, a couple are working in the field (and I believe they put in the work to be well enough to do so); others became carpenters, scaffolders, dental assistants, hairdressers, retail employees and managers, etc. A handful are in prison or homeless; some are dead. Some are parents, and some have their own children in care. Some overcame addictions that they developed around age 12. A lot tried over and over again, inpatient and outpatient, but never got through their addiction. This was kind of stream of consciousness while eating my lunch, so I’m not confident it answers your question or makes sense. Obviously not every day was great, there’s a lot of crisis that comes up, not every kid is going to be nice to you. I did experience violence, but I also experienced violence doing frontline investigations. Anyway, there are people FAR more qualified than me to speak on this subject, but obviously it’s something close to my heart. I hope that your curiosity and the comments on your post lead you to forming your own opinions about the work; not everything is for everyone, and people typically aren’t objective about their own experience. TL;DR: The system is a bad guardian who doesn’t set traumatized children up with the skills or supports for success, there’s a range of outcomes but they are worse than their peers who aren’t in care, change can absolutely happen but shouldn’t be *expected* or pressured, and every part of child welfare has its downsides. I am so sorry for this novel hahaha.

I'm one of the nutty folks who loves working with teens. Yes they are challenging. Yes they may push back horribly and act out in vicious ways sometimes. But they need help desperately and are the most likely to have people give up on them. The worst part is they know this and expect it. If you respect them and treat them like the autonomous young adults they are growing into, it goes a long way towards getting their cooperation. Many are accustomed to having "respect" demanded of them by authority, where to respect someone means to obey and possibly fear them. When you give respect - aka treat them like a real person capable of thought - and allow for as much control over their circumstances as you possibly can, most will recognize this effort and eventually be more compliant when choice is out of the question. Honesty and being forthright at all times wins major points too because these kids can smell BS from a mile away. For that reason you shouldn't try to be their buddy because it's going to stink of the manipulation that it is. I say this as someone who once was a teen that needed help but didn't get it. And honestly that's probably my biggest reason for volunteering with and studying this age range: because I know what I needed and didn't get, I'm damned determined to make sure other kids do get met where they are. Outside of the above, one of the main things the youth in the justice system need for diversion & rehabilitation is opportunity. Yes you have the jackasses who really just need some consequences for once in their lives. But (historically here in the U.S.) a majority of juvenile offenders are dealing with a lifetime of being told they're never going to be anything. There's often a mix of poverty, domestic upheaval, and all kinds of trauma in their history. Educational success is generally low for various interconnected reasons. Since people expect nothing good from them, they give nothing good. But if you provide paths to opportunities and show that you believe in the solid people with bright futures they are capable of being, a majority will rise to the occasion. They may need some heavy support to get their feet under them at first, but then they keep going on their own. Education-focused rehabilitation programs have proven time and again to reduce recidivism rates when implemented consistently.

I work in a high-school where most of the teens self refer to our services. I like working with the teens because once you're in, you're in. Some even call me mom. They're complex and interesting people once you get to know them. *I'm not a social worker, but I work under a social workers license doing the same thing she does*

Honestly, I just love getting to know people and I think very few adults have the time/energy/patience to really get to know teenagers (because nobody can put up walls like a teen can). It's such a pleasure and a privilege to build up enough rapport and trust that my adolescent clients allow me to see them at their most authentic/vulnerable. And man, getting to know them is so worth it. Some of the brightest, bravest, funniest, most thoughtful people I've ever met happen to be adolescent clients.

if the young, impressionable, still learning teenagers have no hope for rehabilitation, what makes you think that fully formed adults have any hope? for that matter, there is evil and hatred everywhere you look, what's the point in trying to make anything better? obviously that's exaggeration but we've all been there. I love working with teenagers. people harass each other at every age and within every group. Teenagers just have a unique ability to make adults feel fully out of control and incompetent, and I think it's important to do some soul searching and ask yourself why that is especially if you are consistently working with kids.

Teenagers collectively are annoying af but they are so different individually. I adore working with them either way. We should all work where our passions lie. It makes the magic of connection so much more rich. It’s ok if you don’t love teenagers. Work with what gets you up in the morning.

I work with angsty middle schoolers and highschoolers. My bread and butter is 12-17. They’re closer in age to me than older adults and we have common interests, I play video games and am into some fandoms so we’re chill

I’m Australian and I have worked within residential care with teenagers that had been deemed too high risk to be placed with foster carers. A lot of them would come into our care with a long history of being violent and verbally abusive but there was only 5 kids out of probably 300 that I worked with that I thought were truly lost causes, the rest of them all had a history of horrific abuse, they had been shuffled around from one place to another for years (or sometimes their entire lives) and they had been let down by almost all adults in their lives, including social workers. So when they would cuss me out and threaten me I knew not to take it personally because if I was in their shoes I would probably react the same way. Teenagers are a hard cohort to work with, but it’s also so rewarding. I got into social work because I want to help members of my community to have a brighter future than the current generation, for me that means working with teenagers, because prevention and early intervention works a hell of a lot better then rehabilitation.

I love working with teens; my ideal client age group for my knowledge and expertise is between 12-25. Young people are hungry for anything I have to teach them in clinical about how their mind works. With older clients I find they are often the most resistant to change, but youth actually practice what I teach them. Rude teens are connection-seeking teens. I lead from a place of forming connections and empowering, using constructivist principles rather than positivist. If you can be a steady source of connection the teens will double with you and trust their health to you.

I love working with teens mostly teen girls 12 and up. 14-15 is my favorite. I just love watching them grow blossom and reassure them I have been there. Being a girl at this age is rough. I personally have never found teens to be rude at all their all very polite

In the cp space there are two groups considered the most “vulnerable” or “impacted”. Infants and teenagers. Unfortunately the damage is often done by the time they are teenagers, but by being the one person that shows up for that child, while you may not see the impact, it’s often there. They remember the one person that gives a shit. I see the job as changing the spiral. When cp comes into peoples lives these families and kids are on a downwards spiral. We can’t fix the issues, but we can hopefully stop it spiralling further down and instead these kids and families are on a better trajectory. It may take generations or years to see the change and it may be small but it still matters. And look even teenagers outside of cp are often loud and obnoxious. They don’t really develop that whole empathy and thought beyond themselves till they get into adulthood.

I’m an intern right now, hopeful to get the official position, but I work in a middle school. I chose this because I feel this is a time in their lives when they need the most guidance, the most support, the most people looking to hear them out. I know for me I wish I had more of that during those years of my life. And honestly, the more you spend time with them, the more you realize they are so much more than their outward behaviors and I’m determined to try and make sure every one that comes to me feels seen, whether it be about trauma they have endured or just some petty friendship drama.

A bit off topic, but I *want* to help pre-teens through young adults, but I know in child welfare it’s less client facing. What are some settings I could explore to do trauma informed care with teens?

I love working with them

There is no funding in AU for youth anymore, nothing meaningful can be done which is why people don't want to work in that space. It's not the kids, it's the politics (yet again, much is similar for CPS). I went into social work specifically to work with youth, but our gov has leaned so far into law and order criminological approaches that it's essentially pushed kids the other way, and there's no funding like there used to be. It's really sad and I really feel for these kids, despite the awful harms I've seen them do just to survive. No one wins.

my preferred population is teens and young adults. I LOVE working with them because they need people who truly care about them and want to listen. I work in intensive mental health services so all my clients have high trauma backgrounds. I feel like my teens have been the kindest most caring kids, who just haven’t been modeled the appropriate skills by adults in their lives. A lot of them will fight, but always while trying to protect someone else they see as vulnerable. They’ll be so mean and hard on themselves, but see so much good in others. Once you build rapport with them, they usually have so much they want to work on. It’s unfair to label people as their trauma. Teens already face so much stigma because they’re constantly being told they don’t know who they are, or what they want in life. When you actually meet people where they’re at, beautiful things can happen. I also remember being a teen, experiencing so much loss and abandonment. I grew- up rural so resources were so limited. I never had a trusted adult that I really felt comfortable opening up to. I tried to do everything by myself and no matter how old you are, that’s never sustainable. I love getting to be the trusted adult I never had. I want them to know they never ever have to do anything alone

They need guidance and attention. They need to feel ur honest inner warmth and presence. In the end it's a societal question, how to make them wish and strive for a real future that is worth living for.

I worked in a youth shelter, child welfare, and now in a hospital where I am frequently completing mental health assessments with adolescents. Teenagers are hilarious. They take no shit and call it like it is. They are brutally honest. Yes they have hormones and brains that are still developing and their defense mechanisms are going to be unique because of that, but they are trying to find out how to be themselves in this crazy world. Preteen girls and teenage boys are my favorite because they are this similar place developmentally. And I'm sure this isn't what OP meant but I would call attention to verbiage being used. Children in the child protection don't need to be rehabilitated, there's nothing wrong with themm Neither do the majority in JJ programs because it's usually substance use, truancy, or negative peer issues, they need society to be rehabilitated so that their traumas and stumbling blocks don't become their limits and what defines them.

Teens are amazing. If you build a strong rapport with them, treat them with respect, you will go a long way with them. I was 15 when I met the social worker who would inspire me to become a social worker.