Session 9
When YP are being violent to others either physically or through damage to property it is important to teach skills in anger and other emotional management. Teenage brains are still maturing and the prefrontal cortex which manages impulse control and self-management is not fully developed until around the age of 25 years. This is not to say we should collude with YP using violence or imply that they are not responsible for their behaviour, but more so than with adults we should understand that their use of violence can be because of poor emotional control. They are much more likely to be overcome by their emotions than adults are.
This is of particular importance if the YP has suffered previous trauma, particularly in the early stages of development. When this occurs, it can have a profound effect on the emotional processing part of the brain - the limbic system. Children who have experienced trauma can become hyper-vigilant to perceived threat, as a result they believe there is danger where in reality there isn’t any, therefore their fight or flight system is activated much more easily than children who have not experienced long term trauma.
The flight or fight system develops in the womb and for the first two years post birth. In this period, it is particularly sensitive to the surrounding environment so if this is frightening in some way the system can become calibrated to that level of fear. Children who develop within these circumstances can have an over-active warning system. It is like having a hyper-sensitive smoke alarm.
(For further reading on this, see Bessel Van Der Kolk: The Body Keeps the Score).
The flight or fight system sends a rush of chemicals around the body to prepare it in times of danger so that it has what it needs to either run away from danger or stay and attack. Adrenaline and cortisol prepare the body by speeding up the heart rate, getting the blood pumping and prepping the body for pain. Whilst this was an effective system when humans faced short term physical attacks such as from a saber-toothed tiger in the days of Neanderthal man, it is less helpful as a response to stresses and strains faced by teenagers today.
Children who have ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) have been shown in general to have enlarged limbic system responses and lesser functioning pre-frontal cortex, leading to what can appear to be more impulsive and less thought-out responses to challenging situations. They will therefore benefit greatly from work on managing their anger to help develop and strengthen the control they have over their emotional responses.
For these reasons we need to help teenagers manage the feelings these physical processes can cause and find helpful ways of calming down once this flight or fight process is activated.
By the end of this session the YP should have a clearly defined idea of what their sore points or risky situations are for becoming angry. They should be able to identify signals that alert them to the fact that they are becoming angry. They should also have a well thought out Time Out Plan so that they can initiate one when they recognise their signals and need to calm down.