Youth Coaching Expert Insights

Stay informed, inspired, and engaged in mentoring and coaching tweens, teens, and young adults with the Youth Coaching Institute blog. Here you’ll discover expert strategies, research, and tools to empower your practice or organization and foster growth and resilience in adolescents.

How to Help Stressed Teens: Causes, Signs & Solutions

Introduction: April is Stress Awareness Month. This article dives into why teens experience stress, how that stress manifests, and what adults can do to help. Teens and Stress – What We Need to Know: Adolescence is inherently stressful. Young people are experiencing the most development they will ever experience in life, including puberty and hormonal shifts, cognitive maturation, identity formation, burgeoning independence, and exposure to social dynamics. A 2018 study

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male student looking at watch and book

Why Teens Procrastinate and Six Ways Adults Can Help

Introduction: Is your teen’s procrastination driving you insane? This article helps to explain procrastination, how it shows up in adolescents, and what adults can do to help teens stay on track. What Is Procrastination? Procrastination is driven by a variety of thoughts and habits, but in essence – we avoid tasks because we do not believe we will enjoy doing them and want to avoid negative emotion associated with the

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mother and teen daughter with teacher

How a Professional Youth Life Coach Can Support Adolescents (and You, the Adult!)

Introduction: This article explores the meaning and impact of Professional Youth Life Coaching. Learn what makes Youth Coaching Institute’s trained coaches unique, and the ways in which a coach can facilitate growth and empowerment for teens, caring adults, and families. What Is a Professional Youth Life Coach? Life Coaching is a non-directive, person-centered, growth-oriented support service that helps clients who are ready, willing, and able to do the work, to

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Mother Talking With Unhappy Teenage Daughter On Sofa

Unlocking Communication: How Active Listening Can Transform Relationships with Teens (Do’s & Don’ts)

Introduction: Actively listening to your teen can help foster an open, safe, and trusting environment where your teen feels seen, heard, and understood. It strengthens relationships and enhances communication, especially around vulnerable topics. What is Active Listening? Active listening is the practice of preparing to listen, observing what verbal and non-verbal messages are being sent, and then providing appropriate feedback for the sake of showing attentiveness to what is being

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male student at school

Why Teens Need Goals & How Adults Can Help (using the SMART framework)

Written by Cameron O’Brien, ACC What Is Goal-Setting? Goal-setting is the process of taking deliberate action steps in order to achieve a desired outcome. When we set goals, we are intentional about focusing and executing on the things that matter to us most. Goal setting allows us to create a vision of what we’d like our life to be, and how we are going to achieve it. Why Goal Setting

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Boy teenager gives interview to woman psychologist in office

Evidence Based Coaching for Resilience in Teens and Emerging Adults

The purpose of this article is to introduce you to the core of our work — evidence-based coaching for teens and emerging adults, and why it matters. I’ll begin by offering some highlights of who we are and the work we’ve had the pleasure of doing since 2013: Youth Coaching Institute, LLC We’re a community of social change agents who experienced our share of struggles as adolescents. We managed to overcome, learn

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