Friend of Roadmap Johanna Bergan Highlights the Importance of Engaging with Youth to Address Mental Health
Friend of Roadmap Johanna Bergan was nominated by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) to present the 8th Annual Stockman Lecturer at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in October.
Johanna began by sharing the importance of healthcare providers in supporting her own emotional health struggles as a teen and young adult, she then highlighted what she has learned as the founder and former executive director of Youth MOVE. Youth MOVE is a national chapter-based organization that helps young people with lived experience in emotional health, child welfare, and juvenile justice.
Johanna's message to clinicians was clear: “It is more than okay to talk about mental health with your young patients. In fact, it is exactly what they want and need."
After sifting through thousands of insights from Youth MOVE chapters, Johanna shared that what helps youth most is when adult figures, such as teachers, doctors, and other professionals, are equipped with the appropriate language to talk respectfully about mental health and then be able to offer to help.
Johanna added, "When YOU, as the provider, are the one to start the conversation and bring up questions around mental health, anxiety, depression – this normalizes talking about mental health. This is such important modeling from a caring adult.”
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