Adolescents are developing identity, sexuality, autonomy, and peer belonging inside a digital ecosystem designed to amplify stimulation, comparison, and reward-seeking behavior. Social media validation cycles, online grooming, sexting behaviors, cyberbullying, algorithm-driven content exposure, and digital coercion are reshaping adolescent vulnerability in ways many clinicians are not fully trained to assess.
This 90-minute training examines how adolescent neurodevelopment intersects with digital environments to increase impulsivity, risk exposure, emotional reactivity, and identity fragmentation. Participants will gain a neuroscience-informed framework for understanding digital behavior, identifying red flags, and integrating digital risk assessment into clinical work with teens and families.
This presentation moves beyond fear-based narratives and instead provides structured, research-informed strategies for assessment, intervention, and parent guidance.
Learning Objectives
Dr. Lourdes Araujo is a bilingual counselor educator, trauma specialist, and nationally recognized speaker with over 18 years of clinical experience working with adolescents and families navigating complex emotional and relational challenges. As an Assistant Professor in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, she prepares future clinicians in neuroscience informed, trauma responsive, and culturally grounded practice.
Dr. Araujo’s work focuses on the intersection of adolescent neurodevelopment, identity formation, and environmental risk factors, including the growing impact of digital ecosystems on youth mental health. She integrates research on brain development, attachment, and reward sensitivity to help clinicians understand how social media, online validation cycles, and digital coercion shape vulnerability and behavior in teens.
Through her teaching, clinical work, and professional trainings, Dr. Araujo equips mental health professionals with structured assessment strategies, practical intervention tools, and culturally responsive frameworks for addressing modern adolescent risk. Her approach emphasizes regulation, resilience, and empowering both youth and families to navigate digital environments with awareness and strength.
Costs:
$20 for SCCMHCA Clinical Members
$10 for SCCMHCA Students Members
$30 for Non-SCCMHCA Members
Continuing Education Information
SCCMHCA has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 2088. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. SCCMHCA is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
SCCMHCA is an approved provider for continuing education by the South Carolina Professional Counselors, Marriage & Family Therapists, Addiction Counselors, and Psycho-Educational Specialist licensing board. All hours may count as general social work continuing education hours and Category B educational offerings for psychologists. Provider # 4521
If you need special accommodations, have questions, or need assistance registering, contact SCCMHCA.
Refund Policy Cancellations and Refunds
If canceling more than two weeks before a scheduled event, the registrant is entitled to a full refund less a 5% processing fee OR the option to apply the full dollar amount paid toward a future training or event that will be provided by SCCMHCA.
If canceling less than two weeks before a scheduled event, a registrant is entitled to a 50% refund OR the option to apply the full dollar amount paid toward a future training or event that will be provided by SCCMHCA.
If an attendee at a scheduled event leaves early for any reason, the attendee is not eligible for a refund. An attendee must attend a minimum of 90% of an SCCMHCE educational event in order to receive continuing education credits.
