Description
109: Lonely/Isolated Kids: The New Crisis for Gen Z and Gen Alpha
Mark Mayfield, Ph.D.
Mayfield Counseling Centers
6180 Lehman Dr.
Colorado Spring, CO 80918
Summary
Why is the suicide rate continuing to increase in spite of advanced prevention, treatment, and postvention efforts? Why is the addiction crisis still growing despite the hard-fought efforts of nonprofits, treatment centers, and government entities? Why are rates of depression and anxiety on the rise with no signs of slowing down? Why is heart disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancer worse now than they were a decade ago, despite advancements in “modern” medicine? The answers can be both simple and complex. As complex relational beings who need eye-to-eye, face-to-face contact and proximity on a regular basis, we, as a society, are operating out of significant deficits. We are a lonely society. Our young people are directly in the crosshairs, and the potential outcomes are frightening. Practical strategies and techniques for licensed mental health professionals will be presented to teach parents, congregation members, family members, children, adolescents, and others in combating the rise in this loneliness crisis.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
• Identify the nuanced signs of loneliness by assessing technology and social media usage, tribalistic thinking, and statistics to understand how these things are influencing the rise in isolation and mental distress
• Define the impacts of loneliness and how it is shaping a generation of children and adolescents
• Develop practical strategies and techniques for licensed mental health professionals to teach parents, congregation members, family members, children, adolescents, and others in combating the rise in this loneliness crisis
