Contemporary Issues on Adolescents and Counseling

Adolescence is widely recognized as a transition period characterized by rapid developmental changes. While the transition is from childhood to adulthood, the developmental changes are biologically, psychologically and socially inclined. For many adolescents, the period is full of crisis because of their inability to adjust to the demands of this phase of life. Some of the effects of maladjustment at this stage include, but are not limited to, unwanted pregnancies and abortions, school drop-out, sexual abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, addictive behavior, disobedience to parents and authorities, religious intolerance, and poor eating habits. The future development of any nation relies on the smooth transition of adolescents to become adults. Information and research on how this could be achieved will be needed. Similarly, proper professional counselling will go a long way in preparing adolescents for the tasks of building themselves and the nation. This textbook, therefore, aims to provide knowledge on contemporary information and research on adolescents and counselling practices in Nigeria. The text is divided into two sections, providing theoretical and empirical information on adolescents addiction, challenges, disabilities, mental health, religiosity, self-esteem, sexual behavior, social and interpersonal relationships, and counselling intervention. This text is an indispensable companion for professionals in the fields of counselling/psychology, mental health, and social work as well as students and instructors in secondary and tertiary institutions. Contemporary Issues on Adolescents and Counseling is a collection of articles from seasoned scholars, mainly professors and senior academics, in Counseling and related areas of specialization. The book focuses on essays and research on the concepts of adolescence, adolescents and their attributes, challenges, and counseling interventions to help them overcome challenges. I strongly recommend this book to students, teachers of education, policy makers in education, practicing counselors, and social workers who work with adolescents. Tolu Koyejo-Ogunleye, Ph.D, Professor of Counseling Psychology This book interrogates contemporary issues in adolescence and adolescent counseling. It presents hands-on elucidation on areas such as the meaning and forms of adolescent counseling, challenges adolescents face, their choices and consequences of such choices, and different forms of help available to adolescents. Areas such as drug and substance abuse, social media addiction, peer pressure, mental wellness, and religiosity are discussed as related to the adolescent. This concise book on adolescent counseling is both contextual and relevant to the needs of adolescents, teachers, researchers, parents, government, and counselors. It also provides a platform for senior faculty members to mentor junior colleagues and doctoral students. Donald Abidemi ODELEYE Ph.D. Ife, Professor of Counseling Psychology & Dean, Faculty of Education, Lead City University, Ibadan, Nigeria