Staff who meet the needs of teens

Clinic staff determine whether the atmosphere is respectful and professional. Keep in mind these considerations when hiring and training staff:

• Make sure staff is trained in adolescent development.
  By understanding the changes that adolescents are experiencing physically, emotionally, and mentally, staff can better meet the needs of teens.
  
  
• Comfortable with teen sexuality.
  Staff members need to examine their own beliefs and values surrounding teen sexuality and understand that they should not force their personal values on teen clients. Even subtle disapproval from staff can alienate a teen client.
  
  
• Flexible and able to function in a walk in clinic.
  Because a teen clinic may have 20 clients in the waiting room, and charts may be piling up, it is important to a teen clinic that it is staffed with people who can work calmly under pressure and are willing to be flexible. For example, a teen client may have stated on the check in sheet that she wants 5 services, but can only stay for 45 minutes. A flexible provider may talk with the client to find out what she most wants done today, and encourage the client to return next week or make an appointment for later that week. Another example is that a client may need to leave in 5 minutes, but needs another pack of birth control pills because she is completely out. The nurse practitioner may stop what she is doing to quickly see the client and complete a reorder for one cycle of pills.
  
  
• Teen girls prefer female providers.

Tips for counselors:

To break the ice in the waiting room, some counselors have short quizzes that teens can do for a prize. For example, one counselor did a quiz on tobacco, and provided condom key chains or anti-smoking playing cards, water bottles, or key chains.

Because teen clinics tend to target adolescents who are at risk for unhealthy behavior and risk taking, the clinic's added additional services meet the needs of many teens.

• Smoking cessation support groups
  Many teens smoke and often state that they are trying to cut back, or want to cut back, but can't. Some clinics provide smoking cessation groups targeted specifically to teens and to female teens.
  
  
• Homeless teen services
  Teen clinics often serve teens who are staying temporarily with friends or are living in cars or on the street. In order to serve homeless teens better, community agencies began providing clinics with supplies for homeless teens including "Teen Packs" -- non-perishable food bags, bus coupons, and personal hygiene supplies.
  
  
• Medicaid
  Teen clinics have staff trained to help teens apply for Medicaid. Teens (and adults) can find the Medicaid application process confusing, so having a staff person who can explain the process and answer questions helps to ensure that clients get the medical coverage they need in a timely manner.