Description:
OPD Points: 5
Vanessa Hemp, clinical psychologist with a special interest in working with teenagers and children, offers a talk on how to think about online activities when working with teens and children. Online activities include social media, gaming, use of apps and the Internet.
Key Learning Objectives / Outcomes:
The online world has changed society in a number of ways, with an impact on the emotional and psychological development of young children. Use of the Internet is inevitable, and may facilitate social engagement and identity development for young people. Vanessa outlines the gifts and challenges in a balanced way, so that parents and health professionals do not demonise the Internet, but are equipped with the tools to recognise and help teens manage risks. Vanessa considers adolescent brain development, including the role of the limbic system and dopamine, and how these factors can facilitate exploration and engagement, but also increase the risks of impulsive behaviours, placing teens at risk. Vanessa then outlines some of the risks which are important to be aware of, including cyber-bullying & harassment, ‘sexting’, privacy concerns, scamming & predators, Internet addiction and problematic use. Vanessa highlights the importance of being aware that once something is in the public domain, it cannot be controlled, and can be disseminated. Teens need to be aware of this so that they can protect themselves from sharing compromising information. Vanessa also looks at privacy & security measures which can be taken, to protect teens from the impact of sexual predators or scams. Vanessa looks at the psychological impact of social media and the image of reality that is portrayed, which can impact on teens’ self-esteem. She provides tools to help professionals guide parents and teens to mediate the impact of social media. Vanessa looks at the importance of balance in terms of the range of activities teens engage in. She considers Internet addiction and how this is often co-morbid with other Axis I or interpersonal difficulties. Vanessa also considers the impact of the Internet on sleep and how to manage this.
Presenter / Provider:
Vanessa Hemp
Presenter Qualifications:
Vanessa Hemp is a Clinical Psychologist who trained at Wits University. She started working at Tara Hospital with children, adolescences and their parents, on an outpatient basis. She became Head of Department of Psychology, managing and supervising the psychological service provision throughout the hospital, including the outpatient and outreach services at Alexandra Clinic. She was also involved in the training and supervision of interns and psychiatry registrars as well as in the planning of the Children's Ward and training of staff. Vanessa's role in the Alex AIDS Orphans Project was to identify the psychological needs of orphaned children, and to develop and supervise a number of bereavement groups. This work was presented at conferences, including the World Association of Social Psychiatry in Kobe, Japan. At Tara, she served as a joint appointee to the Wits University Department of Psychiatry. Since leaving the hospital, Vanessa has been in private practice, focusing on adolescents and parenting. She continues to present at conferences on topics relating to children, adolescence and parenting. Addressing issues of affect regulation and assisting children, teens and their parents to manage stressful situations and overwhelming feelings has been a major focus of her work.
