Young adults (aged 16 – 30) have a particular range of needs specific to their age group.
The changes that occur within adolescence are beginning to settle and young people of this age are starting to take big strides on their journey to independence. It is such an exciting time but with it come challenges, stresses, risks and worries and they need lots of support, guidance and encouragement.
16-18 year olds have taken the first steps to choosing the subjects or courses that interest them and start to navigate independent learning, more reliance on their peers for friendships and to explore who they really are as individuals.
18-21 year olds are likely to be in further training, apprenticeships or moving away to University and face issues around careers, how to live independently, and are exploring how to develop more intimate relationships. They can experience exam and study stress, anxiety about achieving good enough grades, worries about developing friendships and relationships.
21-25 year olds are in the early stages of career development, facing challenges in how to ‘work well’ and are also facing decisions about relationship commitments. They are also working out how to do life in ways that might be different to their parents.
Young professionals face the challenge of taking considerable personal responsibility in their work. For medical professionals, lawyers, architects, teachers etc. the journey only really starts once they have their qualifications in place. The burdens of responsibility can be a hard thing to take when experience is limited and can cause anxiety and worry, burn out, and low confidence. I was a young professional once and I enjoy helping people face those challenges and grow into their roles, whilst maintaining a sustainable work/life balance.
I love getting to know young adults and find this life stage exciting, they are The Future! I enjoy listening to them, exploring with them who they really are and what they want, as well as helping them find strategies to deal with the challenges of life in ways that suit their individual personality type.