BIO:

Did you know that drinking, drug use, and other at-risk behavior of youth and young adults is frequently the result of misdirection and lack of consistent boundaries in the formative years of development? This behavior eventually leads to unhealthy attachments, dysfunctional reasoning, and misguided anger during the college years directly and fundamentally altering the individual's faith and convictions or leaving them open to the persuasive arguments of their contemporaries. As the apostle Paul said in Ephesians 4:14, "...we henceforth [should] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." Thus, in order to stand firm in convictions, youth must be taught to "own" their faith and decide early on what personal boundaries are appropriate.

Amy speaks to hundreds of youth and families of all ages, ethnicities, and denominations every year in order to educate them about the risks adolescents face. Amy is a School Counselor who has worked in both private and public education settings. She holds a Master of Arts in Counseling with a School Counseling specialization, a Pupil Personnel Services credential. She has authored curriculum and spoken at faith-based workshops, schools, and universities for the last 8 years.

Topics include:
• Boundaries: weathering the storms of adolescents;
• Funding a college education with financial aid, grants, and scholarships;
• Life options and career planning;
• Life options for Christian students (missions, private colleges);
• Spiritual gifts self-assessments;
• Personality, career, and interest self-assessments;
• Parents and students surviving the first year of college;
• Staying strong in faith as a college student;
• Stress management and the Christian walk;
• Coping with grief/depression/divorce/suicide;
• Résumé development for professionals;
• Love languages of children, teens, and adults;
• Drug and alcohol prevention among teens and college students;
• Post-traumatic stress disorder;
• Youth at risk of depression, violent crimes, and self-inflicted injuries;
• Goal setting;
• Personality types and spiritual gifts within the body of Christ;
• How to help children cope with ADHD, ADD, ODD, ED, and other labels as Christians and as students;
• Viewing marriage as a ministry; and
• Viewing parenting as a ministry