ABSTRACT
Secondary school sets the scene for far-reaching social and personal changes: existing friendships may be tested or replaced, new possibilities for different kinds of relationships will come to the fore and unspoken questions around every aspect of sexual identity and intimacy in general will be in the very ether. To become the architect of their own life depends on the adolescent having the capacity to make increasingly more conscious choices about how they shape their identity, how they manage their relationships and how they view their sexuality. Many adolescents do not have the internal scaffolding to provide them with the support needed to take on a more autonomous role. These pupils in particular benefit from having access to on-site therapy sessions which offer an opportunity to reflect on their experiences as well as discover a language with which to express themselves.
The move towards creating an increasingly private life naturally begins to encompass the adolescent’s inner world too. Most young people wouldn’t necessarily describe it as such, but what they discover is a new way of using their mind as a ‘place’ in which to stand back and look in on life from a distance, even if only fleetingly. This internal space forms the foundation for the development of autonomy and self-agency; without conscious intentionality, the adolescent gradually takes over thinking and decision-making processes from parents and other adults, ranging from the everyday – how to style their ‘look’, for instance – to decisions about the kind of life they want for themselves. Becoming aware of a ‘place in the mind’ is also key to developing the capacity to understand more fully that others have minds too and will, therefore, have their own perspective on things which will need to be taken into consideration.
