“Many mental health and substance use disorders have their origins in adolescence, so increasing a teen’s capacity to cope with difficulties now may be a preventive or mitigating measure in the future.”
Frank Bartolomeo, PhD, LCSW
“Many mental health and substance use disorders have their origins in adolescence, so increasing a teen’s capacity to cope with difficulties now may be a preventive or mitigating measure in the future.”
For Dr. Frank Bartolomeo, Senior Clinical Advisor, Adolescent Services, time is of the essence. “I am driven by the knowledge that if we can intervene in a teen crisis today to help build resilience, we may prevent longer term suffering.”
Increasing resilience to Dr. Bartolomeo means having the capacity to bounce back from adversity through the support of meaningful relationships with friends, family or community. It has been a guiding principle for Dr. Bartolomeo over the course of his 30-year career working with 13 to 18 year olds, as well as emerging adults ages 18 to 29. “And hand-in-hand with restoring that sense of connectedness,” he says, “is helping adolescents develop skills to cope with life on life’s terms.”
As Sr. Clinical Advisor, Adolescent Services, Dr. Bartolomeo oversees inpatient, residential and intensive outpatient programs for adolescents, as well as the design and implementation of new and innovative clinical programs and services.
He relishes the impact his leadership position at Silver Hill allows him to have on what he calls a mental health crisis among adolescents and young adults. “Adolescence is a time of great vulnerability,” Dr. Bartolomeo says, “but also presents an opportunity to reduce the likelihood of teenage conditions continuing into adulthood.”
