
Featuring Kathy Kroening, PhD, ARNP, PMHCNS-BC
Recorded April 22, 2023
Continuing Education
ANCC-approved CE: 2 hours
Registration
- $50 for AAPPN Clinical, Emeritus, and Out-of-State Members
- $25 for AAPPN Student Members
- $75 for Non-Members
After you register, you’ll receive the login information for the webinar.
The landscape of adolescence is constantly evolving as society changes. It starts earlier and lasts longer, presenting new challenges for teens and parents.
The pandemic created significant negative consequences for tweens and teens, ranging from academic decline, depression, anxiety, isolation, and sleep disruption to a new level of social media immersion. There has also been a significant increase in the identification of self through the lens of mental illness in tweens and teens, including intense online research and competition among peers.
While many teens may present with symptoms consistent with anxiety and depression, determining the cause of these symptoms can be challenging. It is vitally important in developing effective treatment plans to target the underlying causes rather than the symptoms themselves. In many cases, medication will not be effective in reducing symptoms.
Using case study, this workshop will take a deep dive into the complexity of differential diagnosis with tweens and teens. We will discuss the impact of sleep disruption, substance use, unhealthy relationships, social media, hopelessness about the future, and sexuality and gender identity on teen behavior. We will explore how to prioritize treatment interventions. We will also identify barriers to effective assessment and treatment with this population and how to get past them.
Leaning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Identify five practices/experiences common to teens that can create symptoms of depression, anxiety, and psychosis.
- Identify three barriers to effective assessment and treatment of tweens and teens seeking mental health care.
- Identify three strategies to improve assessment and treatment of tweens and teens in their own mental health care.
About the speaker

Kathy Kroening, PhD, ARNP, PMHCNS-BC, MN, BSN, RN, has been a psychiatric nurse for 39 years and a Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner for 28 years. She has worked in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings, including the military, multiple Seattle based treatment facilities, and both the adult and juvenile corrections systems.
Kathy has taught psychiatric theory and clinical courses at the University of Washington School of Nursing for 18 years. She has maintained a half-time clinical practice, currently with Kaiser Permanente’s Adolescent Center, working with teens and their families experiencing complex medical and psychiatric symptoms.
Continuing Education
This nursing continuing professional development activity was approved by Oregon Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
Approval valid through 04/22/2025
OCEAN ID #2023-11