Jordan is a 16-year-old Black American female who resides in the inner-city with her mother and

younger brother. Her mother submitted a referral to you, her new mentor (serving as a therapist,

advocate, coach, etc.), as Jordan reported feeling overwhelmed. She is having a great deal of issues

adjusting to, what she calls, "the demands of adolescent life". Jordan stated that, although her

school relationships are intact, she is starting to see a steady decline in her academics. According to

her, last year in the ninth grade, she was getting all As and Bs, but now her grades are mostly Cs.

She is very concerned about her physics class because she is barely passing. She reported that this

was very stressful because she wanted to major in biology in college so she needs her science

grades to be "perfect". Jordan also informed you that she has a boyfriend in the 11th grade, but she

thinks that she might be attracted to her best friend Jasmine (a girl) also. She informed you that she

had never considered dating girls before. Jordan also told you that she and her boyfriend have been

together for eight months and she is considering having sex for the first time soon. She also

mentioned that although her father lives out of the house, he lives close by and she spends a great

deal of time with him because her house makes her feel stressed. She said that her mother is always

asking her to complete chores and watch her younger brother. She also mentioned that her mother

gives her an early curfew, whereas her father allows her to stay out until 8:00pm on school nights.

According to Jordan, when she stays out, she usually goes to her best friend's house with her close-

knit group of friends from the neighborhood, called the G-Girls. While they're there, they usually

dance, smoke marijuana, do make-up, and play video games.

Use what you have learned about adolescence to answer the following questions. What stands out

about Jordan's scenario to you? Are there any aspects of this situation that seem typical? As her

new mentor, what kind of advice will you give Jordan? What issues needs to be addressed? How

will you coordinate with her school to better meet her needs? How will you support her familial

relationships?