S.E.N.S.A.
The SENSA Model
Stages of change
Emotional support
& empathy
Needs assessment
Service provision
Advocacy
Pregnant adults face an increased risk of experiencing intimate partner violence, so it stands to reason that pregnant teens face a similar, if not higher risk. This is why I created the SENSA model. SENSA provides guidance on counseling, resource provision, and advocacy for school social workers supporting pregnant and parenting teens. Using this model school social workers can help these teens navigate pregnancy and parenthood while helping them make healthy relationship decisions. This page offers guidance and resources to implement the SENSA model along with a guidebook that dives deeper into what SENSA is and how to use the accompanying resources.
SENSA
Stages of Change
Pregnant and parenting youth are often involved in romantic relationships that can be risk factors for their wellbeing (Assini-Meytin et al., 2018) especially if they involve TDV. The stages of change and decisional balance can help pregnant and parenting teens to clinically process their relationship, including whether to remain in the relationship, and any harms it may pose to them. Click to learn more about how to use the stages of change and decisional balance when supporting pregnant and parenting teens, and how they fit into the SENSA model.
SENSA
Emotional Support & Empathy
As clinicians, we know the power of therapy, especially with youth. Therapy is an essential component to the SENSA model and emotional support and empathy are key to therapy with pregnant and parenting youth, especially those experiencing TDV. However, they are also important throughout all aspects of SENSA. Pregnant and parenting teens often lack the support they need from parents, peers, and community, so it is essential that emotional support and empathy are at the core of any work with them. If they are experiencing TDV it is even more important that they receive therapeutic support.
SENSA
Needs Assessment & Service Provision
Since pregnant and parenting teens often lack support (Huang et al., 2019) they may also lack guidance on the resources and services they need, which can be exacerbated by TDV. Therefore, a needs assessment is a crucial step to understanding the resources and services that they need. Use this needs assessment to understand the resources your client may need. After the needs assessment you can provide for the needs that you are equipped to while helping the pregnant or parenting teen access resources and services from other providers through networking, referrals, and any necessary vetting.
SENSA
Advocacy
Advocacy in the SENSA model is two-fold: professional advocacy and self advocacy. The school social worker can use their role as a service provider and professional to advocate on behalf of the pregnant or parenting teen. This can include advocacy with other service providers, parents, teachers and other school stakeholders. Self advocacy, on the other hand, involves empowering the pregnant or parenting teen to advocate for themselves with similar stakeholders to help them build this skill. Helping teens build self advocacy skills is also essential to help them navigate TDV.
Use the SENSA Guidebook to learn more about the model and how use to the accompanying resources.
Creating SENSA
I created the SENSA model based on my experience supporting pregnant and parenting teens. Watch the video below to learn more about how and why I created SENSA and how you can use it in your work with pregnant or parenting teens
The Needs of Pregnant and Parenting Teens
Listen to what a social work professional has to say about the unique needs of pregnant and parenting teens based on their professional experience with this population
Resources for SENSA
