Dr. Naar explains, “Drawing on themes from my book on motivational interviewing with adolescents and young adults, I will introduce practical evidence-based strategies for engaging young people in conversations about behavior change, mental health, and personal growth. Participants will learn how motivational interviewing fosters autonomy, strengthens resilience, and helps young people build motivation to navigate mental health challenges and life transitions. In alignment with the mission of the Alan Hu Foundation, the session will emphasize the importance of reducing stigma, promoting help-seeking, and creating supportive relationships that empower youth to move toward healthier and more hopeful futures.”The presentation will be followed by 15 minutes of Q&A.

 

Brief Biography: Sylvie Naar, PhD is the Distinguished Endowed Professor in the College of Medicine’s Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine at Florida State University, where she is the founding director of the Center for Translational Behavioral Science. She is trained as a pediatric health psychologist and has conducted health disparities research with minority youth for over 20 years. She has had several federally funded projects utilizing Motivational Interviewing to improve health behaviors in adolescents.