Ungdom og "åpne samtaler i nettverk" : ungdom som har det vanskelig og nettverk som prøver å være til hjelp

Abstract

This study is based on the project "Prosjekt Felles utvikling," in Vest-Agder. This project was meant to improve the expertise of professionals in the health services and the schools in the youths’ communities, and thus contribute to the improvement of mental health. Support for young people with difficulties in various areas would be given by means of network meetings where one pursued dialogue through "open conversations." The purpose of this study was to collect experiences from youths who had received this method in Flekkefjord, and thereby evaluate and contribute to adjustments of the method. The study is based on qualitative interviews with six youths who received the method in the period 2004 to 2008. When we managed to achieve a dialogue with the youths and their private and professional network, we were able to provide help that the youths in the study liked and benefited from. My assessment is that we were successful in two cases, partly successful in two other cases, and did not succeed in the two last ones. The study supports previous findings which show that the method, insofar as one achieves a dialogue, can contribute to helping the youths. "Open dialogue" in social networks is a demanding method, in the sense that it requires personal conviction, in addition to considerable expertise and practical facilitation. It is also a method that gives hope of real help, partly because it so closely involves young people themselves and their private network. In my study, the youth’s school and the home appeared to be the most important arenas which the health services need to include in their work. My findings confirm the complexity of the challenges of providing assistance to troubled youths. Keywords: Open Dialogue, dialogue, private and professional networks, youths, mental health, mental health problems, mental disorders.