HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW YOUR MENTAL, EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL LIFE IMPACTS YOUR OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE?
Is anyone in your family experiencing (to name a few) challenges with mood, anxiety, screen time overuse, sedentary or inactive living?
If you’ve answered yes to at least one of the latter issues, The Youth Wellness initiative is for you.
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The Youth Wellness Initiative works from a holistic lens (eg. mind, body, spirit, and emotions) to serve individuals and families who seek to improve their overall identify and to address dynamics which negatively impact one’s quality of life.
The Youth Wellness Initiative is a family centered care approach which focuses on assisting client families with enhancing their overall quality of life within the context of their mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional health. Service provision includes adolescents, emerging adults, adults, and parents who are experiencing challenges which interfere with their day to day functioning. Using evidence-based clinical modalities and physical training techniques The Youth in Progress program works with client families in a respectful, empowering, non-judgmental, and empathic manner while affording participants practical skills and techniques which aim to create a healthy balance in their day-to-day life.
MISSION
COACHES
​Jeff Aguirre has 35+ years of experience in the gym and 25+ years of coaching, from athletes to normal people. Jeff trains young and old, beginners and advanced clients on improving their body composition, fitness and strength. Jeff was 14 year old junior high schooler when he lifted his first weights. The love of the lift led him to become a powerlifting competitor which culminated in a USPF state championship title in 2007. He trained for 17 years under Joe Di Marco in the original Westside Barbell Club. Di Marco is the inventor of the lever weightlifting belt and the box squat technique. In 2009 Jeff opened West Coast Barbell as a place where neighbors and friends can exercise and connect. Jeff and his associate currently run a non-profit program in San Pedro, California which focuses on serving adolescents who struggle with mental health and physical inactivity via evidence-based clinical therapy and weight training modalities. Jeff is a native of San Pedro. He is married with two adult children. Currently he is coaching his 18 year old daughter in powerlifting.
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Michael is a Clinical Social Worker and a Certified Child and Youth Care Counsellor who has over 20 years of teaching and direct practice experience. Michael’s experiences include residential treatment facilities, and pediatric hospital centers, and his areas of expertise include individual, family and group therapy, at-risk adolescents, mental health, parenting, and psychosocial issues related to living with a chronic medical condition. Michael has taught at the certificate, Bachelor’s and Master’s level, and currently teaches part time in the Faculty of Continuing Education, Mount Royal University, and teaches as a Sessional Instructor in the Faculty of Social Work, The University of Calgary. Michael and his associate currently run a non-profit program in San Pedro, California which focuses on serving adolescents who struggle with mental health and physical inactivity via evidence-based clinical therapy and weight training modalities.
SERVICE PROVISION
The Youth in Progress program specializes in serving client families via the use of diverse evidence-based clinical and physical training modalities. Clients will receive an Initial biopsychosocial assessment and recommendations for counseling therapy and/ or physical training sessions. The clinical therapy component includes addressing challenges such as:
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Anxiety
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Depression
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Self-concept, self-esteem, and self-efficacy challenges
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Transition to emerging adulthood challenges
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Screen-time regulation challenges
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Communication climate within the home
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Parent-adolescent conflict
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Parental alliance
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Parental awareness
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Co-parenting (separation/divorce) challenges
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Psychosocial issues related to living with chronic illness
The physical training component includes affording clients:
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Readiness for change and physical fitness needs assessment
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Personalized workout program for beginners, intermediate and advanced clients
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Individual and group training options
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Diet, nutrition, sleep and recovery guidance
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Development of coordination skills
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Muscle gain and weight loss techniques
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Routine assessment of barriers which may impede commitment to an active lifestyle
✔ Client-Centered Therapy
✔ Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
✔ Motivational interviewing
✔ Existential approach
✔ Family systems therapy
✔ Narrative therapy
·âœ” Body transformation and sculpting techniques
✔ Power, speed and agility techniques
✔ Strength and endurance techniques
✔ Cardiovascular techniques
✔ Flexibility techniques
✔ Plyometric techniques
✔ Resistance training techniques
Clinical therapy and Physical training modalities
KEY TERMS
Client-Centered Therapy: a clinical approach which assists clients at facilitating self-actualization and is predicated on the therapist being genuine, empathic and non-judgmental
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: a clinical modality which explores how one’s thoughts impact their behaviors
Motivational Interviewing: a clinical approach which explores client barriers to change as well as client motivational level toward change
Existential approach: a clinical approach which explores meaning, purpose and values of life
Family systems therapy: understanding an individual’s presenting mental health concerns within the context of their family experiences
Narrative therapy: a clinical approach which empowers clients to become experts of their lives based on narratives (or stories) they create and recreate.
Body transformation and sculpting: a combination of consistent diet, nutrition and exercise with the aim of reaching the client’s ideal body composition
Power, speed and agility: application of dynamic athletic movements for the purposes of enhancing overall power, speed and agility performance
Strength and endurance techniques: training load, sets and repetitive routines designed to maximize strength and endurance
Cardiovascular: low to high-intensity aerobic movements for the purposes of improving lung and heart health
Flexibility: training techniques which aim to prevent injury and to preserve physical fitness
Plyometric: the exertion of maximum muscle force in short intervals of time with the goal of increasing power
Resistance training: an application of body weight, resistance bands and weights with the goal of building strength, endurance and muscle mass
certification
®istration
Michael Watts
Associate clinical social worker (California). Registration # 113454
Registered social worker with the Province of Alberta (Psychosocial authorization permit).Registration #5722
Certified Child and Youth Care Counsellor with the Province of Alberta. Registration #00812