>>> TEEN GIRLS ARE IN CRISIS ACCORDING TO RESEARCH THAT FOUND NEARLY 40% OF GIRLS STUDIED IN CHICAGO HIGH SCHOOLS ARE EXPERIENCING SIGNS OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, BUT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO'S EDUCATION LAB SAYS THERE'S A SCHOOL-BASED PROGRAM THAT'S HELPING AND THEIR STUDY FOUND THAT PARTICIPATION IN YOUTH GUIDANCES WORKING ON WOMANHOOD OR W.O.W.

PROGRAM LED TO A 22% DECREASE IN PTSD SYMPTOMS SEVERITY AND A 38% DECREASE IN AT-RISK LEVELS OF PTSD.

THE STUDY ALSO FOUND THAT PARTICIPATION IN THE W.O.W.

PROGRAM DECREASED ANXIETY ABOUT 10% AND REDUCED DEPRESSION AROUND 14%.

JOINING US NOW TO TALK ABOUT W.O.W.

ARE MONICA BOTT, SENIOR RESEARCH DIRECTOR AT UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO EDUCATION LAB, AND NGOSI HARRIS, DIRECTOR OF PROGRAM AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT AT W.O.W.

LADIES, THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

LET'S KIND OF GET AN IDEA WHAT ARE THESE PTSD SYMPTOMS THAT OUR YOUNG GIRLS ARE EXPERIENCING?

>> WELL, IT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH JUST WHEN THEY ARE IN THE SCHOOLS, WHEN THEY'RE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES, THEY'RE JUST DEALING WITH HYPER VIGILANCE.

THEY'RE JUST REALLY AWARE OF THEIR SURROUNDINGS AND THEY'RE ALWAYS IN THAT FIGHT, FLIGHT OR FREEZE MODE AND FOR SOME OF OUR GIRLS IT'S THE FAWN MODE WHERE THEY'RE TRYING TO PEOPLE PLEASE, TRYING TO DO WHATEVER THEY CAN TO SURVIVE, SO THEY'RE TRYING TO PLEASE EVERYONE.

MOST OF THEM ARE INTERNALIZERS WHERE THEY'RE HOLDING IT IN.

THEY AREN'T TALKING ABOUT IT.

THERE'S NO ONE ASKING THEM DIRECTLY ABOUT IT, SO THEY AREN'T TALKING ABOUT IT AND THEY'RE JUST SHOWING UP IN THE SCHOOLS AND A LOT OF TIMES THE SCHOOLS ARE EITHER SAYING OH, SHE'S FINE.

YOU KNOW, SHE'S GETTING GOOD GRADES.

SHE'S SHOWING UP.

EVERYTHING'S OKAY, BUT I'VE ALWAYS SEEN THEM AS THEY'RE TICKING TIME BOMBS.

THEY'RE THE ONES WHO ARE JUST BARELY HANGING ON AND IF THAT ONE MORE STRESSOR COMES ON, THEY EXPLODE AND THEY EXPLODE IN DIFFERENT WAYS, SELF-HARMING.

THEY ARE BEING AGGRESSIVE WITH EACH OTHER, WITH THEMSELVES OR THEY'RE ACTING OUT SEXUALLY WHERE THEY'RE JUST TRYING TO GET SOMEONE TO TAKE CARE OF THEM.

SO THEY ARE PEOPLE PLEASING.

ALL OF THAT IS BECAUSE IT'S SO DIVERSE, BECAUSE IT'S SO DIFFERENT FROM THE WAY OUR BOYS AND OUR YOUNG MEN ARE SHOWING UP, NO ONE KNOWS WHAT TO DO AND THEY'RE IGNORING.

THEY HAVE BEEN IGNORING.

WHEN BAM CAME TO BE, OUR SCHOOLS WERE SAYING WHAT ABOUT OUR GIRLS?

FOR W.O.W.

WE CAME TOGETHER, THE CLINICIANS WORKING AT YOUTH GUIDANCE, AND THEY PUT TOGETHER THIS PROGRAM TO RESPOND TO THAT CALL AND TO REALLY SEE THEM AND REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY NEED AND HOW TO SUPPORT THEM.

>> MONICA, LET'S TALK ABOUT W.O.W.

AND WHAT THE GIRLS ARE EXPERIENCING IN THAT PROGRAM AND SOME OF THE RESOURCES HELPING THEM.

>> SURE.

WE PARTNERED WITH YOUTH GUIDANCE.

FOR OVER TEN YEARS WE DID A STUDY OF THE BECOMING A MAN PROGRAM FOR YOUNG BOYS AND IN 2017 WHEN THE CITY OF CHICAGO EXPANDED 750 ADDITIONAL SPOTS FOR YOUNG GIRLS, WE PARTNERED WITH YOUTH GUIDANCE, CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THE CITY OF CHICAGO TO SET UP A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL SO THAT WE KNOW WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE WORKING ON WOMANHOOD PROGRAM THAT IS -- ONE, IS IT HELPFUL TO GIRLS TO THE SAME LEVEL THAT WE KNOW IN MEDICINE?

WE IDENTIFIED TEN PARTNER SCHOOLS.

WE IDENTIFIED NINTH TO 11th GRADE GIRLS.

ALMOST 95% OF THEM IN THOSE SCHOOLS, SO THIS IS 3,800 GIRLS AND WE DID A BASELINE SURVEY IN THE FALL BECAUSE WE DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHAT THE EXPERIENCES WERE.

ON A LEVEL OF TRAUMA EXPOSURE WHERE WE ASKED ABOUT WITNESSES COMMUNITY VIOLENCE, WITNESSING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, WITNESSING ACT LIKE WAR, NATURAL DISASTERS, THERE WERE TEN QUESTIONS AND GIRLS ON AVERAGE -- THESE ARE 15, 16-YEAR-OLD GIRLS -- SAID YES TO TWO ON AVERAGE AND THESE ARE QUESTIONS THE GENERAL PUBLIC WOULD PROBABLY SAY NO TO ALL TEN.

SO YOU SEE THAT THIS SORT OF EXTERNAL TRAUMA EXPOSURE IS REALLY HIGH AND THOSE STRESSORS ARE HIGH AND YET THERE'S A TON OF RESILIENCE.

THE GIRLS IN OUR STUDY HAD A B AVERAGE.

THEY'RE COMING TO SCHOOL ALL THE TIME, BUT WHEN WE DID THE BASELINE SURVEY OF ABOUT 370 GIRLS, WE SAW THESE RATES OF 38% OF PROBABLE PTSD OR MODERATE TRAUMA-RELATED DISTRESS, WHICH ARE TWICE THAT OF RETURNING AFGHANI AND IRAQI WAR VETERANS ON THE SAME EXACT MEASURE.

YOU CAN SEE HOW THAT INTERNALIZING BEHAVES ARE REALLY STRONG.

THE W.O.W.

CURRICULUM HAS COMPONENTS THAT FOCUS ON HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS, SELF-ESTEEM, SELF-EFFICACY, LEADERSHIP AND WHEN WE DID A FOLLOW-UP SURVEY IN THE SPRING, WE COMPARED GIRLS OFFERED THE W.O.W.

PROGRAMMING COMPARED TO ALL THE OTHER STATUS QUO SERVICES THE SCHOOL HAD USING A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL DESIGN.

WE SAW REDUCTIONS IN PTSD, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION.

TO ME THAT TELLS US WE DON'T HAVE TO KEEP REPORTING ON WHAT THE CRISIS IS, BUT WE HAVE SOLUTIONS THAT ARE HOMEGROWN IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED AT MODERATE SCALE BY CLINICIANS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT TO REALLY PROVIDE GIRLS WITH SUPPORTS TO HELP THEM WITH NOT ONLY SOME OF THESE SYMPTOMS, BUT ALSO IN THE LONG TERM POTENTIALLY FROM OTHER BEHAVIORS THAT THEY'RE SHOWING IN THESE EXTERNALIZING WAYS.

>> WHAT WOULD YOU SAY YOU'VE SEEN ARE THE MOST EFFECTIVE?

WHAT ARE THEY RESPONDING TO?

>> THE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE COUNSELORS, WITH OTHERS, SHARE HOW THEY'RE EXPERIENCING.

THEY GET SOMEONE TO TELL THEM HOWEVER YOU OWN YOUR NARRATIVE IS HOW YOU OWN YOUR NARRATIVE.

SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO FIT IN A BOX.

YOU CAN JUST BE YOU AND YOU'RE SAFE.

YOU'RE SUPPORTED AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS TOGETHER, THOSE EXPERIENCES, RELATIONSHIPS, THEY MART AND THEY IMPACT.

IT'S ALSO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE CLINICIANS.

SO WE'RE DOING THE NARRATIVE THERAPY.

WE'RE DOING THE ACCEPTANCE THERAPY, BUT IT REALLY IS AT THAT START IS CREATING THAT SAFE ENVIRONMENT WITH THOSE RELATIONSHIPS BEING WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT TALKING DOWN, BUT THEY'RE PARTNERING WITH AND THEY'RE GOING ALONGSIDE THAT REALLY MATTER THE MOST.

FOR ME THAT'S LIKE THAT KEY INGREDIENT IS WHY WE SPEND SO MUCH TIME REALLY BEING INTENTIONAL ON THE HIRING AND HOW ARE YOU WORKING ON YOUR WOMANHOOD STAYING IN THE JOURNEY BECAUSE YOU DON'T