Adolescents are navigating identity formation, emerging sexuality, and peer influence within a digital ecosystem that amplifies risk exposure. Social media validation cycles, online grooming, sexting behaviors, cyberbullying, and digital coercion increasingly appear in custody disputes, juvenile justice cases, and exploitation matters.
This 90-minute forensic-focused webinar examines how adolescent neurodevelopment intersects with digital environments to heighten vulnerability to impulsivity, exploitation, and high-risk behavior. Participants will learn structured methods for assessing digital behaviors, identifying red flags for grooming and coercion, and incorporating digital risk findings into forensic reports and testimony.
Learning Objectives
Objective 1: Describe how adolescent neurodevelopment increases vulnerability to digital risk behaviors.
Objective 2: Identify behavioral indicators of online grooming, exploitation, and digital coercion in teens.
Objective 3: Apply structured interview strategies to assess problematic digital behaviors in forensic evaluations.
Objective 4: Integrate digital risk findings into forensic reports and articulate conclusions clearly in court settings.
Presenter
Dr. Lourdes Araujo, LMHC, LMHC-QS, CFMHE
Dr. Lourdes Araujo is a bilingual counselor educator, forensic evaluator, and trauma specialist with over 18 years of clinical experience working with survivors of domestic violence, exploitation, and complex trauma across the lifespan. She serves as an Assistant Professor in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Grand View University, where she prepares future counselors in trauma-informed practice, ethics, and neurobiologically grounded intervention.
Dr. Araujo’s clinical and forensic work focuses on high-risk and vulnerable populations, including adolescents involved in custody disputes, juvenile justice matters, and cases involving coercion or exploitation. She integrates neuroscience, attachment theory, and culturally responsive assessment frameworks into both her evaluations and expert testimony. Her scholarship and presentations emphasize identity development, trauma recovery, and the intersection of digital environments with adolescent neurodevelopment.
A sought-after speaker and educator, Dr. Araujo provides continuing education trainings for mental health professionals on trauma, forensic assessment, ethical practice, and emerging digital risk factors impacting youth. Her work is grounded in advocacy, cultural humility, and a commitment to ensuring that no victim is left behind.
