Talk Examines Guiding Teen Faith, Career

Andrea Gurney, Westmont professor of psychology, explores how pastors, teachers and parents can best support adolescents as they discover God’s place for them at the fourth annual Conversation on Youth and Vocation Friday, January 10, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in Westmont’s Global Leadership Center. The event, sponsored by Westmont’s Trailhead program, is free and open to the public.

“Adolescence is a pivotal formation period, when young people are learning about their strengths and interests, exploring the world’s possibilities, and integrating the many complex inputs — from family, school, media, friends and faith communities — that tell young people who they might be,” Gurney says.

Gurney’s most recent book, “Reimagining Your Love Story: Biblical and Psychological Practices for Healthy Relationships,” examines how we acquire and live into — or out of — the narratives that shape our lives. Gurney, who earned a master’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate in counseling psychology at Northeastern University, is a practicing therapist for individuals, couples and families.

At Trailhead, a one-week summer residency and yearlong mentorship program, high school students join faculty from Westmont and Fuller Theological Seminary, ministry professionals, and business and nonprofit leaders to investigate where God might be calling them. The program is open for rising high school sophomores through graduating seniors at one of three Trailhead residency sessions: June 14-June 20, June 21-June 27 or June 28-July 4, 2020.