Jacqueline Champier, a counselling psychologist, has written her first book, Issues of the Heart - Counseling for Teens and Young Adults.

The book comes on the back of a study which revealed that half of Jamaica's teen girls were forced to have sex, and 94 per cent of adolescent pregnancies were unplanned.

The psychologist's first book is a compilation of questions and answers to challenging issues facing young people. It addresses four main areas - abortion, relationships, family problems and finance.

The book launch took place on Monday, December 21, at the headquarters of the West Indies Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

"Our young people are grappling with various issues and are in need of mature Christian guidance," said Champier.

A deep burden

"Over the past two years I have been privileged to interact with young persons from various socio-economic backgrounds and I realise that they have similar challenges. This gave me a deep burden and a desire to put something together to assist not only young people, but also parents and guardians who are faced with many of these questions from them."

In her review of the book, Dr Grace Kelly, chair of the Department of Behavioural Science at Northern Caribbean University (NCU) and president-elect of the Jamaica Association of Guidance Counsellors in Education, said the book was a good reference guide, not only for teens, but also for guidance counsellors.

Timely publication

"It is very timely and the very issues that are affecting young people are the ones she has been able to relate," said Kelly.

"This is a book that is needed at this time," said Alana Harry, a second-year student at NCU. "This is a book that every young person should have because I have found that the questions and answers are practical and relevant to our everyday life."

Champier, who hails from St Catherine, is a graduate of NCU, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and a Master of Science in counselling psychology, with an emphasis on marriage and family life. She is passionate about counselling young people and has done several seminars and published several articles on family-life issues. She hopes that the book will encourage, educate, and help young people make conscientious decisions about everyday problems and change the negative statistics that exist in the society.

The book will soon be available in bookstores and nutrition centres islandwide.