Working with Troubled Youth in Schools - by Garrett McAuliffe (Hardcover)

About the Book

The challenge of preventing and coping with violence and other psychosocial problems among youth is the inspiration for this work, which offers both a conceptual foundation and a practical guide for helping troubled youth in schools. The book is meant to be a guide for practicing school staff. It is intended to be either immediately useful, or to be a stimulus for longer-range plans. All chapters are written by veterans of school systems who are or have been principals, special education directors, directors of guidance, school counselors, school psychologists, teachers, and school social workers. The topics range from a call for socially critical leadership from school administrators to moment-to-moment suggestions for interactions with students.

Two sets of words echo throughout this book: prevent and connect. Prevention, not only reaction, is necessary if schools are to assist troubled youth, and in order to do the best job possible, school staff members must connect not only with students, but with the students' families and the community at large, as well as other school colleagues. Part I presents the big pictures and helps readers to re-think current conceptions of the work of schools in the psychosocial development of youth. Part II provides complementary chapters with descriptions and illustrations of effective practices for meeting the learning needs of troubled youth. Armed with the inspiration and the applications of this book, school professionals will be able to get to work immediately on fulfilling all students' promise, as well as their own as professionals.

Book Synopsis

The challenge of preventing and coping with violence and other psychosocial problems among youth is the inspiration for this work, which offers both a conceptual foundation and a practical guide for helping troubled youth in schools. The book is meant to be a guide for practicing school staff. It is intended to be either immediately useful, or to be a stimulus for longer-range plans. All chapters are written by veterans of school systems who are or have been principals, special education directors, directors of guidance, school counselors, school psychologists, teachers, and school social workers. The topics range from a call for socially critical leadership from school administrators to moment-to-moment suggestions for interactions with students.

Two sets of words echo throughout this book: prevent and connect. Prevention, not only reaction, is necessary if schools are to assist troubled youth, and in order to do the best job possible, school staff members must connect not only with students, but with the students' families and the community at large, as well as other school colleagues. Part I presents the big pictures and helps readers to re-think current conceptions of the work of schools in the psychosocial development of youth. Part II provides complementary chapters with descriptions and illustrations of effective practices for meeting the learning needs of troubled youth. Armed with the inspiration and the applications of this book, school professionals will be able to get to work immediately on fulfilling all students' promise, as well as their own as professionals.

Review Quotes

?One only needs to look at a current newspaper to confirm that the school population has dramatically changed in the past 20 years. With this change has come the major dilemma of how to provide meaningful educational services to students who present extreme challenges for existing educational systems. This volume, edited by McAuliffe, focuses on a population that far exceeds that implied by its title--troubled youth. More specifically, included here are students who demonstrate serious behavior disorders including violence. Well planned and concisely written, the contributors provide a conceptual framework and description of model programs for successfully serving such students. Paramount throughout is the reoccurring theme that such programs are possible, but only through the use of collaboration and communication. The volume can provide an excellent jumping-off point for discussions centered on what is possible and why such programs have not been implemented across the field. Rather than a simplistic how-to book, this is an engaging discussion of connections between the multiple factors involved in the field of behavior disorders. Recommended for upper-division undergraduates and above.?-Choice

"One only needs to look at a current newspaper to confirm that the school population has dramatically changed in the past 20 years. With this change has come the major dilemma of how to provide meaningful educational services to students who present extreme challenges for existing educational systems. This volume, edited by McAuliffe, focuses on a population that far exceeds that implied by its title--troubled youth. More specifically, included here are students who demonstrate serious behavior disorders including violence. Well planned and concisely written, the contributors provide a conceptual framework and description of model programs for successfully serving such students. Paramount throughout is the reoccurring theme that such programs are possible, but only through the use of collaboration and communication. The volume can provide an excellent jumping-off point for discussions centered on what is possible and why such programs have not been implemented across the field. Rather than a simplistic how-to book, this is an engaging discussion of connections between the multiple factors involved in the field of behavior disorders. Recommended for upper-division undergraduates and above."-Choice

About the Author

GARRETT MCAULIFFE is Associate Professor, Counseling Program, Old Dominion University.