Main description:

Rich with illustrative case material, this book guides mental health professionals to break the cycle of at-risk behavior by engaging adolescents and their families in home, school, and community contexts. The authors explore the multigenerational patterns that shape the lives of poor and ethnic minority adolescents and present innovative strategies for intervening beyond the walls of the agency or clinic. Grounded in research, the book shows how to implement both home-based family therapy and school-based achievement mentoring to provide a comprehensive web of support. Building on the earlier Reaching Out in Family Therapy, this book reflects the ongoing development of the authors' multisystems approach and many other important changes in the field; the majority of the content is completely new. It is an indispensable resource for beginning and experienced professionals or text for courses on adolescent intervention or adolescent mental health.

Contents:

1. Introduction and Overview of the Book
I. At-Risk Adolescents and Their Families
2. At-Risk Adolescents and Their Families
3. Cultural, Racial, and Socioeconomic Issues
4. Working with Kinship Care Families
5. Multigenerational Patterns in Families of At-Risk Adolescents
II. The Multisystems Model and Home-Based Family Therapy
6. The Multisystems Model and Home-Based Family Therapy
7. Multisystemic Therapy (MST)
8. Multisystems Model Case Example
9. Supervision and Training for Home-Based Family Therapists
III. Achievement Mentoring: An Evidence-Based, School-Based Intervention
10. School Engagement, Disengagement, Dropout, and a Learning Theory Approach, Patricia Simon
11. Achievement Mentoring Program
12. Communication Skills for Achievement Mentoring
13. Achievement Mentoring: A Case Example
14. Achievement Mentoring Implementation in Schools, with Mina Yadegar
IV. Research
15. Relevant Research for Home-Based Family Therapists and Achievement Mentors
Author Index
Subject Index