Working with Adolescents A Guide for Practitioners

Noted for its multisystemic–ecological perspective, this accessible text and practitioner resource has now been revised and expanded with 60% new material. The book provides a comprehensive view of adolescent development and explores effective ways to support teens who are having difficulties. The authors examine protective and risk factors in the many contexts of adolescents' lives, from individual attributes to family, school, neighborhood, and media influences. Assessment and intervention strategies are illustrated with diverse case examples, and emphasize a social justice orientation. Useful pedagogical features include end-of-chapter reflection questions and concise chapter summaries.
 
New to This Edition
*Incorporates current research on brain development, resilience, gender diversity, mental health care, and more.
*Chapters on new topics: the adolescent brain, trauma, and suicide and self-injury.
*Fully rewritten chapters on substance use, queer youth, justice-involved youth, and the joys of working with adolescents.
*Reflects the unique contexts and challenges facing Generation Z.
 

Julie Anne Laser, PhD, MSW, LCSW, is Professor in the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver. She is a cofounder and Executive Director of Colorado Clinical Therapy. Dr. Laser has clinical and research expertise in experiential therapy, working with military families, posttraumatic stress disorder and trauma-focused therapy, parenting issues, child and adolescent healthy development, couple therapy, adolescent substance abuse, working with human trafficking victims/survivors, well-being and resilience throughout the life cycle, and school social work. She has worked as a clinician in the United States, in both rural and urban settings; Mexico; Peru; Italy; and Bolivia.

Nicole Nicotera, PhD, LICSW, is Professor in the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver. Dr. Nicotera has a passion for teaching mindfulness and meditation techniques to support stress reduction and well-being among helping professionals. Her research interests include examining innovative ways to promote health across the lifespan and mindfulness practices as a pathway to well-being. She also conducts research on youth civic engagement and on issues of unearned privilege and oppression in social work practice, education, and research. As a clinical social worker, Dr. Nicotera worked with children, youth, and families in a community mental health center, and also has extensive school social work experience.

I. Theoretical Framework
1. Benefits and Challenges in Clinical Work with Adolescents: An Overview
2. The Push–Pull of Adolescent Development
3. The Adolescent Brain
4. Resilience in Adolescence
II. The Adolescent in Context
5. Internal Assets and Individual Attributes Associated with Healthy Adolescent Outcomes, Nicole Nicotera & Thomas Luster
6. The Family Environment and the Adolescent, Julie Anne Laser & Douglas Davies
7. The School Environment and the Adolescent
8. The Neighborhood Environment and the Adolescent
9. Media Influences and the Adolescent
10. Assessment and Intervention at Each Ecological Level: A Case Illustration, Julie Anne Laser, Nicole Nicotera, Thomas Luster, & Douglas Davies
III. Clinical Interventions to Support Adolescents
11. Trauma from an Ecological Perspective
12. Substance Use and Dependence
13. Working with Queer Youth
14. Mental Health Issues in Adolescence: Anxiety and Depression
15. Suicidal Thoughts and Related Behaviors, Stacey Freedenthal
16. Sexually Active Teens, Rebecca Bolden, Shannon Sainer, & Julie Anne Laser
17. Juvenile Justice Involved Youth
18. The Joys of Working with Adolescents
References
Index