Group Work with Adolescents: Principles and Practice (Clinical Practice with Children, Adolescents, and Families) - Softcover

"My graduate social work students find the Malekoff text extremely useful in its practical, hands-on approach to working with at-risk adolescents in groups. The book includes numerous real-life examples of group work experiences that ring true, often include humor, and provide a good blend of group work theory, family systems perspectives, and adolescent developmental knowledge."--Ruth Fagan-Wilen, LCSW, PhD, School of Social Work, University of Texas at Austin "Andrew Malekoff does us all a special service...He reawakens a lost yet wonderful art form which we once called a method...group social work. Malekoff goes a significant step further then discovering an artifact. He informs, instructs, and implores us to understand how the practice of group work has been and yet can again be a major tool in working with adolescents. The Carnegie Commission that authored the publication A Matter of Time..Risk and Opportunity in the Nonschool Hours, alerted us to the dire need to teach and serve teenagers and to the disappearance of group work on a national level. Malekoff does the study justice by pointing the way to the reemergence of group work with opportunities for providers and educators to learn and train a new generation of group work practitioners. A sea change is needed in the field of social work--in our work with adolescents--and Malekoff has provided the vehicle. Hurrah." --Philip Coltoff, M.S.W., Executive Director, Children's Aid Society "We haven't seen the likes of Group Work With Adolescents: Principles and Practice, by Andrew Malekoff. Only Grace Coyle's Group Work With American Youth comes close and that was another time, another place. Written directly from the front lines of work with adolescents in suburban and urban settings, this book shows Malekoff to possess a towering sensitivity to what life is like in the drug and violence charged world these youth inhabit; into that world of fatalism, Malekoff brings a breath of hope. The book is eloquently written, theoretically solid, and profoundly human. I recommend this book to all who care about the youth of today and their and our tomorrows." --Sue Henry, DSW, University of Denver "A book of remarkable breadth and depth. Group work theory and methods are creatively applied to adolescents' developmental needs. If you are interested in forming and beginning groups for adolescents, developing a supportive, problem-solving group culture, using verbal and programmatic methods, dealing with prejudice, violence, sexuality and substance abuse, this book will be extremely useful. Rich case illustrations make the content come alive." --Alex Gitterman, MSW, EdD, Columbia University School of Social Work "Rich with the wisdom and detail that can only be conveyed by a master practitioner and that it educates the reader in how to understand adolescent behavior and group process and how to respond to the vicissitudes of the work in a non-formulistic manner. "Presents group work practice honestly, protraying its dilemmas, its raggedness, its rawness and its genius in a manner that few authors since Redl and Wineman have achieved. It does not offer guaranteed, simplistic quick-fixes that flood the current market. At the same time, it details approaches, structures, and techniques that seasoned practitioners know is 'the stuff that really works.' "It pays attention to a broader range of group approaches than almost any of the current texts and articles....The author's broad experience and scholarliness enable him to take a 'what's best for what kinds of kids in what kinds of circumstances' approach, with authority and detailed explanation. This is an invaluable asset. "The book imparts a message for the twenty-first century as do few clinical tomes. "This book should be read by beginning human services students, school teachers, seasoned clinicians, developmenttal specialists, graduate students, and faculty. Some parts of it will interest general readers. It is a fine textbook for beginning and advanced levels." --James A. Garland, LICSW, Boston University School of Social Work ..".an excellent contribution to the literature. It has been prepared by a passionate and devoted clinician with a wealth of clinical experience.... experienced clinicians will find this to be a sophisticated text which does not take a cookbook approach, but rather provides the reader with a thoughtful, clearly written perspective on how to work with adolescents in groups." --Ronald W. Toseland, PhD "This is a unique and rewarding book that is as accessible to the trainee as it is to the experienced practitioner and educator." --"Youth Today: The Newspaper on Youth Work" "This book is written in a lively style with many examples and quotations....This is a readable and practical book which can be helpful to all those who work with adolescents in groups in one setting or another." --"Journal of Child and Adolescent Group Therapy" .,."a thoughtful, thorough, sensitive, and compelling textbook....This reviewer experiences Andrew Malekoff as an excellent writer, whose ability to capture and describe the various rhythms, cycles, stages, themes and dynamics of the group experience is truly awesome....I wholeheartedly recommend this wonderful and inspiring book to anyone who works with adolescents in groups." --"Child and Adolescent Social Work" "With honesty, enthusiasm, and genuine concern for his clients, Malekoff shares years of experience and expertise. His very detailed book is truly a teaching tool....For the clinician who wishes to learn the secrets of successful process-oriented group therapy...this book will immerse one in the real world of treating high-risk adolescents....For the clinician who seriously plans to work with adolescents in a group setting...this book is a must." --"Journal of Clinical Child Psychology" "Andrew Malekoff's book is a much needed text about working with youths in the world today. He shows a deep understanding of the issues and concerns of adolescents and expresses this to the reader in a humorous, warm, sensitive, and delightful manner....This book shows the skillful use of the group work method in working with a specified age groupin a variety of settings. It provides excellent content for practitioners working with groups or for those who aspire to work with adolescents. It would be excellent material for use in the classroom." --S"ocial Work - Journal of the National Association of Social Workers" "Reading this book will let you appreciate the experiences of being there inside adolescents groups: short-term too, and particularly ones that run for a long while. I expect to re-visit these pages time and time again." --"Groupwork" "A welcome addition; well written and full of useful clinical examples....This is a really useful book coming out of the author's breadth of experience in doing group work in the community....Although his clinical sample is adolescent, what he says applies to other age groups and has great applicability across the life span. His examples are apt and illustrate clearly the theoretical points he is making....This is an excellent book. I recommend it highly." --"The Canadian Child Psychiatry Review" "An extraordinary volume. It is timely and powerful, as well as eloquent and human. The book will be in use for decades to come. It is a gift for any who want to form groups with adolescents and develop a problem-solving atmosphere--through the use of talk and activities--to deal with such issues as sexuality, substance use and abuse, violence, and prejudice that are part of the world...."Group Work with Adolescents" has to be considered as among the small number of great social work texts. It is an extraordinary accomplishment. It should be used widely and treasured by those who read it." --"Families in Society" "It is notable when any single book takes up the challenge oftrying to cover knowledge about the social work client unit being served, the social work service unit being worked with, and the hands-on practice of doing the work. This book not only meets with that challenge, it exceeds it. In large part due to Malekoff's exceptional talent with language, this book is as easy to read as a work of fiction....Malekoff's command of social group work practice shows at every turn in his presentation of skills in use. Each intervention is well rationalized.... Practice examples are plentiful and well chosen to fit, exactly, with the practice approach being espoused....What makes this book so important, so timely, and so appropriate is that Malekoff is able to translate his immense proficiency at social group work with adolescents into a text that is readable, sound, and authentic....The book is remarkable and I recommend it without reservation to students, agency workers, social work educators, field instructors, and perhaps, even to adolescents themselves." --"Journal of Teaching in Social Work" "This book is useful for beginning and advanced practitioners alike....it conveys enough of the "how to's" to introduce clinicians to the field. On the other hand, it is refreshing for the mature clinician seeking new inspiration when working with the adolescent population. It is eclectic in its orientation, dynamic in its approach, and very humanitarian in its orientation to the adolescent population that is described." --"International Journal of Group Psychotherapy" "This exceptionally well written and interesting book provides principles and guidelines for group work with adolescents in a wide range of settings, including schools, community centers, and mental health clinics. Social workers, counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, and educators will find the book both thought provoking and very useful in their day-to-day encounters with adolescents." --"Science Books and Films" "The reader is introduced to a broad range of concepts and strategies for effectively engaging adolescents in group therapy across a variety of settings. Through illustrative examples, vignettes, narrations, and literary and poetic quotations, Malekoff skillfully brings to life the critical issues and methodology of successful group practice....[This] is a comprehensive resource for clinicians at all levels of experience. This text can serve as an excellent refresher for seasoned' professionals, as well as a teaching tool for the novice clinician....Through the use of wit, real-life case examples and poetry, Malekoff offers a readable, educational, and inspiring book for clinicians who work with adolescents." --"Residential Treatment For Children & Youth" "Malekoff has written a timely and powerful book that will be of use for decades. In many ways, it is a gift to the profession in general, and to group work in particular. It also is a gift to the individual reader. This is a scholarly book, conceptually sound, well organized, and accessible to the neophyte as well as the experienced practitioner and educator. It also is written with abundant humor, and with great sensitivity and compassion for the adolescent, as well as for those who choose to work with this challenging age group....As I read Malekoff's book, I often found myself moved, amused, impressed, engrossed, sometimes envious, and always convinced of his message. This book is an extraordinary accomplishment. My concluding suggestions are: buy it, read it, use it--and treasure it." --"Social Work with Groups"

First published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.