Adolescent Health Care

The problems adolescents face in the U.S. are staggering--the rates of teenage pregnancy, substance abuse, depression, suicide, violent behavior, and unemployment are higher than in any other industrialized democracy. Adolescent Health Care: Program Designs and Services is devoted to helping practitioners address the problems of our adolescents through the use of preventive interventions based on sound empirical data. As a practitioner, you cannot assume a passive role; instead, you must use your professional knowledge, expertise, and understanding of human behavior theory and personality development in the construction and implementation of intervention strategies. This book shows you how to utilize prevention efforts geared toward the adolescent developmental period. The main strength of Adolescent Health Care lies in the empirical database upon which the text rests. Reliable, scholarly information with a practical delivery is seldom seen in the literature. The book's approach is mass-oriented rather than individual-oriented, and it seeks to build health from the start rather than to repair after damage is done. Specific topics you learn about to improve your level of care include: peer and parent communication issues personal, social, economic, and political benefits of prevention the Life Skills Training approach as a preventive model HIV prevention for inner-city adolescent females individual, interpersonal, and institutional risk factors associated with substance abuse community coalitions and collaborative partnerships as substance abuse prevention strategies an assessment of Intensive Family Preservation Services (IFPS) the use of an ecological model and preventive intervention for juvenile delinquents Adolescent Health Care is a valuable resource for middle and high school teachers, service providers who work in human service agencies, and college-level instructors of courses such as the psychology of adolescence and social work practice with children and adolescents. This book utilizes curriculum materials and background information from a number of university workshops and courses, resulting in an up-to-date reference that facilitates helping adolescents overcome their problems and acquire valuable life skills.