At-Risk Youth: A Comprehensive Response: For Counselors, Teachers, Psychologists, and Human Services Professionals

This timely book addresses one of the greatest social, family, and community concerns of today--children and youth who are at-risk for a variety of problem behaviors. Whether the term "at risk" is associated with a local school district's problems, with child and adolescent suicide, violence, or school dropout, with the correction system's concerns about gangs or juvenile delinquency, or public health concerns of teen pregnancy, child abuse, AIDS and STDs, and drug and alcohol use, individuals considered "at risk" need the ongoing attention of professionals across many disciplines. To help prepare students for work with at-risk youth, this book provides conceptual and practical information on key issues and problems. Prevention and intervention techniques are described in the book to help future and current professionals perform their jobs successfully and to improve the lives of young people at risk.

J. Jeffries McWhirter holds a diplomate in counseling psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology and is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, the Academy of Counseling Psychology, and the Association of Specialists in Group Work. He is a professor in the Division of Psychology in Education at Arizona State University. He has also maintained a small private practice for nearly 30 years. Jeffries is Benedict and Robert's father, and Benedict and Ellen are married.

Benedict T. McWhirter received his doctorate degree from the Counseling Psychology Program at Arizona State University. He is an assistant professor of counseling psychology at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and a licensed psychologist in the state of Nebraska.

Ellen Hawley McWhirter has a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Arizona State University. She is an assistant professor of counseling psychology at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and a licensed psychologist in the state of Nebraska.

The author team is comprised of four family members who all bring to the table different experiences and expertise. The lead author, J. Jeffries McWhirter, is Professor Emeritus at Arizona State University in the Counseling and Counseling Psychology Programs. The second and third authors, Benedict McWhirter and Ellen Hawley McWhirter, are both associate p rofessors in the Counseling Psychology Program at the University of Oregon. All are actively involved in the American Psychological Association and the American Counseling Association. Robert J. McWhirter is an assistant federal public defender in Arizona who, among other contributions, wrote the chapter on ethical and legal issues.