Helping At-Risk Students: A Group Counseling Approach for Grades 6-9

This book provides a comprehensive, empirically supported group counseling program for youngsters at risk for academic, behavioral, and emotional difficulties. Designed for implementation in the span of a school semester, the curriculum has been shown to foster competence in areas crucial to successful development, including problem solving, violence prevention, and interpersonal skill-building. The book first presents an overview of program goals and methods and describes how to set up groups, select members, and promote a trusting, supportive environment. Step-by-step guidelines for conducting each session are then delineated. Described are a wealth of engaging activities and discussions that facilitate exploration of such vital issues as educational goals, ethnic identity, prejudice and discrimination, peer pressure, and family relationships. Appendices contain reproducible materials in both English and Spanish, including consent forms, pregroup and postgroup assessments, and student game cards, worksheets, and handouts. The book is designed for maximum ease of use with a large format and lay-flat binding.

This innovative curriculum is ideal for use with youngsters dealing with family distress, academic problems, exposure to violence, and socioeconomic disadvantage. It can be implemented by school psychologists and counselors; other mental health professionals and administrative school personnel; teachers; and advanced graduate students in education, social work, and psychology.

Jill Waterman, PhD, is Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Coordinator of the UCLA Psychology Clinic. In addition to numerous articles on aspects of child trauma, she is the coauthor of Sexual Abuse of Young Children and Behind the Playground Walls. She is also a practicing psychotherapist in the Los Angeles area.

Elizabeth Walker, PhD, received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2000. As a graduate student, she spent several years working with adolescents in inner-city schools, and she completed her predoctoral internship at the UCSD Psychology Internship Consortium in 2000. Her research interests include the role of religion and spirituality in the lives of young people, and developing and implementing interventions for at-risk youth.