Clinical Work With Adolescents

Book excerpt: In this welcome follow-up and companion to her highly acclaimed Clinical Work with Children, Judith Mishne provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of adolescent psychotherapy. Drawing on her own extensive experience and the work of other professionals, she offers a cogent analysis of the psychological disorders afflicting teens today and explores the range of dynamic treatment interventions available in clinical work with teenagers and their families. With an emphasis on the need for flexible, individualized planning for young patients, Clinical Work with Adolescents succinctly shows how clinicians can develop and follow a course of treatment in a variety of settings, from private outpatient therapy to residential programs. In addition, it outlines the various stages within the therapeutic process itself, analyzing the therapeutic alliance, transference and countertransference, the phenomena of resistance, typical defenses, “working through,” and, finally, the termination of treatment. A comprehensive and thorough integration of theory and practice, Clinical Work with Adolescents is essential for both novice and experienced practitioners—as well as students—in understanding and successfully helping teenagers to cope with the difficult transition to adulthood.