Clinical Interventions With

A bold and revolutionary exploration of applying standard psychotherapeutic and assessment procedures with juvenile gang members. The author discusses gangs from historical and ethnic cultural perspectives, discusses at length the Family Intervention Project, looks at various alternative methods, and concludes with practical suggestions for judging the efficacy of treatment approaches. A useful tool for anyone working with adolescents in at-risk environments or involved in gang activities.

This volume is bold and revolutionary, a clinically oriented primer for clinicians and others interested in the mental health functioning of gang youth and their families. Providing a well-integrated mixture of theory, clinical axioms, and practical ideas, the book offers invaluable information to clinicians, researchers, and program planners working with gang-affiliated adolescents. Standard psychotherapeutic and assessment procedures are discussed in terms of their specific use with gang members. The oft-made assumption that a gang member's life is one continuous state of antisocial and violent behavior is abandoned in favor of a developmental orientation that considers pregang functioning as well as the transformation that occurs as a result of joining the gang.Discussing gangs from historical and ethnic cultural perspectives, the author takes a developmental orientation toward the evolution and psychological dimensions of gangs. Curtis Branch discusses the Family Intervention Project, a specific multiple-family assessment model, at length. He concludes with a review of the research literature on clinical interventions with gang members and practical suggestions for judging the efficacy of treatment approaches.Those working with adolescents who are in at-risk environments or who are already involved in gang activities will find this a useful and welcome tool. This book will also appeal to advanced students in departments of clinical and developmental psychology, education, counseling, and social services.