Beyond PTSD: Helping and Healing Teens Exposed to Trauma

Impulsivity, poor judgment, moodiness, risky behavior. "You don't understand."
"I don't care." "Whatever, bro." Engaging and working with teenagers is tough.
Typically, we attribute this to the storms of adolescence. But what if some of
the particularly problematic behaviors we see in teens - self-destructive
behaviors, academic issues, substance abuse, reluctance to engage in therapy or
treatment - point to unspoken trauma?

Teens nationwide struggle with
traumatic stress related to poverty, abuse, neglect, bullying, traumatic loss,
and interpersonal or community violence. But youth are also generally reluctant
to disclose or discuss experiences of traumatic stress, and adults working with
these youth may not immediately perceive the connection between prior trauma and
the teen's current risky or concerning behavior. Beyond PTSD: Helping and
Healing Teens Exposed to Trauma helps adults recognize and understand
traumatized youth, and provides concrete strategies for talking to and engaging
the teen, overcoming resistance, and finding the most appropriate evidence-based
treatment approach for them.

Nearly twenty contributors pull from their
extensive and varied experience working in schools and hospitals to child
welfare programs, juvenile justice facilities, pediatric offices, and with
families to provide concrete tips to manage the challenges and opportunities of
working with trauma-exposed adolescents. Chapters present trauma-informed
approaches to youth with aggression, suicide and self-injury, psychosis, and
school refusal; youth with physical or developmental disabilities or medical
comorbidities, those in juvenile justice or child welfare; teen parents; and
LGBTQ youth, among others.

Throughout the text, tables compare different
types of trauma therapies and provide information about how treatments might be
adapted to fit a specific teen or setting. Readers will also find "real life"
case vignettes and concrete, specific clinical pearls-even examples of language
to use-to demonstrate how to work effectively with difficult-to-engage teens
with complex symptoms and behaviors.

Written to be practical and
accessible for clinicians, social workers, pediatricians, school counselors, and
even parents, with the information, context, and strategies they need to help
the teen in front of them.