"As many members of the mental health profession will attest, "challenging" youth have become one of the most difficult problems of our time, and one that will, unfortunately, be likely to grow in the 21st century. Despite this trend, there is a marked lack of material and research available to assist practitioners in finding practical, effective, and user-friendly models of intervention for working with this special population.".

"Working with Challenging Youth was written to address and fulfill these needs. It builds upon the author's years of experience working with challenging youth, and equally upon his extensive knowledge of the theoretical foundations of at-risk counseling and therapy techniques in general. As more practitioners make use of an eclectic therapeutic approach with at-risk youth, this book offers the tools to help them combine several different treatment methods in their work with this population.

Embracing this versatile approach, Dr. Richardson presents his readers with a framework based on six general principles that distinguish effective counselors from the rest."--BOOK JACKET.