Group Interventions in Schools: Promoting Mental Health for At-Risk Children and Youth

Children who are labeled at-risk often suffer from severe deficiencies in cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills that, if unaddressed, may lead to limited prospects for future success and well-being. Tapping into the therapeutic potential of groups, this volume presents the theory and practice of cognitive-oriented group-centered counseling – combining intrinsic motivation, efficacy retraining, and targeted play therapy and social role-playing – that can be implemented to help children build core social skills and emotional regulation to complement their classroom instruction. In addition to providing a complete framework for developing, facilitating, and evaluating group interventions with children in their natural learning environments, Group Interventions in Schools: Offers observational exercises to assist readers in gaining a deeper understanding of how group interventions work; Provides both the theory and research that supports real-world group-based motivational interventions; Explains how and why group-centered interventions support children’s psychological adjustment and bolster their academic achievement; Analyzes how efficacy retraining works, specifically in changing the child’s cognitive and academic motivations and perceptions; Features instructive case examples and proven, ready-to-use group-focused interventions that can be readily applied or adapted to specific situations; Shows how therapeutic gains translate into improved classroom performance. Written primarily for school-based psychologists, counselors, and other school mental health personnel, this volume provides a solid foundation for those new to the field as well as a creative boost for group specialists. Other education professionals and mental health clinicians working with children and adolescents will find much of practical value here. Its accessible style makes the book worthwhile as a training text.

Table of Contents:
Erasing Failure with School-Based Prevention Programs.- Skill-Building Efficacy Retraining.- Motivation: Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic.- Group Process and Change.- Selecting Effective Interventions.- A One-Week Group-Centered Motivational Intervention Program.- Designing Group-Centered Motivational Interventions.- Creating Cohesive Group Interventions.- Implementing and Evaluating Your Program: The Long-Term Goal.

About the Author :
Elaine Clanton Harpine, Ph.D., is a motivational psychologist specializing in group counseling and motivational program design. She has 34 years of experience designing and conducting motivational programs for children and youth. Dr. Clanton Harpine earned her doctorate in Educational Psychology, Counseling from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Clanton Harpine has published eight nonfiction books, including No Experience Necessary! which received an Award of Excellence in 1995 and was selected as one of the top five children’s books in its class. Other published children’s writings include a two volume series entitled, Come Follow Me, in 2001, a three-volume family series completed in 2003, and numerous articles for teenagers on peer pressure, coping with failure, alcohol abuse, parents, and suicide. Dr. Clanton Harpine has been interviewed on local early morning TV and radio concerning her workshop "Communication for Married Couples" and has been interviewed on local university radio concerning her work with inner-city at-risk readers. Her research for the past five years has focused on using group-centered motivational interventions with at-risk readers in a motivational efficacy retraining program. Dr. Clanton Harpine designed the motivational reading program called, Camp Sharigan, which she has used extensively in her work and research during the past five years. She is currently teaching Group Therapy and Counseling and Human Growth and Development at the University of South Carolina Aiken and is continuing her research with group-centered interventions and at-risk readers. She was selected for inclusion in Who’s Who of American Women, 2006 and 2007, for her work with children in inner-city neighborhoods.

Review :
From the reviews: "This book is a good primer and resource for school-based professionals interested in providing group-centered interventions in the school setting … . the reader is provided with observational exercises and ready-to-use interventions at the end of every chapter of the book. … this book offers practitioners useful information that may be used to intervene with children and adolescents in a school-based group format. … This book is a useful resource to have in one’s cache of intervention resources." (Angela D. Mitchell, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 54 (1), January, 2009)