Despair Turned into Rage: Understanding and Helping Abused, Neglected, and Abandoned Youth
by Paul Lavin, Cynthia Park
Category: Medical

This book examines why so many young people in foster care appear angry and show disrespect toward authority. Such antisocial behavior has its roots in the despair that children feel when they are abused, neglected, or abandoned by their parents or other caregivers. The book emphasizes and focuses upon the early recognition and treatment of this depression, highlighting those interventions most likely to be effective in helping abused, neglected and abandoned youth. The methods discussed are specifically chosen because they are not only empirically based but also practical. Actual case material and relevant examples are incorporated throughout the text to assist a broad range of child care workers and lay volunteers. Interviewing techniques are described, as well as three intervention strategies: the Three Wishes, Living Alone on an Island, and Sentence Completion. (Contains 14 references.) (GCP)