After a crisis intervention has passed, what use can be made of that challenging event? This article introduces the concept of Postvention which involves debriefing following critical events to gain a deeper understanding of a young person.

"Red Flag Interventions" address problems which are imported from elsewhere and acted out towards persons who are in effect innocent bystanders. This is commonly seen as students "carry in" problems from the home or street to school, or they "carry over" conflicts from one class to the next. A third variation of Red Flag intervention is when a…

When presented with the words self-esteem, it is most common in our society to immediately think of girls. It is not often that people ponder the effects of body image, athleticism, success, or even friendships for boys. Unfortunately in overlooking these concepts, we are doing a disservice to our male youth. This article addresses the effects of…

The school shootings of October 2006 arrested the world's attention. The contrast of innocence and violence, the mystery of the shooters' motivations, the fact that there were five school shooting in six weeks--all of these were factors, but none can compare to the strength of the families who chose to forgive and their witness under fire. Through…

This article begins a regular series on how brain research can help us understand young people and ourselves as well. The intent is to alert the reader to important information from recent research on the brain. This initial installment explores the concept of the triune brain, a term coined by neuroscientist Paul MacLean. This refers to three…

A Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) is mandated when schools deal with students presenting problems that lead to suspension or exclusion. The authors present a strength-based model for FBAs developed in a New York school for students with emotional and behavior problems. The Circle of Courage needs for Belonging, Mastery, Independence, and…

A social worker and a psychologist, working with troubled youth in a day treatment setting, describe unique ways to use the concepts of Positive Peer Culture (PPC) to facilitate groups from the elementary to high school levels. The authors have adapted the well-known PPC concepts and incorporated them into their strength-based program, SPLASH, to…

Few children can control adult emotions more effectively than passive-aggressive youngsters. Their passive lack of compliance can incite even trained professionals to employ ineffective punitive responses. These responses confirm for the child the unreasonable and hurtful nature of adults. In this Life Space Crisis Intervention, the child makes a…

The effects of trauma can roll on unchecked like a spirit of death. In its path are strewn its once vibrant victims. Human bonds are rent asunder by the disgrace of trauma. These are the youngsters who have been verbally bashed, physically battered, sexually assaulted, and spiritually exploited. Other traumas of childhood neglect include: (1)…

When interventions with youth are not successful, it is easy to point fingers of blame. Professionals may see parents as uninvolved while parents feel unsupported. Such polarization leads to adversarial relationships that undermine parenting, education, and treatment. This article considers common defensive reactions of parents and professionals…

Much resilience research highlights protective factors that prevent risk. Here the author focuses on resilience as the ability to recover from psychological harm. The strength-based view sees resilience as a transformational experience. One applicant of this approach is the Phoenix Intervention Program for Children (PIPC) which combines concepts…

Cognitive interventions have been shown to promote learning and confront behavioral challenges among youth. Many programs report to reduce violence and aggression among youth. Positive interventions with a solid evidence base offer the most promising strategies to address behavioral problems with youth. Six model evidence-based interventions…

Teaching children and adolescents to recognize how they feel when they are angry and what pushes their buttons enables them to make better choices about how they express their anger. They learn that staying cool gives them the power to create more positive outcomes for potentially negative encounters. Through self-assessment and role-plays, they…

Teachers and other school staff are overwhelmed with myriad concerns. As a result, many view positive youth development as just "one more thing" to add to an already full plate. This article assists educators in understanding how positive youth development (PYD) is inherent in good educational practice, and does not have to be one more thing.…

This article is about the most worrisome and challenging of youth, the angriest and most delinquent, the ones who get into frequent fights, often with weapons, and brag about it. More often boys than girls, they are likely to be gang affiliated and to abuse drugs and alcohol. It helps to learn what is known about how they become kids that people…