Basic Psychological Skills for Front-line Staff of Residential Youth Facilities

Bringing about meaningful change in the lives of young people in residential care programs requires that staff members use key psychological skills and abilities, including goal setting, communication, problem solving, behavior modification, suicide prevention, and stress management. This text skillfully addresses these fundamental capabilities. Chapter 1 examines a frequently encountered condition, learned helplessness, then discusses the issue of setting goals. Chapter 2 focuses on communication, with emphasis on listening skills and on the development of positive relationships. Chapter 3 describes problem solving from three perspectives: helping a resident to confront an issue, facilitating small group problem solving, and supervising large group discussions. Chapter 4 gives a user-friendly presentation of behavior modification. Chapter 5 reviews methods for assessing suicide lethality and intervening with suicidal residents. And the final chapter provides several effective methods of coping with stress. This most useful book is a fundamental resource for new and veteran staff of residential youth facilities as well as a practical text for college courses that prepare students for work in these organizations. In addition, it serves as a primer for those who serve internships or do volunteer work in such programs.