Promotes an in-depth understanding of adolescent development that can be immediately applied to effective treatment
Adolescence is a distinct and complex stage of development, and successful interventions with this population require an in-depth understanding of the many forces affecting them. This is a practical, thorough, yet concise survey of adolescent development for early career professionals in psychology, mental health counseling, social work, marriage and family therapy, education, and nursing. Based on in-depth theoretical and empirical understanding of adolescent physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development, the text demonstrates how this knowledge can be applied immediately to treating adolescents in any setting. The only book of its kind, it is a welcome alternative to purely clinical books because its strategic focus is on understanding normal adolescent development and appreciating the crucial difference between adolescent developmental issues versus clinical issues. Comprehending this important difference is an integral aspect of successful interventions with adolescents.
The book provides an overview of historical perspectives, major theories and research, and current best practices in the profession. It addresses topics in adolescent development, with a particular emphasis on how physical, cognitive, and socioemotional developments interact in an integrative process. Particularly helpful features include a section in each chapter, "Adolescent Development in the Real World," which highlights interviews with professionals who, in their daily work, apply the concepts discussed in the text. The "In Their Own Words" feature provides interviews with adolescents from various gender and ethnic groups, providing first-person accounts of how specific issues are manifested in life. Other hallmarks of this text include easy-to-understand language, discussion-oriented critical thinking tasks, and suggestions for further reading. Readers will come away with a deep theoretical and empirical understanding of adolescent development, as well as how to apply and implement these concepts in any adolescent or adolescent-related mental health setting.
KEY FEATURES:
- Presents concise yet in-depth coverage of adolescent development with a focus on applying this knowledge in practice
- Facilitates a deep theoretical and empirical understanding of the key concepts in physical, cognitive, and socioemotional adolescent development
- Emphasizes the interaction of physical, cognitive, and socioemotional development
- Includes interviews with professionals who demonstrate how they apply the book's concepts in their work with adolescents
- Provides first-person accounts from adolescents from different cultural, ethnic, and sexual orientations
Autorentext
Dr. Avidan Milevsky, PhD, LCPC, is an Associate Professor of Developmental Psychology at Kutztown University (KU) of Pennsylvania and a psychotherapist at Wellspring Counseling in Towson, Maryland, where he specializes in adolescent issues.
Inhalt
Preface
Acknowledgments
Share Understanding Adolescents for Helping Professionals
1. Understanding Adolescent Development
What Is Development?
Why Do We Study Adolescent Development?
The Study of Adolescent Development: Past, Present, and Future
2. Adolescent Developmental Theories
Intrapsychic Theories
Cognitive Theories
Behavioral and Environmental Theories
Biological Theories
Integrative Theories
3. Research and Practice in Adolescent Development
The Importance of Research-Based Practice
The Research Method
Evaluating the Science and Ethics of Research
Careers in Adolescent Development
4. The Process of Puberty
The Beginning of Puberty
The Timing of Puberty
Off-Time Puberty
5. Body and Brain Development
External and Internal Physical Changes
The Brain
6. Health and Nutrition
Overall Health
Sleep
Diet and Nutrition
7. Cognition, Thinking, and School
Piaget's Formal Operational Stage
Thinking in Context
Educating Adolescents
8. Psychosocial Development
Interacting Forces
Understanding the Self
Identity
Emotions
9. The Social Network and the Modern World
Family
Friends and Enemies
Dating and Love
TV and the Media
Technology
Cyberbullying
10. Adolescent Problems
Externalizing Problems
Internalizing Problems
Book Summary
References
Index