Instructor: Maria Astudillo, CSW-R
T6603:02
Wednesdays 6:10- 8:00pm	E-mail: [email protected].
Room: 603	Office Hours: By appointment
Best way of contacting me is by E-mail

 

Course Description:

Traditionally, adolescence was viewed as a tumultuous period of development in which significant stress was both universal and inevitable. Subsequent research and theory has challenged this original view and has sought to make clearer distinctions between normal and abnormal development. This course will examine the physical, psychological, cognitive, social and familial developmental changes that occur during adolescence. The course will also include an examination of the developmental tasks of adolescence and how they are achieved. A framework for the assessment of normal and problematic development in each of these areas and an overview of treatment and intervention strategies for these problems will be provided.

Although this is not a practice course, a major focus of the course will be to help students to integrate theory about adolescent development with practice experience.

The class will be part lecture, we will watch movies as they apply to the topic being discussed and we will do role playing and hands-in exercises to put into practice what we are learning.

Course Objectives:

To provide students with:

1. An understanding of the ways in which theories about adolescent development have evolved and changed over time.
2. An understanding of how adolescent development is conceptualized from a variety of theoretical perspectives, including psycho-dynamic, cognitive-behavioral, ecological and family systems.
3. An understanding of how adolescents negotiate the multiple developmental changes and developmental tasks of early, middle and late adolescence.
4. A framework for the assessment of normal and problematic adolescent development and behavior in the context of familial and environmental systems with particular attention to differences and variations related to culture, ethnicity and gender.
5. An understanding of the ways in which "risk" and "protective" factors impact on adolescent development to encourage or mitigate risk behaviors.
6. A framework for assessment of the major mental health and behavioral aspects of adolescence, with an emphasis on: depression, school problems, "acting out" behaviors, drug and alcohol problems, eating disorders, borderline, post-traumatic stress and psychotic disorders.
7. An overview of treatment and intervention strategies related to the problem areas studied.

Course Requirements:

1. Attendance and class participation: Students are expected to participate and to be punctual.
2. Students are expected to read required readings prior to class and are encouraged to bring in questions related to the assigned readings. This will provide a forum for class discussions, analyses and critiques of assigned readings.
3. Written assignments: There will be two class assignments.

The final grade will be based on:

30% Mid-term paper
40% Final paper
30% Class participation includes bringing in appropriate questions, meaningful participation, punctual attendance and consistent class attendance. Missing more than two classes may affect your grade.

Both papers are expected to be clear, concise and cohesive. They should demonstrate ability to critique and analyze the literature and ability to integrate theoretical material with practice observations. All written assignments should follow the APA (American Psychological Association) guidelines. This course and its Instructor adhere to the University and School policies as stated in the CUSSW Student Handbook and the CUSSW bulletin.

The required text is available in the University Bookstore.

• Steiner, H. (1996). Treating Adolescents. San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass.

Recommended texts:

• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition Revised.
• Gil, E. (1996). Treating Abused Adolescents. New York: Guilford Press

Mid-term Paper Due: October 17, 2001
Length: 5 to 8 pages. Not longer than 8 pages.
Conduct an in-depth psychosocial assessment of an adolescent with whom you are working in your placement. Use bio-psychosocial outline handed in class to guide you.

If you are not working with an adolescent, or do not have access to one watch the following movie: The basketball diaries OR read the following book: When I was Puerto Rican.

Support your assessment by using concepts and theoretical connections that you have learned from the course and from your readings thus far. What concepts or theories regarding adolescent development help explain or enhance your understanding of the adolescent’s development/behavior.

In the assessment you should address the following areas:

1. Briefly describe the setting in which you know the adolescent and referral information.
2. Identify the presenting problem(s) as reported by patient, referral source, parent, and as assessed by you.
3. Give a brief family history, composition and any significant developmental problems that the adolescent has experienced and may be impacting his current functioning.
4. Identify the stage of development the adolescent is at (early, middle late adolescence)
5. What are the developmental tasks the adolescent is mastering and/or struggling with?
6. Describe the physical, cognitive, emotional, psychological, interpersonal and familial changes the adolescent is experiencing.
7. How is he/she functioning at school? At home? With peers? Is he/she using substances? Is he/she sexually active?
8. How is the adolescent’s family and other environmental systems (school, peers, other support systems) responding to his/her development? In what ways is the family and these other systems supporting or impeding the adolescent’s development?
9. What are the specific issues related to gender, culture, and class that impact on the adolescent’s situation?
10. What are the adolescent’s strengths, capacities and potential? What are the areas of difficulty, need, and deficit?
11. What are the risks and protective factors for the adolescent within his/her environment?
12. Describe the adolescent’s mental status ( use class handout as a guideline)
13. How would you assess the adolescent’s functioning? Normal or problematic? Why? In what ways is his/her behavior age appropriate?
14. What are your initial feelings and thoughts about working with this client?

The purpose of this assignment is to study a mental health or social problem of adolescence in depth.

Choose a mental health or social problem of adolescence that has been covered in class or one that you are interested in that has not been covered extensively in class. Select a specific group or aspect of the problem e.g. depression in adolescent girls.

The assignment should include:

1. A critical examination of the literature (at least 5-6 research articles from the past 10years).
2. Integration of the theoretical literature with your current or past practice experience (clinical, programmatic or policy perspective).
3. Provide a brief description of the prevalence and significance of the problem. This should include demographic data regarding the scope of the problem and the population affected. Do not forget the impact of race, socio-economic status and gender.
4. Discuss the ways in which the problem affects adolescents by addressing the specific developmental issues and tasks that are impacted by the problem. This should also include the effects of and implications on the family system, and on the adolescent in relation to other environmental/social systems.
5. Imagine that you were given a grant of $100.000 to develop a program that would combat this social problem, what kind of services would you offer? Think of innovative ways that you could use to engage the adolescents and to treat them. Where would you provide the services? Why? What treatment modalities would you use why?

Session 1 - September 5

Muuss, R. (1962). Theories of Adolescence, 6^th edition. 42-57

Session 3 - September 19

Gilligan, C., Rogers, A., & Tollman, D. (Eds.) (1991) Women, girls and psychotherapy: Reframing resistance. New York: The Harrington Park Press. pp 5-31

Kindlon, D., & Thompson, M. (1999) Raising Cain: Protecting the emotional life of boys. New York: Ballantine Books. Chapters 4 and 10.

Session 4 - September 26

Lockahart, L.L. & Wodarski, J.S. (1990). Teenage pregnancy: Implications for social work practice. Family Therapy, XVII, 29-42.

Session 5 - October 3

Session 6 - October 10

Session 7 - October 17

Garcia-Preto, N. (1988) Transformation of the family system during adolescence. In B.Carter & M. McGoldrick (Eds.), The Changing Family Life Cycle: A Framework for Family Therapy. New York: Gardner Press, chapter 12.

Session 8 - October 24

Zayas, L., et al. (2000). Understanding suicide attempts by adolescent Hispanic females. Social Work, 45, 53-63.

Session 9 - October 31

Gil, E. (1996) Treating Abused Adolescents New York: Guilford Press, Chapters 3 and 4

Session 10 - November 7

Steiner, H. Treating Adolescents. Chapter 6.

Session 11 - November 14

For this session make an effort to watch the movie "The Basketball Diaries"

Session12 - November 21

Guest Speaker: Cheryl Williams, Ph.D
School Problems: Drop outs/ Learning Disabilities

Session13 - November 28

Guest Speaker: Alison Hammonds, CSW
Acting - Out Behaviors / Delinquency
Conduct Disorder/ Oppositional Defiant Behaviors

Guterman, N. & Cameron, M. (1997). Assessing the impact of community violence on children and youth. Social Work, 42, 495-505.

Steiner, H. Treating Adolescents. Chapter 2

Session 14 - December 5

Steiner, H. Treating Adolescents. Chapter 8

Suyemoto, K.L., & MacDonald, M.L. (1995) Self-cutting in female adolescents. Psychotherapy, 32, 162-171

Have a great holiday !!!!!!!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

RECOMMENDED MOVIES

1. Heavenly creatures
2. My life as a dog
3. Spank the monkey
4. Boyz-n- the hood
5. Mi vida loca
6. Stand by me
7. Ordinary people
8. Just another girl in the IRT
9. Dead poet’s society
10. My private Idaho
11. Girl interrupted
12. The basketball diaries
13. Say anything
14. The breakfast club
15. Some kind of wonderful
16. The true adventures of two girls in love
17. Boys don’t cry
18. Kids
19. The revenge of the nerds
20. Anywhere but here
21. Something about Amelia

1. Push (Sapphire)
2. When I was Puerto Rican (Esmeralda Santiago)
3. Almost a woman (Esmeralda Santiago)
4. Down these mean streets (Piri Thomas)
5. How the Garcia girls lost their accent ( Julia Alvarez)
6. The catcher in the rye (J.D. Salinger)
7. The color purple (Alice Walker)
8. The bluest eye (Toni Morrison )
9. The prince of tides (Pat Conroy)
10. The basketball diaries (James Carroll)
11. The Cocaine Kids (Terry Williams / ethnographic study)
12. She’s come undone (Wally Lamb)
13. Go ask Alice
14. White Orleander (Janet Fitch)
15. Rule of the Bone (Russell Banks)
16. I know why the caged bird sings (Maya Angelou)

Aiello, T. (1999). Child and Adolescent Treatment for Social Work Practice: A relational perspective for beginning clinicians. New York: The Free Press.

Alan Guttmacher Institute. (1994). Sex and America’s Teenagers. New York

Blos, P. (1962). On Adolescence: A psychoanalytic Interpretation. New York: The Free Press

Bruch, H. (1973) Eating Disorders: Obesity, Anorexia Nervosa and the Person Within. New York: Basic Books.

Conterio, K., & Lader, W. (1998) Bodily Harm. New York: Hyperion

Elkind, D. (1998) All Grown Up and No Place to Go. New York: Perseus Book

Falicov, C.J. (1998) Latino Families in Therapy. New York: The Guilford Press

Finkelhorn, D. (1995) The victimization of children: A developmental perspective. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 65(2), 177-193

Garbarino, J. (1999). Lost Boys; Why our sons turn violent and how we can save them. NY: The Free Press.

Garrod, A., Smulyan, L., Powers, S., & Kilkenny, R. (1992). Adolescent Portraits: Identity, Relationships and Challenges. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Gibbs, J.T., & Huang, L.N. 91998) Children of Color: Psychological interventions with culturally diverse youth. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Gil, E. (1996) Treating Abused Adolescents. New York: Guilford Press

Gilligan, C. (1982). In a Different Voice: Psychological theory and women’s development Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press

Gilligan, C., Rogers, A.G., & Tolman, D.L. (Eds) (1991). Women, Girls & Psychotherapy; reframing resistance. Binghamton, NY: The Harrington Park Press

Greenspan, S., & Pollock, G. Eds. (1991). The Course of Life: Adolescence, vol. VI. Madison, CT: International Universities Press.

Herman, J. (1992) Trauma and Recovery. New York: Basic Books

Hornbacher, M. (1998) Wasted: A memoir of anorexia and bulimia. New York: Harper Collins

Jenson, J.M., & Howward, M.O. (1999) Youth Violence: Current research and recent practice innovations. Washington, DC: NASW Press

Johnson, N.E., Roberts, M.C., & Worrell, J. (1999) Beyond Appearance: A new look at adolescent girls. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Kaplan, L. (1984) Adolescence: The Farewell to Childhood New York: Simon and Schuster.

Levenkron, S. (1998) Cutting: Understanding and overcoming self-mutilation. New York: W.W.Norton

Levy-Warren, M. (1996) The Adolescent Journey: Development, identity formation and psychotherapy. New Jersey: Jason Aronson, Inc.

Malekoff, A. (1997) Group Work with Adolescents: Principles and practice. New York: The Guilford Press.

Micucci, J.A. (1998) The adolescent in family therapy. New York: The Guilford Press

Mishne. J. (1986). Clinical Work with Adolescents. New York: The Free Press.

Musik, J.S. (1993) Young, Poor and Pregnant: The psychology of teenage motherhood. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Phiper, M. (1994) Reviving Ophelia: Saving the selves of adolescent girls. New York: Ballantine Books.

Ponton, L.E. (1997) The Romance of Risk: Why teenagers do the things they do. New York: Basic Books.

Price, J. (1996). Power & Compassion: Working with difficult adolescents and abused parents. New York: Guilford Press

Sugar, M. (1993). Female Adolescent Development (2^nd edition) New York: Brunner Mazel.

Tatum, B.D (1997) "Why are all the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria?" and other conversations about race. New York: Basic Books

Wilkes, T., Belsher, G., Rush, A., & Frank, E. (1994). Cognitive Therapy for Depressed Adolescents. New York: The Guilford Press.

Journals of interest

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

American Psychologist

Families in Society

Child Maltreatment

Youth and Society

Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal

Journal of Adolescent Health

Clinical Social Work Journal

Adolescence

Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences

Social Work

Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic

Child Abuse and Neglect

Child Welfare

Journal of Youth and Adolescence

Journal of Child and Adolescent Group Therapy