Group Work with Adolescents, Third Edition

Andrew Malekoff, MSW, LCSW, CASAC, until his death in 2024, was Executive Director and CEO Emeritus of the North Shore Child and Family Guidance Center in Roslyn Heights, New York. Mr. Malekoff served as Editor-in-Chief (2005–2023) of Social Work with Groups: A Journal of Community and Clinical Practice, taught as an adjunct professor at the Adelphi and New York University Schools of Social Work, and served as a board member for the International Association for Social Work with Groups. He was named Social Work Community Practitioner of the Year by the New York State Social Work Education Association. Widely published, Mr. Malekoff presented his work and facilitated workshops across the United States and Canada.

• I. The Adolescent in Context1. Adolescent Development, Risk, and Opportunity2. Essentials for Group Work with Adolescents: Staying in the MessII. Guidelines for Group Building3. Strengths-Based Group Work with Adolescents4. Planning in Group Work: Where We Begin5. Good Beginnings in Group Work: Socializing Adolescents into the Group Culture6. What’s Going On in There?: Forming Alliances with Parents Whose Adolescent Children Join Groups7. School-Based Group Work with Adolescents: A View from the Inside Out8. Problem Solving in Group Work9. The Purposeful Use of Activities in Group Work: Innovative, Expressive, and Mindful Approaches10. The Ending Transition in Group WorkIII. Contemporary and Age-Old Themes in Group Work: Guidelines, Applications, and Practice Illustrations11. Addressing Racial and Ethnic Diversity through Group Work12. Violence and Youth: Dimensions and Interventions in Group Work13. Group Work in the Aftermath of Traumatic Events14. Adolescent Sexuality and Group Work15. Group Work as a Counterforce to Alcohol and Other Drug AbuseIV. Special Challenges for Group Workers16. The Struggle to Fit In17. On Becoming a Reflective Group WorkerÂ

This book is a leading resource for anyone working with adolescents in groups. Providing comprehensive coverage of important clinical issues, with illustrative practice examples drawn from the author's in-depth experience, the book is really helpful for students preparing to practice in this area.--Ronald W. Toseland, MSW, PhD, School of Social Welfare, University at Albany, State University of New YorkReadable, engaging, and thoroughly grounded in theory and experience, this clear, practical text is presented in a straightforward yet thought-provoking manner. Group Work with Adolescents is one of those rare texts that students will enjoy reading! The third edition contains important contemporary content on adolescent brain development, the use of newer group work interventions such as mindfulness and animal-assisted therapy, and the important role of social media in the life of today's adolescent.--Shirley R. Simon, MSW, LCSW, School of Social Work, Loyola University ChicagoA very welcome addition to the literature. Malekoff identifies the assets and challenges that young people experience in contemporary society and offers group work as a current and apt approach to address them. Groups are justly presented as safe spaces for adolescents to celebrate cultural diversity in all its forms--in terms of sexual orientation, ability status, gender, and race and ethnicity--and to become engaged in their own healing and the transformation of their environments. The third edition comes alive through up-to-date research findings, discussions of alternative group modalities, and new case studies. The content is fresh and highly relevant for practitioners and students.--Flavio F. Marsiglia, PhD, Distinguished Foundation Professor of Cultural Diversity and Health, School of Social Work, Arizona State UniversityWriting with eloquence, artistry and heart, Malekoff takes the mystique out of group work. This is the best book I have read about how to engage and build trusting relationships with adolescents. The third edition masterfully describes how to integrate mindfulness into group work, among other new topics. It is perfect for new practitioners and will rekindle the creativity of those with extensive experience. Malekoff brings practice to life in this book.--Ariel Allena Botta, MSW, LICSW, Director of Group Psychotherapy, Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children's HospitalI currently use Group Work with Adolescents in my undergraduate as well as graduate-level classes that address planning strategies, growth and development, and programming when working with youth. Malekoff does a wonderful job of synthesizing the goals of youth workers with the uniqueness of adolescent life. He has developed ideas and concepts that students who have graduated from our program use in their daily work.--Christopher Kowalski, EdD, Division of Leisure, Youth, and Human Services, University of Northern IowaMalekoff speaks directly to the adolescent group worker who is willing to push back against the assumption that life is simple and teenagers are complicated. He recounts the truth about what it is like to give yourself over to a group of teenagers, ingeniously describing the combination of dynamic energy (chaos and mess), interpersonal banter, and creativity (poetry, music, dancing) that actually takes place when you leave your ego at the door. Page after page, Andy walks the walk and keeps it real. Each chapter provides a combination of inspiration, understanding, and creative possibilities--just what adolescent group workers need.--Katrina Skewes McFerran, PhD, Head of Music Therapy, University of Melbourne, Australia-