Clinically, the treatment of substance abuse has relied on the Twelve Steps model, which is heavily focused on issues of spirituality. Adolescents may have cognitive and developmental issues that preclude them from taking advantage of the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) model. To this end, we examined the spiritual orientation and spiritual behaviors…

In the wake of a U.S. Justice Department investigation that found widespread use of excessive force by staff at upstate psychiatric care facilities for mentally ill children, this new edition of Child Welfare Watch identifies shortcomings in mental health services and explores possible solutions, including the expansion of alternatives to…

Shock incarceration facilities, or boot camp prisons, for young adults are being developed in city, county, state, and federal jurisdictions. This report focuses on one state's program. Two key components of this boot camp program include substance abuse education and a therapeutic approach which seeks to support successful reintegration of…

The author describes her experiences as principal of the Livingston School for Girls (New York City) which was created for delinquent adolescents suspended from regular schools. Using specific incidents and personal interpretations, the author discusses the policy and objectives of the school through descriptions of the girls themselves,…

This paper presents a series of modifications in technique and procedure in the general area of group therapy developed to meet the needs of a unique client group. The varied material brought together here are derived essentially from the study of a group of mothers formed by the leader in January 1971, after some two years of experience with a…

This issue of "Perceptions" contains an introductory article by guest editor Herbert Foster--"A Variety of Programs"--and seven articles describing programs for educating emotionally disturbed children in New York. "A Very Special Place" (Susan Kosberg and Bernie Kosberg) describes a therapeutic camping milieu located…