A student in crisis often signifies a family in crisis. When this is the case, school personnel can most effectively help the student by working with the whole family. Although school counselors are constrained by time considerations and a limited scope of responsibility, many times they are the first helping professionals to know there is a problem and they are often the only mental health workers who will come into contact with these families. This volume is written specifically for school personnel. It takes into account the constraints of work in the schools and presents a flexible, time-limited approach for assessing and intervening with families in crisis.

The book opens with a discussion of the family from a systems point of view. Functions within the family system that can precipitate a crisis as well as those that can successfully help resolve or manage a crisis are examined. To illustrate the inner workings of the family system, accessible charts and drawings are provided that can be used as tools for assessment. To help counselors tailor their intervention to the particular crisis presented, specific information is provided on families who are dealing with suicide, violence, chemical dependency, and sexual identity issues.

The intervention strategies described in WORKING WITH FAMILIES IN CRISIS focus on education and problem solving and are based on crisis intervention theory. Divided into twelve stages of intervention, each stage is described in step-by-step detail. The twelve stages may be incorporated into one session or spread over several sessions permitting the flexibility school counselors need. The book's appendix provides an abbreviated form of each intervention stage and is ideal as a quick reference.

Providing a practical and easy-to-implement approach that can be provided within the time constraints and level of involvement school personnel are afforded, WORKING WITH FAMILIES IN CRISIS is an invaluable guide and reference for all helping professionals who work in the school system.