Youth Comprehensive Risk Assessment

A Clinically Tested Approach for Helping Professionals

Kenneth M. Coll

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• Topic: Psychology
• eBook ISBN:
  9781317369608
• Subtopic: Mental Health in Psychology
• Index: Psychology

Youth Comprehensive Risk Assessment: A Clinically Tested Approach for Helping Professionals presents a complete youth risk assessment and treatment program based on Dr. Ken Coll's 20 plus years of research on assessing and treating at-risk youth. In this book, helping professionals will find not only a wide range of succinct and easy-to-use assessments, but also proven helpful, highly specific approaches and treatment strategies. Case studies and intervention techniques show professionals—from therapists and social workers to teachers and nurses—how they can help struggling youth find motivation to work on their concerns. This book also offers professionals a menu of assessment surveys and action strategies so that they can develop a plan that best fits the needs of particular youth and their families.

PART I

THE COMPONENTS

1

RISK, RESILIENCY, AND ASSET BUILDING

Key Learning Concepts

• Risk

• Resiliency

• Application of the Asset Checklist (key YCRA component)

• Commonly reported high and low assets

• Strategies and interventions that work

• An example of a school-based asset intervention

Jason is a gawky and talkative 16-year-old with tremendous obstacles to deal with. He has had one recent suicide attempt, and he was just charged with assault for fighting. He is currently a grade behind in school and has frequent angry outbursts. He began drinking and smoking marijuana at age 13. He has been living with his grandmother for the last four years. His father is in prison and he has had no contact with his mother for the last 10 years.

These facts about Jason sound pretty grim, don’t they? All too often we stop here and try to help as best we can, focusing on decreasing these behaviors. However, with that approach, we are missing a great deal on painting the overall picture of who Jason is, which is an essential component of understanding what he needs and what the best approach is to work with him.

Jason turns out to be a gifted athlete, excelling in soccer and football. In spite of being a year behind in school, his teachers have noticed his genuine talents and interest in science. He makes friends easily and is a loyal friend back. It pains him to think his behavior has disappointed and hurt his grandmother, someone he cares deeply about, and she for him.

It is true that we often focus on the problems, the deficits. But aren’t a youth’s strengths more important? Isn’t the more balanced question, how do we help Jason grow his strengths and reduce his obstacles, self-imposed or otherwise?

Risk and Resiliency

Risk

We know a great deal about the factors that contribute to risky behaviors in adolescence. The research literature (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Council, 2010; Duke, Borowsky, Pettingell, & McMorris, 2011; Subramaniam, Lewis, Stitzer, & Fishman, 2004) consistently reports the following factors:

• high levels of alcohol and other drug (AOD) abuse

• lack of parent–child closeness

• family conflict

• beliefs and attitudes favorable to criminality

• early childhood aggressiveness, antisocial behavior, and poor peer acceptance.

Additionally, we know that high-risk behavior in adolescents has long been associated with certain societal ills (Huizinga, Loeber, Thornberry, & Cothern, 2000; Hawkins et al., 2000), such as:

• lower socioeconomic status (i.e., poverty)

• easy access to alcohol and other drugs and family splintering

• co-occurring AOD abuse and mental health problems.

Common clinical practice is to provide broad-based problem-focused assessment, with heavy reliance on clinical judgment without any room for what youths and their families perceive as their assets or strengths.

Resiliency

In fact, like Jason, despite extremely debilitating environmental, family, and personal experiences, many young people can develop impressive and reliant personal strengths. Indeed, a typical “troubled” adolescent like Jason often shows remarkable signs of what is called “resiliency,” defined as a sustaining competence under stress and an ability to adapt and function with success despite chronic stress and adversity (McWhirter, McWhirter, McWhirter, & McWhirter, 2007).

So using the metaphor of a see saw, an often missed truism is that if we can intervene on the strengths’ side—help a youth increase personal resilience or assets—we will also markedly help reduce risk factors.

The Wonderful World of Assets

Let’s now work with Jason to assess his assets per the Search Institute’s Asset Checklist, a thoroughly researched assessment tool that provides much evidence and proof that the more assets one can have, the more functional and successful one will be.

An Asset Checklist

www.search-institute.org. All rights reserved.

The list of 40 Developmental Assets® is reprinted with permission from Search Institute®. Copyright © 1997, 2006 Search Institute, 615 First Avenue NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413; 800-888-7828; www.search-institute.org. The list may be reproduced for educational, noncommercial uses only. All Rights Reserved. The following are registered trademarks of Search Institute: Search Institute®, Developmental Assets®, and Healthy Communities • Healthy Youth®.

Many people find it helpful to use a simple checklist to reflect on the assets young people experience. This checklist simplifies a youth’s strengths to help prompt conversation and ideas. NOTE: This checklist is neither intended nor appropriate as a scientific or accurate measurement of developmental assets.

Jason: Answer each question with T (True) or F (False)

EXTERNAL ASSETS
Support
T	F
X	___	1. I receive high levels of support from family members.
X	___	2. I can go to my parent(s) or guardian(s) for advice and support and have frequent, in- depth conversations with them.
___	___	3. I know some non- parent adults I can go to for advice and support.
___	___	4. My neighbors encourage and support me.
___	___	5. My school provides a caring, encouraging environment.
___	___	6. My parent(s) or guardian(s) help me succeed in school.
Empowerment
T	F
___	___	7. I feel valued by adults in my community.
___	___	8. I am given useful roles in my community.
___	_...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Part I The Components
• Part II Trajectory and Maturation
• Part III Contextual Issues
• Index