This is the first comprehensive text to focus on youth emerging from care, offering a new theoretical framework to guide students, practitioners, administrators, and policymakers. The book features case vignettes, recommendations for practice and programs, and a multidimensional perspective on the effects of maltreatment on development, and common mental health disorders and treatment.

• Introduction


• Part I. Setting the Stage


• Chapter 1. The Child Welfare System as Context


• Chapter 2. Theoretical Perspectives


• Part II. Development


• Chapter 3. Neurobiology and Development


• Chapter 4. The Importance of Early Attachments


• Chapter 5. Adolescent Development in Foster Care


• Part III. Mental Health


• Chapter 6. Anxiety, Trauma, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorders


• Chapter 7. Mood Disorders and Self Harm


• Chapter 8. Substance Abuse


• Chapter 9. Mental Health Dimensions of Delinquency


• Part IV. Program Considerations


• Chapter 10. Populations Needing Special Attention


• Chapter 11. The Transition to Adulthood: Education, Employment, and Relationships


• Chapter 12. Transitional Living Programs: Best Practices


• Part V. Future Directions


• Chapter 13. Policy Implications and Directions for Future Research

Wendy B. Smith, PhD, is Director of Instructional Enhancement and Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California School of Social Work.