Intervening in Adolescent Problem Behavior

This book presents a multilevel intervention and prevention program for at-risk adolescents and their families. Grounded in over 15 years of important clinical and developmental research, the Adolescent Transitions Program (ATP) has been nationally recognized as a best practice for strengthening families and reducing adolescent substance use and antisocial behavior. The major focus is to support parents' skills and motivation to reduce adolescent problem behavior and promote success. Spelling out the why, what, and how of this proactive, culturally informed intervention, the volume provides a solid scientific framework and all of the materials needed to implement the program in school or community settings. Included are illustrative case examples and an appendix featuring reproducible handouts and forms.

Thomas J. Dishion, PhD, until his death in 2018, was Regents Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University and Senior Scientist at the Oregon Research Institute. Previously, he was Professor of Clinical Psychology and Director of Research at the Child and Family Center at the University of Oregon. A leader in the field of developmental psychopathology, he developed the Family Check-Up program for at-risk families with young children. Dr. Dishion has received honors including the Prevention Science Award from the Society for Prevention Science and the 2019 Urie Bronfenbrenner Award for Lifetime Contribution to Developmental Psychology in the Service of Science and Society from the Developmental Psychology division of the American Psychological Association.
Kate Kavanagh, PhD, is a research associate at the Child and Family Center, University of Oregon-Portland, and a consultant to the Portland Public School District's prevention office.

"Over the past 20 years, Dishion and Kavanagh have made many major contributions to our understanding of the development of antisocial behavior in adolescents. This much-anticipated volume details, with great clarity, an extremely well-conceived array of clinical interventions for such youth. This volume will be of great practical value to practitioners within the fields of social work, psychology, and psychiatry."--Scott W. Henggeler, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina
"This volume represents a second-generation approach to using parent management training to treat children with conduct disorders and their families. The bold and innovative interventions described here form the first step toward integration of home- and school-based empirically grounded treatments. This is a tremendous effort that helps move the field toward interventions that include parents, teachers, and clinicians working toward shared goals."--Gerald R. Patterson, PhD, Oregon Social Learning Center
"Dishion and Kavanagh have written a terrific book detailing their family intervention model. Their approach to adolescent problem behavior is systematic, flexible, and well justified. This evidence-supported intervention is the state of the art in prevention, providing multilevel strategies to match the needs of specific young people and families."--Ron Prinz, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina