Book Review—Counseling Boys and Young Men

The first section of the book, Understanding and Promoting Healthy Development, focuses on the developmental issues affecting males from birth to adulthood. Although the authors briefly mention females in the section, males and their distinctiveness are further explored and explained. Males tend to benefit from therapeutic modalities catered towards action and activity. Furthermore, creating a supportive therapeutic milieu and avoiding interventions detrimental to the client’s progress, is integral. As part of the focus on developmental issues, the book discusses the intellectual range within the male population, from the gifted to persons with learning disabilities.  Indubitably, understanding the nuances of the male species provides a greater opportunity to encourage boys and young men towards therapeutic goals.

Seemingly, dyadic relationships are significant in the development of young men. Relationship Development and Relationship Concerns, the second section of the book, examines the complexities of young males’ interpersonal relationships. Family dynamics, romantic involvement, and sexual identity are the topics discussed in the aforementioned section. Accordingly, the authors elucidate the varying degrees of relationship issues and provide practical techniques for assisting males with these issues.

Emotional and Mental Health Concerns and Behavior Disorders and Concerns, the final sections of the text, outline the pervasiveness of mental health issues and the affects of conduct related behavioral disorders among young males. Presumably, young men tend to be commonly diagnosed with inattentive and conduct related disorders. Despite the apparent ubiquitous nature of specific disorders affecting young males, the authors assert specific treatment modalities may alleviate the therapeutic process. Moreover, environmental aspects of an individual’s life are certainly contributory factors to potential disorders. Thus, exploring ancillary aspects of young males’ lives is imperative in examining potential treatment avenues.

Counseling Boys and Young Men provides a plethora of information and counseling techniques essential to the continued development of young men. The counseling nomenclature is accurate and serves as a point of reference for novice and experienced counselors alike. The book offers a chapter on adolescent diversity; however, multicultural issues and the significance of distinctiveness could be further explored. The text serves as a noteworthy manual addressing the myriad of issues affecting young males in today’s society.

Degges-White, S., & Colon, B. (2012). Counseling Boys and Young Men. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company. 

Reviewed by: Jadarius Jackson, graduate student, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, North Carolina.

The Professional Counselor Journal

HOME PAGE

Video Review — Leading Groups with Adolescents

The Leading Groups with Adolescents video presents a fishbowl view of an actual psychoeducational group. The presenters carefully outline each highly structured step in the process and then proceed to facilitate each step before the camera where viewers are vicariously drawn into the process. At times, due to the actual believability  of the group experience, I forgot I was a passive observer and not a member.

The participants are not actors– probably second-semester sophomores, who were chosen for training as peer mediators. It is obvious the students are high achieving, articulate and poised teens. As the leaders move the group process forward, the students become more real, more genuine, and more able to present themselves, warts and all, with more comfort and depth. To DeLucia-Waack’s credit, she acknowledges that this group of teens is probably the ideal for a psychoeducational group. Before the actual group begins, midway through the eight-hour group, and at the end, the presenters meet with Dr. Arthur Horne. As the outside moderator, he sets the stage and processes the group encounter. The articulation of counseling foundations and explanations of the authors’ purposes that he provides is certainly a strong addition to skills training.

For learning teen group psychoeducational skills, this DVD may be as valuable, or more so than a college lecture class. It’s of the A+ variety. When promoting the value of groups in comparison to individual therapy for teens, the presenters stress that adolescent groups remove the adult-as-authority impediment. These teens clearly demonstrate honest engagement with one another, and the use of preferential learning modalities to become both students and peer-teachers. The focus on the cognitive behavioral feeling-thinking-acting ABC model is, in itself, praiseworthy. For skills training in leading teen groups, this segment alone provides a vignette gem of CBT in action. In addition, the demonstration of termination is worth the price of the video.

Although the production has top-notch training potential, more cultural diversity would have strengthened the overall believability of the messages. There are only two teen male group members. The presenters, the group members and the moderator are Caucasian. Having a male and a female leader, however, is a stellar plus for modeling in teen groups. DeLucia-Waack’s energized presentation style can be both engaging and somewhat bothersome. Segrist’s restrained, almost somnolent style both negatively magnifies and positively compliments Delucia-Waack’s force. Certainly his role of getting the group physically involved in the process speaks volumes for the need for pacing, body-mind learning and active engagement in working with teen groups. As a tool, Leading Groups with Adolescents, is a worthwhile training DVD. The accompanying handbook further enhances the viewer’s ability to successfully use material from the video and actualize effective teen group work. Even with the absence of some of my personal “wants and needs,” I wholeheartedly recommend Leading Groups with Adolescents. There is icing on the cake – CEU credits are available for this video.

DeLucia-Waack, J., & Segrist, A. (Director). (2011). Leading groups with adolescents [DVD] New York, NY: Springer. Available from https://www.psychotherapy.net/video/psychoeducational-group-adolescents.

Reviewed by:  J. Dwaine Phifer, NCC, DonLin Counseling Services, Statesville, NC.

The Professional Counselor

HOME PAGE