Innovative Approaches for Difficult-to-Treat Populations

I have little doubt that a reader with different interests would recommend alternative chapters. That is the strength of this volume. The editors have successfully compiled a tremendous amount of information on diverse programs for difficult-to-treat patients. It is an excellent text that should provide assistance for almost anybody attempting to develop an effective mental health program.—The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease

If out of all of the confusion and disorder there may still emerge a system of care that is human and efficient, Innovative Approaches for Difficult-to-Treat Populations can serve as a marker in mapping the direction such a system will take.—Readings: A Journal of Reviews and Commentary in Mental Health

This intriguing and important book challenges our comfortable images of traditional treatment, neatly packaged in 50-minute sessions in the therapist’s office. The interventions described here take place in the real-world settings where the clients live their lives and confront their stressors—at home with their families, in shopping malls, and sometimes on the street, in police cars, and even in jail. The treatments are practical and action-oriented, they focus on some of the most challenging conditions mental health workers confront—substance abuse, juvenile delinquency, child neglect, severe mental illness, and others—and there is a refreshing emphasis on empirical assessment of outcomes. The book offers both inspiration and instruction to mental health professionals seeking new approaches to old problems.—John R. Weisz, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles

This book presents a timely colloquium among leaders in mental health service delivery systems. It begins to shape new roles for senior clinicians, and it will serve as a benchmark for best practice throughout this decade of reform of American health care.—Mary Jane England, M.D., Past President, American Psychiatric Association, President, Washington Business Group on Health, Washington, D.C.

A major challenge in the treatment arena today is to provide useful clinical interventions that are economically feasible. This is especially true for populations of patients that are difficult to treat. This excellent book, edited by Henggeler and Santos, brings together, in one volume, chapters written by leading clinical researchers working with difficult-to-treat problems and presents cutting-edge information needed to provide appropriate clinical services.—Leonard I. Stein, M.D., Director of Research and Education, Mental Health Center of Dane County, Inc., Madison, Wisconsin

This book is a comprehensive compendium of innovations in system change and service delivery. It should be useful to those involved in service evaluation, program development, system change, and training of the next generation of clinicians. The book’s ecological framework is most useful for understanding the state of the art treatment of difficult populations and of anticipating future directions.—David A. Brent, M.D., Chief, Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic, Prof of Psychiatry, Pediatrics & Epidemiology, Univ of Pittsburgh School of Medicine