[.ca] Brief Adolescent Therapy Homework Planner (ISBN 0471344656)

Correction of "a reader from Orlando":
The review by Orlando presents faulty information. The Brief Adolescent Therapy Homework Planner does indeed contain homework assignments on topics focused for teenagers. Contrary to what was written by Orlando, the book contains assignments on such topics as Conduct Disorder, Chemical Dependence, Eating Disorder, Peer/Sibling Conflict, Runaway, Sexual Abuse Perpetrator, Sexual Abuse Victim, and Mania/Hypomania as well as common problems such as Depression, Anxiety, ADHD, Low Self-Esteem and Oppositional Defiant. The book does NOT contain exercises for Enuresis/Encopresis. I expect that Orlando was looking at the Brief Child Therapy Homework Planner when the review was written.

A disappointing contribution to an otherwise strong series:
I purchased this item because of other books in the Practice Planners series. I have a number of the homework planners, which I use frequently. The software included allows the clinician to revise and customize the forms. I bought this item because more than 50% of my practice is with adolescents; I was very disappointed. First, the exercises are more appropriate for pre-teens (ages 10 through 13) than for teenagers. Some exercises could be used for even younger ages. For example, there is a section on enuresis and encopresis; I do not know many teenagers with bowel control problems (pre-teens, maybe). Another example is in the section on depression. In an exercise called "Surface Behavior/Inner Feelings," there is a narrative about a boy and his teacher. The boy is described as a sixth grader. That would make him 11 or 12 most likely. The story was good, and I used it - but I had to change the age, grade, and a few other details to make it applicable to my 16 year old client. That is not to say that none of the exercises are appropriate for teens (ex: the No Self Harm contract), but certainly the majority are geared toward younger ages. Even they way they are written suggests a young audience, not a teenage one. In addition, there are no exercises regarding drug use, peer pressure, ethical decision making, or sexuality (except gender identity disorder). Another issue is the software. The "text" file contained many items not included in the book, and vice versa. This was confusing. I think the authors should either revise the book to be more contemporary with adolescent populations, and/or publish a similar "planner" for the pre-teenager.

Good activites to personalize for clients:
I am pleased that a disk with the activities comes with the book. I often need to personalize the activities and my clients seem to appreciate it as well. This book was especially helpful since my agency uses the Therascibe software, which encourages the use of this book for homework.