Playing at Being Bad: The Hidden Resilience of Troubled ... (ISBN 077108711X)

A Must Read for Parents and Youth Workers:
As a parent and social worker I found Playing at Being Bad: The hidden resilience of troubled teens by Michael Ungar to be an enlightening and thought provoking examination of `troubled' youth. Through the sharing of his observations and learnings from 20 years of working with `troubled' youth Ungar challenges parents, caregivers and service providers to look beyond the behavior of `troubled' youth and their relationship with `troubled' peers to see the resilience they have developed for themselves. He highlights the importance of truly listening to teens as the tell the stories of their quest for identity, acceptance and power over their environment. He emphasizes how important it is for anyone who is working with `troubled' youth to find innovative, individualized interventions. This book is a must read for anyone who works with youth, as well as parents, or soon to be parents, of adolescents.