ABSTRACT
This book is about helping troubled young people who are searching desperately for security, identity, and purpose in their lives. Childhood and adolescence are pivotal stages in the quest to belong, to become somebody, and to be worth something. Children need stimulation, affection, and guidance in order to develop their potentials, but many are reared in environments that deprive them of these nutriments. Adolescents approach the threshold of independence with only the experiences gained from childhood; many lack the support of signifi cant adults. Those who encounter difficulty in navigating through these turbulent years come to be identified by society as troubled or trouble some. They include:
• the rebellious youth whose actions strike out against a world that seems hostile or unjust
• the empty child starving for love but unable to reach out, fright ened of being hurt again
• the lonely, insecure youngster whose spirit has been crippled by neglect or failure
• the conflicted young person desperately wanting something or someone to believe in, struggling for stability and identity in a world of confusing values.
