Working with Traumatized Youth in Child Welfare

Nancy Boyd Webb, DSW, LICSW, RPT-S, until her death in 2023, was a leading authority on play therapy with children who have experienced loss and traumatic bereavement. She was University Distinguished Professor Emerita of Social Work in the Graduate School of Social Service at Fordham University, where she formerly held an endowed Chair in Child Welfare Studies and founded the Post-Master’s Certificate Program in Child and Adolescent Therapy. Dr. Webb taught clinical practice at Fordham for 30 years. She published numerous books on child therapy, trauma, and bereavement, including multiple editions of Play Therapy with Children and Adolescents in Crisis and Social Work Practice with Children. Dr. Webb was a supervisor, consultant, and trainer who presented frequently at conferences in the United States and internationally. She was the recipient of honors including the Day-Garrett Award from the Smith College School for Social Work, the Clinical Practice Award from the Association for Death Education and Counseling, and the designation of Distinguished Scholar by the National Academies of Practice in Social Work. Throughout her career, she was committed to preparing social work students to help children and families in need.

This book is a 'must read' for anyone administrating, investigating, monitoring, or caring for youth in the child welfare system. It supplies basic information for students in mental health and other fields who plan to provide care or treatment for this population. Chapters define problems faced by the child welfare system and the youth and family members under its care, review the effects of maltreatment on the developing brain, and detail treatment methods and interventions that may assist youths’ recovery from (often multiple) traumas.--Kathleen Nader, DSW, Austin, TexasThis refreshing and long-needed book will open new possibilities for interventions with children and families in the child welfare system. It offers a compelling review of the impact of trauma on a child's brain and development. The assessment and intervention methods, resources, and case examples in every chapter brilliantly integrate theory and practice and support the development of skills that are critical for this work. This is a 'must read' for clinicians, child welfare workers, and program managers, and a great text for students preparing for child welfare practice.--Pat Sandau-Beckler, PhD, LCSW, School of Social Work, New Mexico State UniversityNancy Boyd Webb is a nationally known expert in child treatment, and this timely volume will be a welcome contribution for current and future child welfare practitioners. The book guides the reader through the latest theories and research on the association of early life trauma with developmental psychopathology, then presents empirically based treatment strategies for traumatized maltreated youth. Ideal for undergraduate and graduate classrooms in social work, psychology, nursing, special education--wherever concern for the mental health of maltreated children is found.--Martha Morrison Dore, PhD, Adelphi University School of Social Work- A text that is exceptionally well grounded with regard to concepts, theory, practice, and evidence. It is a book that lays a foundation and a challenge for bridging the gap between child welfare and mental health systems in order to optimally help traumatized youth and families....This edited volume ends with an extremely valuable appendix that lists child- and trauma-related organizations, national child welfare resource centers, training and certification programs, and child- and trauma-related professional journals....The text will be of value to all who lead, educate for, and practice within systems striving to work competently and compassionately with traumatized youth and families. Working with Traumatized Youth in Child Welfare is much more than its title—it defines gaps in trauma work and constructs some sturdy bridles for the benefit of children, adolescents, families, and clinicians. --Clinical Social Work Journal, 10/30/2005ƒƒ Makes a good contribution toward providing practitioners who have not had training in disaster mental health or trauma, with information and resources....Webb's book is a helpful guide to practice, and it includes a wide span of possible interventions and related issues....A useful tool in examining pertinent issues related to work with child trauma survivors in the child welfare system. --PsycCRITIQUES, 10/30/2005

• Foreword, James R. DumpsonPART I. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND PRACTICE CONTEXT1. The Nature and Scope of the ProblemAnthony N. Maluccio2. The Impact of Trauma on Youth and Families in the Child Welfare SystemNancy Boyd Webb3. Applying the Principles of Neurodevelopment to Clinical Work with Maltreated and Traumatized Children: The Neurosequential Model of TherapeuticsBruce D. Perry4. Assessment of Trauma in Children and YouthMark Cameron, Jennifer Elkins, and Neil Guterman5. Family and Social Factors Affecting Youth in the Child Welfare SystemGary R. Anderson and John SeitaPART II.HELPING INTERVENTIONS6. Selected Treatment Approaches for Helping Traumatized YouthNancy Boyd Webb7. The Intergenerational Transmission of Family ViolenceElizabeth M. Tracy and Pamela J. Johnson8. Ethnically Sensitive Practice with Children and FamiliesCarmen Ortiz Hendricks and Rowena Fong9. Children with Disabilities in Child Welfare: Empowering the DisenfranchisedPatrick Shannon10. Understanding and Treating the Aggression of Traumatized Children in Out-of-Home CareDavid A.Crenshaw and Kenneth V. Hardy11. Animal-Assisted Pychotherapy and Equine-Facilitated PsychotherapySusan M. Brooks12.Treating Traumatized Adolescent Mothers: A Structured ApproachRuth DeRosa and David Pelcovitz13. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing with Traumatized YouthRicky GreenwaldPART III.ISSUES AND PROPOSALS FOR COLLABORATION BETWEEN CHILD WELFARE AND MENTAL HEALTH14. The View from the Child Welfare SystemVincent J. Fontana and Mayu P. B. Gonzales15. The View from the Mental Health SystemMarilyn B. BenoitPART IV: APPENDIXChild-Related and Trauma-Related Professional OrganizationsNational Child Welfare Resource CentersTraining Programs and CertificationsChild-Related and Trauma-Related Professional JournalsAdditional Trauma ResourcesIndex