Taking Charge : A School-Based Life Skills Program for Adolescent Mothers

This carefully researched book is designed for implementing the Taking Charge curriculum and group intervention. Centered on self-sufficiency, and with sample dialogues and session-by-session goals, this will be an invaluable resource for an estimated 16,000 school social workers and students in school social work and family practice courses.

Taking Charge is the first empirically tested program of its kind, designed specifically to improve academic achievement and self-sufficiency for adolescent and teenage mothers, who face increased risk of dropping out and experiencing poverty. This eight-session, in-school group intervention uses cognitive-behavioral principles to bolster life skills such as focusing on action, setting goals, solving problems, and coping. The message embedded in the curriculum is one of self-efficacy and self-confidence, drawing on young womens strengths and teaching them how to manage the challenges of school, relationships, parenting, and employment. A treatment manual with detailed guidelines for establishing and leading a culturally diverse group, this guide also reviews the successful results of three school-based trials of the program, vividly illustrated with vignettes and containing all of the handouts and materials necessary for a school-based professional to implement the program. -- Groups can be led by social workers, counselors, school nurses, teachers, and even volunteers with little additional training -- An all-in-one treatment manual provides dialogue, forms, and handouts for facilitators to use in each session -- Empowers young women to take charge of their education and develop skills that will help them succeed in school and in life