The Essential Guide to Talking with Teens: Ready-to-Use Discussions for School and Youth Groups »

Jean Sunde Peterson, Ph.D., was a classroom teacher for many years, was involved in teacher education, and developed summer language camps for children prior to her graduate work in counseling and development at the University of Iowa. She is currently on the faculty of the Department of Educational Studies at Purdue University and is the coordinator of school counselor preparation. For the past several years, she has conducted workshops in the areas of underachievement, group interventions for the prevention of problems in children and adolescents, multicultural issues in education, listening skills for teachers, and the social and emotional concerns of high-ability students, all of these areas related to her own practitioner-oriented research. As a licensed mental health counselor, she also continues to be involved in clinical work with children and adolescents.

All young people need a safe, supportive place to "just talk" with caring peers and an attentive adult. Tested with thousands of teens in many kinds of schools (plus community centers, churches, and workshops), these guided discussions are proven ways to reach out to young people and address their social and emotional needs. Teens gain self-awareness and self-esteem, practice problem-solving and goal-setting, feel more in control of their lives, and learn they have much in common with each other-they are not alone. Each session is self-contained and step-by-step. Many include reproducible handouts. Introductory and background materials help even less-experienced group leaders feel prepared and secure in their role. For advising teachers, counselors, and youth workers in all kinds of school and group settings.