VDM Wahl Lothar: Anti-Social and Young: Interventions

This book seeks to examine the theoretical and practice dimensions regarding the area of interventions with adolescents diagnosed with severe conduct disorder, in out-of-home care. The whole area of anti-social adolescent behaviour covers complex conceptual and practice terrain, particularly when considered from both a positivist, clinical perspective as well as from the standpoint of critical theory and social constructionism. This consideration is undertaken utilising a variety of methods and material. This includes the writer's own experiences as a practitioner, extensive literature review and also qualitative and quantitative research conducted with leading practitioners and managers. In adopting this overall approach, the writer seeks to end false lines of demarcation between 'theory' and 'practice' as well as the polarised debates attributable to the 'science/culture wars'. It is contended that such debates yield overly simplistic understandings and therefore practices 'on the ground'. Instead, a new practice paradigm is proposed within which the harmful effects of relational trauma can be addressed alongside those of dominant discourse.