There is increasing awareness that many children who present behavioral challenges have experienced relational trauma. These youngsters are not well served by traditional interventions in schools, treatment settings, and communities. Adults responsible for these young people often get drawn into conflict cycles and coercive interventions that only…

Ian is a 17-year-old student attending a therapeutic school in an urban district. He was referred less than a year ago due to behavioral and academic issues at the comprehensive high school. One instance in his art class, Ian overreacted when his teacher misinterpreted his humor, leading to a major school crisis. Learning to recognize the early…

This Reclaiming Intervention is an excellent example of the notion that life is a watercolor. Tricia Jump's interview demonstrates how a patient, caring adult can bring comfort and hope to a child experiencing some very difficult and painful life events. KC, a ten year old girl, is typical of many children whose home lives are turbulent. In some…

The Reality Rub is one of six Life Space Crisis Interventions. The goal is to help students reorganize and clarify distorted perceptions of an emotionally intense event. As seen in this article, teaching positive behavior begins by helping young people correct their blurred and biased views of reality. (Author)

Nearly ten years ago, the key ingredients of an effective Re-ED (Reeducation of Emotional Disturbed Children) classroom were outlined in "A Model Re-ED Classroom for Troubled Students." This article draws on recent research and best practices to update that statement of the principles of effective re-education. (Contains 13 references.) (Author)

The Life Space Crisis Intervention has developed a comprehensive school-wide strategy for building positive learning climates for all students and providing effective interventions for students presenting challenging problems. This model contains three levels of prevention and intervention: all staff are trained, teachers receive more in-depth…

The Positive Education Program in Cleveland, Ohio, is grounded in the Re-EDucation philosophy and serves more than 700 students with emotional and behavioral disorders in eight day treatment centers. The centers blend special education with mental health in a school environment in which students and families are both supported and challenged as…

Discusses the goals of Reality Rub Life Space Crisis Intervention, and provides the transcript of an interview with a troubled youth to illustrate the way the intervention techniques works. Goals include correcting interpersonal distortions and misperceptions; identifying defenses; and connecting behavior, feelings, stressful events, and…