Sharing the daily struggles of children and families residing in transitional situations (homelessness or because of risk of homelessness, being connected with the child welfare system, or being new immigrants in temporary housing), this text recommends strategies for delivering mental health and intensive case-management services that maintain family integrity and stability. Based on work undertaken at the Center for the Vulnerable Child in Oakland, California, which has provided mental health and intensive case management to children and families living in transition for more than two decades, the volume outlines culturally sensitive practices to engage families that feel disrespected or betrayed.

Sharing the daily struggles of children and families residing in transitional situations (homelessness or because of risk of homelessness, being connected with the child welfare system, or being new immigrants in temporary housing), this text recommends strategies for delivering mental health and intensive case-management services that maintain family integrity and stability. Based on work undertaken at the Center for the Vulnerable Child in Oakland, California, which has provided mental health and intensive case management to children and families living in transition for more than two decades, this volume outlines culturally sensitive practices to engage families that feel disrespected by the assistance of helping professionals or betrayed by their forgotten promises. Chapters discuss the Center's staffers' attempt to trace the influence of power, privilege, and beliefs on their education and their approach to treatment. Many U.S. children living in impoverished transitional situations are of color and come from generations of poverty, and the professionals they encounter are white, middle-class, and college-educated. The Center's work to identify the influences or obstacles interfering with services for this target population is therefore critical to formulating more effective treatment, interaction, and care.

In The Neglected Transition, Monique B. Mitchell explores children's experiences of loss and ambiguity as they transition into foster care, as well as the questions they ask during this critical life transition. By joining children on this courageous and meaningful journey, readers will discover an illuminating, inspirational path of healing.

On average, a quarter of a million children in the United States enter foster care every year. Most of these children are placed in non-kinship homes; that is, with people who are complete strangers. In The Neglected Transition, child welfare researcher Monique B. Mitchell explores children's experiences of loss and ambiguity as they transition into foster care, as well as the questions children ask during this critical life transition. Specifically, the author uses child-centered research, practical examples, and healing suggestions to create a foundation from which a relational home can be built. Drawing from the compelling stories of children, Mitchell invites readers to join children on their journey as they transition into the foster care system and courageously share their experiences of loss, ambiguity, fear, and hope.

Through case studies and clearly presented content, this book helps readers learn what they can do to assist students with disabilities in achieving positive adult outcomes. Professionals, students of special education and families of students with disabilities will all benefit from this comprehensive introduction to transition services. This book provides a comprehensive and clear introduction to effective transition services for students with disabilities who are leaving the special education system. The Prologue and Chapter 1 provide an overview of the topic of transition services, and the remaining chapters go into detail about specific aspects of the transition planning process. The central roles of students with disabilities and their families are emphasized. Case studies of two individuals, one with mild disabilities and one with severe disabilities, are followed throughout the text to illustrate effective practices, ensuring readers are able to apply the content to students with different types and severity of disabilities, and are able to understand how practices can be tailored to meet individual student needs. The content is presented so that readers can apply key strategies immediately in their work as teachers or in other professional capacities. Research Summaries in each chapter address the research basis for effective practices that are discussed throughout the book. Spotlight on History in most chapters provides a short biography on an individual who made a significant contribution to the development of transition services. Additional resources and websites are included at the end of each chapter.

Social science.

On Thanksgiving morning, Paria Hassouri finds herself furiously praying and negotiating with the universe as she irons a dress her fourteen-year-old, designated male at birth, has secretly purchased and wants to wear to dinner with the extended family. In this wonderfully frank, loving, and practical account of parenting a transgender teen, Paria chronicles what amounts to a dual transition: as her child transitions from male to female, she navigates through anger, denial, and grief to eventually arrive at acceptance. Despite her experience advising other parents in her work as a pediatrician, she was blindsided by her child’s gender identity. Paria is also forced to examine how she still carries insecurities from her past of growing up as an Iranian-American immigrant in a predominantly white neighborhood, and how her life experience is causing her to parent with fear instead of love. Paria discovers her capacity to evolve, as well as what it really means to parent and the deepest nature of unconditional love. This page-turning memoir relates a tender story of loving and parenting a teenager coming out as transgender and transitioning. It explores identity, self-discovery in adolescence and midlife, and difference in a world that values conformity. At its heart, Found in Transition is a universally inspiring portrait of what it means to be a family.