Here is a valuable book to help professionals provide the most successful treatment for chemically dependent teenagers by examining the special conditions associated with adolescent chemical dependency. Counselors with experience in treating alcoholism and substance abuse need to have an awareness of the distinctive problems of adolescent chemical dependence that are related to their developmental nature. Such complicated problems as sexual abuse, eating disorders, addictive gambling, and membership in cults are discussed in their relationship to the treatment of the adolescent substance abuser. Special cases of the mentally impaired adolescent and the relapsing chemically dependent adolescent are also discussed in this remarkable volume. Treatment professionals will find encouragement for their work with adolescent clients in Special Problems in Counseling the Chemically Dependent Adolescent, which approaches counseling from a holistic perspective and perceives the family structure as an agent of change.

The comprehensive chapters create a better understanding of the different addictions that affect the adolescent population and the pertinent factors that complicate the treatment of chemical addiction. The correlation between chemical abuse and child abuse in families is examined and strategies for treating adolescents suffering from chemical abuse and gambling addiction are suggested. A study of eating disorders among adolescents demonstrates the similarities in the etiology, treatment, and assessment of anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive eating, and the conditions resulting in chemical dependency. Experienced professionals counseling and working with adolescents will be able to provide more efficient treatment to their clients by utilizing the practical suggestions presented in this important book.