Sheri McGuinn – Official Website - Therapists & Youth Workers

Sheri McGuinn – Official Website

Therapists & Youth Workers

For Therapists and Youth Workers

“My goal is to provide fast-paced, suspenseful novels that are readable and engaging for youth and adults, that will also help those in crisis develop the hope, skills, and confidence needed to survive and move beyond their present problems to a better future.” Sheri McGuinn

My credentials and experience:

Ø BA in Psychology

Ø MS in Education, Learning and Behavior Disorders

Ø Further graduate work in teaching Reading

Ø Probation officer primarily with teens

Ø Child protection investigator/caseworker with advanced training

Ø Educator specializing in “Tough Kids” in rural, urban, and reservation schools

Running Away is deliberately structured for use in therapy and counseling:

Ø To get reluctant clients to start talking

Ø To improve family communications, whether or not abuse is an issue

Ø With groups to open discussion

(Always choose groups with care and be equipped to deal with sudden disclosure of abuse.)

The structure: The narration in Running Away is shared by a teenage girl and her mother, making it easier for readers to empathize with both. The step-father skillfully manipulates daughters and the mother. Since the tale is told from two viewpoints, this manipulation of multiple persons is easier to see than it usually is in real life. Discussion of the fictional situation can be used as a bridge to discussion of your clients’ situations and behaviors.

The writing is designed to be a quick, absorbing read for youth and adults with a reading level sufficient to read a daily newspaper.

Running Away:

Ø Suggestions for Therapists

Ø Questions to stimulate discussion in youth groups

Ø Questions for book clubs or classes might be useful also

Michael Dolan McCarthy may also prove useful for some of your clients.

It’s a fast-paced suspense novel, easy to read, told in the voice of a mixed-race teen. Michael was named for a father he barely remembers and a grandfather he’s never met. He’s left orphaned with two younger siblings and he tries to get them to their grandfather. Michael assumes he will be rejected, but hopes the kids will be accepted because their father was white. Michael establishes healthy relationships with three adults in the course of the story. There will be questions available for it as soon as the novel is available for purchase.

Another resource I’d like to share:

Child and Youth Care Network is a website based in South Africa but with members globally, all supporting each other. They have links to various journals and you can ask members for suggestions on how to handle a particular situation. They also publicize conferences for child and youth care workers around the globe. Check it out.

Click on Cover

Available

Fall 2009

Available Now!

Click on a Cover for:

Ø Reviews

Ø Description

Ø Excerpt link

Ø Purchase links

Contact Author: sherimauthor@yahoo.com