Abstract
YOUTH OUTREACH is an experimental service providing counseling and support for marginal youth in times of crisis. The target group is adolescents between the ages of 10 and 16 who are not yet deeply enmeshed in the delinquent subculture. The service is based on established crisis intervention theory which stresses the high motivation of people in crisis to seek solutions to their problems and Reality Therapy which emphasizes meeting needs responsibly. The intervention is both a pro-active service based on a team of social workers going out during the night to places where runaways gather and a re-active service offering immediate and easy access by means of a 24 hour hotline and minimal intake procedures. A period of up to two months residential service is available with a six month follow up. The residential period is spent in a family style hostel which lays stress on a therapeutic but structured milieu and informal as well as formal individual and group counseling. Re-integration of the youngster into a non- deviant life-style is promoted by gradually increasing contacts with the family and by encouraging a reinsertion into the educational system.
| Keywords: | Marginal Adolescents; Outreach; Crisis Intervention Theory; Reality Therapy; Group Counseling |
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