This guidebook shows therapists and counsellors how to make the most of that crucial first contact with teenagers. It aims to show how to bridge the generation gap and understand the teens perspective, and create an effective treatment plan with short and long term goals.

The tools you need to work with teens to establish trust, uncover hidden issues, and create an effective plan of action. . . all within the first session Neil G. Ribner, a noted expert in the field of family therapy and the treatment of adolescents, offers clinicians an effective therapeutic plan of action that clearly demonstrates how the first session can be used to establish trust, engage the adolescent, and set the tone for the entire course of treatment. "Neil Ribner doesn't talk in generalities, rely on clinical jargon, or underestimate the complex issues involved in working with adolescents. Using a large number of clinical vignettes from his vast experience, he shows how the therapist's ability to align him or herself with the adolescent client is what typically spells the difference between being helpful or getting blown off. In culturally sensitive, down to earth language, Ribner describes how to empathically connect with the fears, anxieties, and resentments of troubled teenagers and their families in ways that promote change."
—FRED WEINER, psychologist, Counseling and Psychological Services Center, Ohio University "In the most readable prose, Dr. Ribner outlines everything you want to know about initiating treatment with the adolescent client. Psychotherapists in training in all disciplines should read this manageable and straightforward book; their supervisors and other experienced clinicians could also benefit from this compact yet comprehensive reminder."
—DONALD J. VIGLIONE, professor and director, Clinical Doctor of Psychology Program, California School of Professional Psychology, San Diego "Refreshing and direct . . . this book will benefit those who work with adolescents in a variety of settings."
—JOANNE E. CALLAN, professor, California School of Professional Psychology

The First Session with Teenagers is a practical, accessible guide that reveals how mental health care professionals can conduct a successful initial interview with reluctant and uncooperative adolescent clients. Written by Neil G. Ribner, a recognized expert in the field of family therapy and the treatment of teenagers, this important resource shows how to use the first therapeutic session to establish trust, engage the adolescent, and determine an effective plan of action that sets the tone for the entire course of treatment. In clear, jargon-free language, the author offers clinicians at all levels of expertise (from the novice to the seasoned professional) a step-by-step process for working with adolescents during the pivotal first session.