Help for Tom and Paul

TINA KRETSCHMER: Help efforts for Tom should emphasise positive relationships with adults. For instance, a teacher could take on a mentoring role and help Tom with the new demands of secondary education. This teacher should also make sure that Tom’s learning needs are communicated clearly to other teachers. We think that this should help reduce Tom’s frustration in school. If Tom trusts his teachers, they will also be able to help him in other areas in life. For instance, they can see how things are going with his parents, and they might also be able to help him discover new hobbies or activities that he’s interested in.

It is important for Tom to feel that his teachers have a real interest in his happiness at school and in general. In any case, positive and supportive relationships with adults are important for temporarily anti-social youth, such as Tom, to get their lives back on track.

Persistent anti-social youth, such as Paul, have many problems in different areas in life. This makes it too difficult for parents and teachers to really help them. Youth such as Paul– they need professional help. Paul needs professional help, a stable home– maybe a new school for a fresh start. This is necessary to create the space and calm to develop a trusting relationship with a therapist or counsellor. This professional can then help him work through his emotions and feelings, develop new strategies to deal with anger and frustration, and also develop trust in people and stop seeing only the worst in others. In short, youngsters such as Paul need to learn to have faith in other people and in themselves.