Out of the Woods

Deeply troubled teenagers spend time in a locked psychiatric ward. They are out of control—violent or suicidal, in trouble with the law, unpredictable, and dangerous. Twenty years later, a handful of them are thriving. In a series of interviews that began during their hospitalizations and ended years later, these teens tell their stories.

A riveting account of how and why a group of very troubled teenagers were able to turn their lives around as they entered adulthood. The authors' impressive insight into these unexpected changes should bring hope and new understanding to educators and clinicians-and also to worried parents. -- Judith S. Wallerstein, author of What About the Kids? Raising Children Before, During, and After Divorce This is one of the most important books on recovery from teenage mental illness that I have ever seen. Out of the Woods shows powerfully that the question of who succeeds and who fails to recover is a question not for biochemical analysis and drug treatment, but for dedicated therapeutic faith and understanding. The more attention this powerful book gets, the better. -- Joanne Greenberg, author of I Never Promised You a Rose Garden Resilience has been a puzzle. We have seen it as either the reflection of some positive trait--IQ, say-- or the result of good experiences. This highly engaging book is quite different: it focuses on the processes associated with resilience. Three elements prove to be crucial: personal agency and a concern to overcome adversity; a self-reflective style; and a commitment to relationships. Anyone committed to working with troubled young people will find much food for thought in this splendid book. -- Michael Rutter, author of Helping Troubled Children

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