Tackling the Tough Stuff: A Home Visitor's Guide to Supporting Families at Risk

Home visits with at-risk families present unique, complex challenges that professionals must be ready to address with skill and sensitivity. The problem-solving framework in this practical guide will help home visitors manage their on-the-job challenges--and support and empower vulnerable families of children birth to 3.

The authors' PAUSE framework (Percieve, Ask, Understand, Strategize, and Evaluate) walks home visitors through the entire process of addressing problems, from recognizing a difficult situation to evaluating the chose action steps. Readers will learn how to apply the framework in real-world situations as they:

- partner with parents to understand their perspectives
- take direct action to help solve key challenges (self-regulation, sleeping problems, feeding issues, biting and hitting, meltdowns, coooperating and following directions, fears and separation anxiety)
- skillfully blend relationsip-based and reflective practice approaches
- understand what's behind children's challenging behaviors
- work sensitvely with families facing difficult situations, including domestic violence, substance abuse, and mental illness
- set appropriate boundaries with families
- use self-care strategies to addresss symptoms of burnout

Readers will get a wealth of practical materials, including helpful sample diaglogues and reproducible materials on exploring challenging behaviors, discussing difficult topics, helping parents imporove their skills, and more. (Reproducible materials are included in this book and are available online.) With this essential giude, home visitors will provide effective support for at risk families--and equip them with skills they'll use long after the visit is over.