Group-Centered Prevention Programs for At-Risk Students

Her research for the past nine years has focused on using group-centered interventions with at-risk readers. Dr. Clanton Harpine designed the motivational reading program called, Camp Sharigan, which she has used extensively in her work and research. She also designed the Reading Orienteering Club after-school program and 4-Step Method for teaching at-risk children to read. Her research with these programs has been published in psychological journals and reported through presentations at the American Psychological Association's annual conventions.

In recent years, Dr. Clanton Harpine has been teaching Group Therapy and Counseling, Lifespan Development, and Human Growth and Development at the University of South Carolina Aiken and is continuing her research with group-centered interventions. She is the editor for the "Prevention Corner" column which appears quarterly in The Group Psychologist. She was selected for inclusion in Who's Who of American Women, 2006-2010, for her work with children in inner-city neighborhoods.

at the start, where diverse sets of concepts must be juggled successfully and it is not for the faint-of-heart. This level of challenge may explain, at least in part, why the field is dominated with a much more familiar line of scholarly work, practice, and research: "Individual-Centered," "Remedial Program," and "Problem Students" (not to imply this line of inquiry and practice is unimportant or easy).

Clanton Harpine pulls this grand project off with aplomb. Her new book is conceptually sound, research-based, jam-packed with practical applications, and is written in a scholarly and readable style. The latter quality is especially apropos because the on-going applied focus of her book is on an intensive 10-hour prevention program based on group approaches she has developed, called Camp Sharigan, which uses reading as the means for exerting preventive effects. Because her group-based prevention program targets school-age children, and because reading is an essential life skill for children (and people of all ages in our society), it makes perfect sense to build a group-based prevention program around reading, which can be tackled in class, after class, during summer programs, and in community-based efforts. As Clanton Harpine indicates in a critically important point, "Camp Sharigan is not just a reading program. Reading is the intervention to change behavior and strengthen mental wellness" (p. 56). As an aside, I've always been attracted to the potential of using indirect approaches for improving mental health, especially in prevention programs, by involving participants in main-line activities such as reading or exercise or volunteer work projects, with mental health guidance and applications intentionally and integrally attached.

Why does this "reading program" work? A key reason, which will be of no surprise to readers of this newsletter, is because of the interactive psychoeducational group processes that run through it by design. As the author points out, group interaction is essential for promoting learning and change. She goes further by saying, "Direct instruction or lecture is never included in a group-centered prevention program" and that "group interaction and group cohesion are built into every group-centered prevention program (p. 49).

This book may hold special value for those who want to apply or adapt the group-centered prevention principles that are presented. This is so because Clanton Harpine has taken the extra step of providing program development and evaluation tools that can be used by readers to help shape similar projects of their own. This is another unique feature of this book, taking theory and practice to a deeper level by assisting those interested to convert into action the ideas that may be inspired or at least stimulated by the many excellent applications about which they are reading.

Finally, I find little to criticize in this book and much more to praise. This is a book full of rich examples that is supported by relevant theory and research. It will be of direct help for those who themselves wish to develop group-centered prevention programs aimed at at-risk students and of general assistance to those who are interested in developing such programs for other populations. For all readers of this Newsletter and members of our Society, tying our group perspective and skills to prevention goals and programs is the next big step awaiting us. Doing so successfully will help broaden our impact, contributing to healthier people and settings. Thanks to Elaine for providing an excellent source to help guide this needed initiative."

The Group Psychologist, April 2011, Vol. 21 No. 1
Reviewed by Robert K. Conyne, University of Cincinnati