"The Learning Alliance by Dr. John E. Meeks and Dr. Philippe J. Dupont is a welcome orientation and guide for teachers, school administrators, and psychotherapists who work with children and adolescents. The authors build on two fundamental premises. First, that every youngster's experience in school is very important, both in helping the child define his or her sense of competence and in highlighting the child's areas of weakness. The second premise is that the various adults who work with children and adolescents with emotional problems-including school personnel, therapists in and outside the school setting, physicians, and parents-should form a cohesive team. The team may include maintenance staff and the school secretary. Good teamwork means communication among the players and everybody pulling together, not at cross purposes.

In addition to laying down general principles, Dr. Meeks and Dr. Dupont provide a wealth of detailed suggestions, outlines, strategies, case vignettes, and nuggets of wisdom. For example, they suggest activities that some therapists would find unusual, such as asking the student to bring homework to the therapy session and visiting a client who was expelled from school and placed in juvenile detention. They comment on working with parents, including parents who are enmeshed and others who totally reject the child. They discuss the problem of substance abuse and how it relates to educational issues. They define the roles of teacher and school therapist and how they should relate to each other."

"As a clinical social worker who specializes in treating adolescents and their parents for over 20 years, I was impressed by the numerous strategies and tools offered by The Learning Alliance to ensure a child's success at school. By succinctly addressing and synthesizing the various dynamics or situations that causes a child to have difficulty in school, Dr. Meeks and Dr. Dupont offer clear concepts and practical steps for developing a "the learning alliance" with students. Learning becomes a positive experience, thereby improving the child's self esteem. Working together as a team, the school counselor, school nurse, child, parents, school secretaries, janitors, bus drivers, pediatricians, and therapists establish a coordinated "learning focus" to reduce barriers that interfere with the child's performance ability at school. The team utilizes creative measures as recommended by the authors to produce effective learning.

This superb book is a "must read" guide for "all psychotherapists who work with children and adolescents who hate school," as well as school counselors, school administrators, school nurses, teachers, school-support staff, pediatricians, and parents."