Everything Is Normal Until Proven Otherwise: A Book About Wraparound Services

by Karl W. Dennis, Ira S. Lourie, Dixie Jordan (Introduction)

"Through personal stories and commentary by two of the model's creators, this book describes the evolution and philosophy behind Wraparound, a model of individualized service provision for children and families in the social service system"--Provided by publisher.

Genres: Social Work

196 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Maddie Stewart-Boldin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe this is a refreshing vision (although it discusses a decades old process) of what social work can be.

[Saf Syed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended by my prof for our course and I thoroughly enjoyed reading the case studies.

[Totadigi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book “everything is NORMAL until proven otherwise,” by Karl W. Dennis and Ira S. Lourie was all about the all-but-normal world of social service and psycho therapy work with people in dramatic circumstances; young people and families systems and institutions have deemed impossible to change. It is at the same time zany and startling frank in depicting the lives and situations facing parents, policymakers, and administrators and workers in the child welfare, juvenile justice, education, and mental health system. The describes case studies of families and individuals sent to a place of last resort the Chicago-area Kaleidoscope agency that offers individualized services, rooted in the principles of individualized, community-based, strengths-focused services. Karl Dennis, the former director of Kaleidoscope tells stories about his extraordinary experiences with the youths and families sent to Kaleidoscope because there was literally no where else for them to go often because they’d burned every bridge they’d ever cross sometimes literally. It was an agency that never said no even when a case came in covered in red flags. Ira Lourie provides the calculated clinical analysis of the very unconventional approaches developed for each case by Kaleidoscope. The approach design was unique also in that the person or family receiving treatment helped to design the service approach taken. The individual stories about clients ranging from a child arsonist who actually set the center on fire; a kid so violent they brought him in chains like the character from the movie “The Green Mile;” a couple dying from HIV-AIDS; and families in other unbelievably difficult circumstances. Each case so extremely challenging it is profound that there are people and agencies willing to meet those challenges and bring resolution to such daunting lives. I liked the fact that the stories are page turners bordering on too incredible to believe. The clinical explanations given by Lourie after every story are necessary for study but I fought through each one to get to the next case study. Karl is a social worker who began his career working in the streets of Chicago with young people who were having problems adjusting to the world. He is also a member of the American High School Basketball Player Hall of Fame as a member of the legendary DuSable High School Basketball Team 1952-’53 season. It was Karl’s vision to intervene with children, adolescents, and their parents who have unique and overwhelming problems with what became Wraparound intervention and services. Ira is a child psychiatrist at the federal government level, who applied his thinking to the development of services for adolescents who had run away or who had been victims of child abuse and neglect. Karl has been invited to introduce Wraparound to groups providing clinical service delivery all over the United States and overseas on various continents.

[Carla (There Might Be Cupcakes Podcast) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though some actions recommended in this book would be considered boundary violations for a therapist, it was still refreshing to read a book about what I do (intensive in-home counseling).

As a therapist working with a young child who is violent, I was offended by one passage. The authors were expressing shock that a four-year-old was on a psychiatric hospital ward with twelve-year-olds. They had inquired, and learned that the small child was hospitalized after pulling a knife on her mother. A parenthetical aside was made to this effect: "Why wouldn't her mother just take the knife from her? Problem solved." Such a statement shows no empathy for a family who is trying to manage a violent child, and echoes what parents are probably already hearing from teachers, social workers, and other "helping" professionals.

[Piedmont CASA]

From Back Cover:

"Wraparound, or individualized services, is rooted in the principles of individualized, community-based, strengths-focsued services. In Everything is Normal Until Proven Otherwise, Karl Dennis, the former director of the Chicago-area agency Kaleidoscope, offers stories from his experiences with the youth and families of Kaleidoscope. Ira Lourie, a psychiatrist and federal bureaucrat, offers commentary on these stories, and how each one illustrates one of the following central tenets of the Wraparound approach...

Perfect for parents, policymakers, and administrators and workers in the child welfare, juvenile justice, education and mental health systems, Everything is Normal Until Proven Otherwise demonstrates the change that can occur when systems give families the chance to become equal partners in their care."

[Nicole Cleary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm working in a Wraparound program at Multnomah County so I read this out of professional interest. The book contains a powerful collection of stories demonstrating the healing that can happen when mental health systems wrap services around children and families in a way that is responsive to a family's culture, voice and choice. My only frustration with it was that some of the vignettes describe a level of community based service that aren't nearly as available in today's climate of scarce resources. I highly recommend this book for people with interest in individualized, community based services that focus on the strength of children and families.

[Daniel Seifert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this text in response to a prompt in our community for a quality of care that works with children/youth at risk and their families from judge to the teacher. this text provides rich stories that illustrate the principles of Wraparound.