Writing with At-Risk Youth: The Pongo Teen Writing Method provides a roadmap for therapists, counselors, and teachers to help troubled adolescents transform their lives through poetry. Both wise and pragmatic, Pongo reminds us that healing is art; that listening, validation, and respect are core elements of therapeutic relationships; and that human connections underlie our most basic needs and our most rewarding experiences.

Jack McClellan, MD. medical director, Child Study and Treatment Center; professor, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington

Writing with At-Risk Youth: The Pongo Teen Writing Method makes a wonderful contribution to our collective response to youth affected by trauma and hardship. Facing up to trauma experiences and developing a new narrative is proven to work for recovery. Expressive writing is an amazingly powerful method of doing just that. This book helps youth to find their voice, learn their strengths, and give themselves hope for their future.

Lucy Berliner, MSW. director, Harborview Center for Sexual Assault and Traumatic Stress; clinical associate professor, University of Washington School of Social Work and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Seattle, Washington

Richard Gold’s creativity, compassion, and empathy, coupled with his deep sense of the integrity of the human spirit, has allowed healing and restorative expressions to flow from adolescents who have experienced profound emotional traumas. The Pongo Method is essentially a way for these young people—many with severe emotional problems and some who have been ensnared in the juvenile justice system—to learn to communicate and think about their life experience through poetry and storytelling. Many are able to reframe horrific experiences and put some closure around “issues” that they have held back from feeling and thinking about. Although the Pongo “process” is not therapy in a traditional sense, it represents the essential elements of the most effective treatments and does this through a modality that youth can engage in with honesty and trust.

Eric Trupin Ph. D., professor and vice chair in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine

For even the seasoned teacher, working with traumatized children can be intimidating. Writing with At-Risk Youth: The Pongo Teen Writing Method not only inspires teachers to help these youth write poetry but also provides clear instructions on how to facilitate the work - all while taking care of these children. It proves an essential tool for anyone with the heart to take on this important vocation.

Teri Hein, executive director, 826 Seattle, Seattle, Washington

Writing with At-Risk Youth: The Pongo Teen Writing Method is a step by step guide in understanding the minds of at-risk youth. By following a carefully planned writing program the guide helps the instructor liberate youth from past trauma. The road to recovery is bumpy, but this guide can make their journey smoother.

Charles Shelan, CEO, Community Youth Services, Olympia, Washington

I have had the pleasure of working with and learning from Richard Gold, with his remarkably creative and effective method, in our work together with incarcerated youth and adults. He is a superb clinician and teacher, and I recommend this unique book, Writing with At-Risk Youth: The Pongo Teen Writing Method, to anyone who chooses to work with this underserved population.

EK Rynearson, MD, clinical professor of Psychiatry, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington