Description

Courage of Convictions… is the first book of our Personal Empowerment Series by authors Ester R.A. Leutenberg & John J. Liptak, Ed. D.

Steadfast courage of personal convictions is one of the most important traits a teen can develop in today’s fast-paced world. Personal convictions reveal your own strength of character and your strong beliefs about people and society, injustices in the world, and life in general. If you have a strong conviction about the way life is and how it should be lived, you will be more likely to be courageous in the face of peer pressure. You will be more likely to stand up and fight for what you think is right. The most courageous teens in life are that way because they defend their strong convictions about what is right and what is wrong.

What’s The Courage of Convictions All About? contains five separate modules of activity-based handouts that will help teens learn about ways to be assertive in standing up for their convictions. They will learn how to utilize their unique gifts and talents and begin to express them in their daily lives. These modules serve as avenues for self-reflection and group experiences revolving around topics of importance about assertiveness skills and personal empowerment. The activities in this workbook are user-friendly and varied to provide a comprehensive way of analyzing, strengthening, and developing characteristics, skills, and attitudes for standing up for their convictions. The activities in this workbook are completely reproducible and can be photocopied and/or revised for direct student use.

What’s The Courage of Convictions All About? Workbook for Teens is a practical tool for teachers, counselors, parents, and helping professionals in their work with teens. Depending on the role of the person using this workbook and the specific group’s or individual’s needs, the modules can be used either individually or as part of an integrated teen curriculum. The facilitator may choose to administer one of the activities to a group or administer some of the assessments over one or more days as a workshop.

ISBN 978-1-63279-094-1

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About the Authors:

John J. Liptak, EdD, frequently conducts workshops on assessment-related topics. He has written three books on career-related topics and these books have been featured in numerous newspapers and reports including The Washington Post, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Associated Press. His work has also been featured on MSNBC, CNN Radio, and on the PAX/ION television series,”Success without a College Degree.”

John has many years of experience in providing counseling services to individuals and groups in a variety of settings including job training programs, correctional institutions, and colleges and universities. In addition, John has years of teaching experience as an assistant professor. With Ester Leutenberg and Kathy Khalsa, he has written three other comprehensive books for teachers and counselors to use with their students and clients: The Self-Esteem Program, The Social Skills Program, and The Stress Management Program: Inventories, Activities & Educational Handouts.

Ester RA Leutenberg has worked in the mental health field for many years as a publisher, author, and advocate for those suffering from loss. She personally experienced a devastating loss when her son Mitchell, after struggling with a mental illness for eight years, died by suicide in 1986. Soon after, as a way of both healing and helping others, Ester co-founded Wellness Reproductions & Publishing with her daughter Kathy Khalsa and began developing therapeutic products that help facilitators help their clients. Ester and Kathy are the co-authors of the Life Management Skills series for adults, SEALS series for teen-agers, and Optimal Well-Being for Senior Adults series, as well as a variety of other therapeutic card games, board games and posters.

Ester has co-written three books and corresponding cards on GriefWork ~ Healing from Loss, and the following books and cards: Breaking Up is Hard to Do, Creating a Healthy Balanced Life, Complete Caregiver Support Guide, Life Skills to Help Teens Balance Way Too Much, Motivation, Veterans Surviving and Thriving, and the Traditional Life Skills for Teens Series.

Ester and John continue to co-write workbooks and corresponding cards in each of these series that help facilitators help their teen and adult participants: (Coping; Erasing the Stigma of Mental Health Issues through Awareness; Working with Families; Mental Health & Life Skills; Mind-Body Wellness; Teen Mental Health & Life Skills; The Teen Building Character Program, Resilience in the Military; and Let’s Talk Cards.)