A Home Visitor's Guide to Supporting Families at Risk
Tackling the Tough Stuff, Second Edition
Early Childhood

Now more than ever, today’s at-risk families need home visitors who can address their complex challenges with skill and sensitivity. This timely second edition will help home visitors manage even the toughest situations they encounter on the job—and support and empower vulnerable families of children birth to 3.

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STOCK NUMBER ISBN
57877 978-1-68125-787-7
COPYRIGHT PAGES
2025 288
AVAILABILITY
Available Stock

Now more than ever, today’s at-risk families need home visitors who can address their complex challenges with skill and sensitivity. This timely second edition will help home visitors manage even the toughest situations they encounter on the job—and support and empower vulnerable families of children birth to 3.

The authors present their highly effective PAUSE framework (Perceive, Ask, Understand, Strategize, and Evaluate), a blend of relationship-based practice, reflective skills, and recommended strategies for supporting at-risk families. Readers will learn how to develop positive partnerships with parents and caregivers, address specific challenges in skillful and culturally sensitive ways, and give families the tools and knowledge they need to generate their own solutions. Vignettes, sample dialogues, and fillable PDF forms help home visitors translate evidence-based strategies into everyday action.

WHAT’S NEW

  • Coverage of contemporary topics such as virtual home visiting, reflective supervision, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ)
  • Expanded content on setting boundaries and avoiding professional burnout
  • Updated research on child-based issues like self-regulation, aggression, and separation anxiety, as well as parent issues like substance abuse, domestic violence, and mental illness
  • Updates to reflect the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on families and children
  • More on the PAUSE framework’s compatibility with home visiting programs such as Parents as Teachers, Early Head Start, and Healthy Families America
  • New downloadable, fillable PDFs for easier use

About the Downloads

About the Authors

Foreword Katherine Rosenblum

Acknowledgements

Dedication

Getting Started

 

Chapter 1 Connecting and Keeping Connected: Relationships Matter

Chapter 2 Looking Inside: Reflective Practice and Relationships for Learning

Chapter 3 PAUSE—A Problem-Solving Framework: Blending Relationship and

Reflective Skills

Appendix 3A PAUSE Worksheet

Appendix 3B Provider Reflection Worksheet

Chapter 4 What’s Going on in There? Understanding Causes of Behavior

Appendix 4A Exploring Challenging Behaviors—Pulling it Together Worksheet

Chapter 5 Calm Down! Early Regulation: Sleeping, Eating, and Soothing

Appendix 5A Tips for Calming Your Baby

Chapter 6 Stop That! Biting, Hitting, Throwing, and Meltdowns

Appendix 6A Tips for Challenging Behaviors

Chapter 7 Why Won’t You Listen? Cooperating and Following Directions

Appendix 7A Practice Reframing Commands

Chapter 8 Don’t Be Such a Baby: Fears and Separation Issues

Chapter 9 What Else Might This Be? Family Challenges

Appendix 9A Practice Discussing Difficult Topics

Chapter 10 You Can’t Do This Alone: Boundaries, Self-Care, and Supervision

Appendix 10A Reflection on Work–Life Balance

 

Last Reflection

Reflective Supervision and Consultation (RSC): What Is It, Why Do I Need It, And How

Can I Use It Most Effectively?

Form 1: Reflective Supervision and Consultation (RSC) Preparation Worksheet

 

References

Index

Reviews

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Reviews

Elizabeth B. Frisbie, MA, MS.Ed., I/ECMH-C, CCP, Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant/Reflective Supervisor, Prevention Initiative (0-3) and Preschool For All Programs, IL State Board of Education - July 22, 2024
"Filled with case examples of real-life situations, tips for practice, helpful guidance worksheets, and applications of the PAUSE framework, Tackling the Tough Stuff (2nd Ed) is destined to become a foundational reference in the field of early childhood home visiting. The authors' conversational tone and practical guidance regarding many challenging situations will make this book a go-to resource for home visitors experiencing uncertainty in their work. Readers will feel supported, gain new skills and increase their sense of competency in addition to broadening their understanding of the experiences of today’s families and how best to support them through reflective relationships."
Dorian Traube, Ph.D., LCSW, Neidorff Family and Centene Corporation Dean of the Brown School and Professor, Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis - July 22, 2024
"Tackling the Tough Stuff 2e is a vital tool for translating research-based strategies into comprehensive, actionable guidance for home visitors. Home visitors who practice from this relational and reflective approach will find that they are better able to support families navigating personal and structural challenges."
Bridget A. Walsh, Ph.D., CFLE, Professor of Human Development and Family Science and Home Visitor Coach at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) and the Child and Family Research Center at UNR - July 22, 2024
"Tackling the Tough Stuff: A Home Visitor's Guide to Supporting Families at Risk, Second Edition is an invaluable resource that emphasizes the well-being of home visitors, the importance of relationships, and the valuable PAUSE framework. This framework values perspective-taking and thoughtful solution-finding by integrating reflective practice with relational skills, helping home visitors navigate complex situations by encouraging them to pause, reflect, and respond thoughtfully. It's a powerful tool supporting the home visitor's professional growth and the family's progress. This text is an essential addition to any home visitor's or supporter of home visitors' library, offering practical tips, reflection exercises, and effective approaches to the complex challenges of supporting families at risk."
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