Kevin is a sometimes-violent teenager with severe emotional disturbance in a family environment of poverty and stress. In this ethnography of a children's mental health care team, communication scholar Christine S. Davis delves deeply into how members of the team create hope for themselves, for Kevin, and for his family using a strengths orientation and future focus. A rich, evocative narrative that highlights multiple voices and interpretations, Davis provides a multilayered study of how social service workers can motivate and heal troubled families in challenging environments. The volume includes clinical and practice considerations for those working in the social welfare system