Over the course of the centuries the meanings around mental illness have shifted many times according to societal beliefs and the political atmosphere of the day. The way madness is defined has far reaching effects on those who have a mental disorder, and determines how they are treated by the professionals responsible for their care, and the society of which they are a part. Although madness as mental illness seems to be the dominant Western view of madness, it is by no means the only view of what it means to be 'mad'. The symptoms of madness or mental illness occur in all cultures of the world, but have different meanings in different social and cultural contexts. Evidence suggests that meanings of mental illness have a significant impact on subjective experience; the idioms used in the expression thereof, indigenous treatments, and subsequent outcomes. Thus, the societal understandings of madness are central to the problem of mental illness and those with the lived experience can lead the process of reconstructing this meaning.

Readings in Abnormal Psychology: Multiple Perspectives presents students with a collection of carefully curated readings that examine the major psychopathologies in the DSM-5 from a variety of viewpoints. The book does not advocate a single approach toward etiologies, diagnoses, and treatments. Rather, it encourages readers to critically analyze various perspectives, decide which they agree with and which they do not, and use the information to further develop their individual therapeutic approaches. The anthology is organized into 15 chapters, each of which is devoted to a particular aspect of abnormal psychology-foundational knowledge, clinical assessment, and a variety of disorders, including anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, PTSD, dissociative disorders, depression, and eating disorders, as well as somatic, paraphilic, personality, and sleep-wake disorders. There are also chapters devoted to sexual dysfunction and neurodevelopment and neurocognitive disorders. Each chapter features original writing to provide essential context and end-of-chapter questions to stimulate critical thinking and assess comprehension. Featuring first-person narratives, data-based research articles, and vital knowledge within the discipline, Readings in Abnormal Psychology is an ideal supplementary resource for courses in abnormal psychology.

"Play Therapy: Treatment Planning and Interventions: The Ecosystemic Model and Workbook, 2e," provides key information on one of the most rapidly developing and growing areas of therapy. Ecosystemic play therapy is a dynamic integrated therapeutic model for addressing the mental health needs of children and their families. The book is designed to help play therapists develop specific treatment goals and focused treatment plans as now required by many regulating agencies and third-party payers. Treatment planning is based on a comprehensive case conceptualization that is developmentally organized, strength-based, and grounded in an ecosystemic context of multiple interacting systems.

The text presents guidelines for interviewing clients and families as well as pretreatment assessments and data gathering for ecosystemic case conceptualization. The therapist's theoretical model, expertise, and context are considered. The book includes descriptions of actual play therapy activities organized by social-emotional developmental levels of the children. Any preparation the therapist may need to complete before the session is identified, as is the outcome the therapist may expect. Each activity description ends with a suggestion about how the therapist might follow up on the content and experience in future sessions. The activity descriptions are practical and geared to the child. Case examples and completed sections of the workbook are provided. It provides the therapist with an easy-to-use format for recording critical case information, specific treatment goals, and the overall treatment plan. Workbook templates can be downloaded and adapted for the therapist's professional practice.
Presents a comprehensive theory of play therapyClearly relates the theoretical model to interventionsProvides examples of the application of both the theory and the intervention model to specific casesDescribes actual play therapy activitiesWorkbook format provides a means of obtaining comprehensive intake and assessment dataCase examples provided throughout"