Violence, forgiveness, and healing

Domestic violence is a widespread, though largely invisible, problem, often exacerbated by the pastoral urge to "keep the family together" at all costs. Yet if that is not a solution, how should the church relate to batterers?

"I believe that the Christian community, if it is to be genuinely a community of healing and hope, must attend to both the victims and the perpetrators of domestic violence", says David Livingston. Addressing the complex phenomenon of intimate violence against wives, lovers, and children, Livingston profiles batterers and battering and traces it to larger cultural pathologies. He explores the ambiguous role of religion and then offers practical advice of pastoral and programmatic efforts to embrace simultaneously the twin Christian imperatives of forgiveness and responsibility.

Decolonizing Human Behavior in the Social Environment: A Reader for an Anti-Oppressive Approach challenges the socialization of preservice social workers by examining the complex features of individuals, families, groups, and societies and how they present themselves within the context of the multiple and simultaneous influences on behavior, cognitions, and emotions. This text is divided into three distinct units. Unit I development at the individual level and the influences that shape human behavior, including adverse childhood experiences, identity development through social media, resilience, and chronic illness. Unit II focuses on interpersonal dynamics with articles that explore grief theories, the transgender experience, intergenerational trauma, privilege, and more. Unit III examines structural social systems such as institutional racism, religious-based prejudice, and structural violence. Written to help social work students and professionals begin the process of decolonizing their education and practice, Decolonizing Human Behavior in the Social Environment is an essential and timely reader for courses and programs in social work. It is also an exemplary resource for practitioners at all levels.

During hard times, Shawn Kilgarlin has felt the Scripture's messages guiding her life. In God's Love Letters, she brings together thoughts about the day-to-day guidance Biblical passages provide and how understanding God's love leads to spiritual resiliency-the strength to cope with life's problems. Shawn shares her remarkable journey using real life, day-to-day examples. She illustrates how you can use the Bible as a guide to love and praise God and live according to His word. You will come away with a deeper understanding of what bouncing back from adversity means in the Christian life. Join Shawn on her journey to understand: The characteristics of love The power of forgiveness The Christian way to praise and show gratitude to God How to use the Bible as a guide to enrich all your relationships How living a Christian life helps you develop spiritual resiliency God's Love Letters reminds us that God doesn't promise an easy life, but He gives us the faith to make it through difficulties. Use this uplifting book-and its abundantly quoted and interpreted scriptures-to help you rise above adversity and develop your own spiritual resilience.

It is essential for counselors and counseling professionals to understand the impact of their personal biases and how these biases can impact the counseling process, in addition to respecting and honoring the beliefs of their clients. Communication and the sharing of experiences between counsellors is an effective strategy for perfecting methods to identify and address these biases. Cases on Cross-Cultural Counseling Strategies is a comprehensive research book that explores creative healing approaches used by counselors working with diverse clients in a variety of geographical locations, developmental levels, and complex and varied identities. Each case study applies the Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (MSJCCs) to the counseling relationship and looks at unique aspects of the client's identity, specific approaches taken by the counselor, and the outcomes of the counseling relationship. Featuring a broad range of topics such as higher education, international counseling, and gender identity, this book is ideal for counselors, therapists, psychologists, counselor educators, graduate students, practitioners, academicians, and researchers.

Assessment and Classification of Juvenile Offenders: A Treatment Manual for Criminal Justice Practitioners guides current and aspiring criminal justice professionals through the process of assessing, classifying, and correcting delinquent and criminal behaviors exhibited by youth offenders. The text employs a medical model, leveraging scientific insight into human thought and behavior, to demonstrate how criminality and delinquency, like physical illnesses, can be treated by prompt and accurate evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment. Over the course of 19 chapters, readers learn about offenses generally committed by youth, why they commit such offenses, and how to prevent or control criminal and delinquent behaviors. The chapters provide broader understanding of what takes place-or what should take place-in the post-adjudication and prosecution phases of youth offenders. Through the medical lens model, readers learn about the roles played by protective, risk, and needs factors; how to use classification tools to effectively assess youth offenders; the difference between legal and clinical offenders; and social, economic, and political factors that can contribute to delinquency. Assessment and Classification of Juvenile Offenders is an ideal resource for courses in criminal justice, criminology, social work, psychology, and sociology.

Since its first issue in 1988, much interesting and inspiring material has been published in Groupwork. Most of this still says much of use to today's groupworkers, and there is a steady stream of requests for reprints. We are therefore making back volumes of Groupwork available in volume form. Authors in this volume include leading academic figures in the field as well as practitioners working in the field. Any groupworker will find this material of enduring interest.

An International Approach to Social Work: Connecting Across Cultures to Inform Practice examines the full range of challenges that social workers around the world are called to address, including forced migration, environmental justice, human trafficking, and more. This text bridges the gap between community-based social work and global systems, encouraging students and practitioners to broaden their perspectives, while providing them with the competencies they need to confront globally interconnected challenges. The book features chapters written by experts from varied backgrounds and professional contexts. Section One focuses on the international and intercultural context of social work education. The chapters cover field placements, the role of culture in social work practice, and the importance of multicultural competencies for social workers. Section Two presents applications of multicultural competencies from global perspectives. These chapters explore topics ranging from community well-being to gender education and youth leadership to the development of refugee populations. Section Three presents additional considerations for life and work abroad for social workers. An International Approach to Social Work is an ideal resource for students and new professionals in social work, counseling, psychology, sociology, and other related professions.

" ... Take advantage of this resource to effectively enhance your ability to exercise faith within life's decisions."
-Anthony L. Johnson PhD, author of To Be Determined Director, Growing Through Life Experiences, Inc., Colleyville, Texas

In Life under Construction, seasoned minister Kenneth Raymond utilizes biblical wisdom to help individuals with high-impact decision-making.

With more than twenty years of experience in faith-based leadership, Kenneth Raymond encourages believers to follow the will of God and the influence of the Holy Spirit to improve decision-making. While portraying the decision-making process utilized to achieve the visions

God provided to role models Adam, Abraham, Joseph, and other biblical figures, Kenneth Raymond teaches Christians how to:
Close the door on negativity by eliminating errors in judgment caused by external influences. Understand how God continues to teach individuals how to employ their gifts and His strategies to reach their destinies. Seize the opportunity to develop new skills for long-term success. Learn how to maximize the power of God's word and the Holy Spirit to overcome obstacles in life. God's desire is that each of us lives our days in prosperity and our years in pleasure. Life under Construction aids the Body of Christ in moving forward in the plans of God by providing real answers to real problems.

Both a manual on the various methods for working with dreams and an easily understandable description about dreamwork methods and PTSD nightmares for general readers, this book will benefit psychotherapists, counselors, academics, and students. Working with Dreams and PTSD Nightmares: 14 Approaches for Psychotherapists and Counselors is an essential tool for anyone seeking to learn how to work with dreams. It covers all major methods in use today, offering outlines of the processes with descriptive examples that make the material come alive for the reader. The clinical examples enable counselors and psychotherapists to be able to see the effectiveness of dreamwork processes, and the text clearly explains techniques so readers can use them in clinical and counseling sessions. PTSD nightmares are given special attention to serve counselors and therapists who assist PTSD patients in settings such as private practice, mental health centers, community centers, and hospitals. This book is a comprehensive textbook appropriate for courses on psychology and dreams. Readers who are interested in dreamwork methods but have not previously worked in the field will find the information accessible, concise, and clear. Summarizes dreamwork theories and describes techniques that counselors and psychotherapists can use whether their clients presents one dream, a recurring dream, or a nightmare Presents clear and concise explanations from top professionals on how their methods can be applied to uncover the deeper meaning of dreams, accompanied by illustrative examples for the reader Explains how various practical dreamwork methods are informed by clinical theories

What is at the root of the problem of humanity? Is it pride or lack of self-esteem? Do we love ourselves too much or too little? The debate about the human condition has often been framed this way in both theological and psychological circles. Convictions about preaching, teaching, marriage and child rearing, as well as politics, social welfare, business management and the helping professions, more often than not, fall on one side or the other of this divide. With theological and psychological insight Terry D. Cooper provides trenchant analysis of this centuries-long debate and leads us beyond the usual impasse. Humanistic psychology has often regarded traditional Christianity as its archrival in assessing the human condition. Cooper demonstrates how the Christian doctrine of a sinful and fallen humanity sheds light on the human condition which exhibits both pride and self-denigration. Bringing theological insights ranging from Augustine and John Calvin to Reinhold Niebuhr together with the psychological theories of Freud, Jung, Carl Rogers, Gerald May and Karen Horney, Cooper guides readers through the maze of competing claims to a resolution which affirms Christian conviction while critically engaging modern psychological theory. A model of the proper integration of Christian theology and the discipline of psychology, Sin, Pride & Self-Acceptance will be of special help to students and practitioners of psychology, pastoral counseling and clinical psychology.

Trainee therapists need to show practical competence through the production of client reports and case studies. Reporting in Counselling and Psychotherapy is a unique hands-on guide to this element of practical work. Using clinical examples to guide the reader, and a detailed analysis of case study and process report writing, it will show how to present clear, concise and properly presented reports. The book will be an invaluable tool, not only for those embarking on a practical training in psychotherapy, counselling and psychology, but also for trainers in these areas and for clinicians writing clinical reports or case presentations.

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An essential resource for those interested in multicultural issues, this dictionary presents common terms used in multicultural counseling and research. The terms are not only denotatively defined, but connotations are also included, as well as historical information and important writings about the terms. The dictionary is thus not only a straightforward compendium of definitions, but also a resource for further investigation.

This is intended to be a resource for those interested in the area of multiculturalism. Important publications investigating and/or explicating these terms are also discussed and referenced. Moreover, authors define these terms with a point of view; many terms are defined in a manner that connects them with perspectives commonly expressed by scholars and practitioners in the field. Thus, connotations are included as well as denotations of the terms.

This book examines a variety of psychological intervention strategies used in counseling and therapy to bring about change. It is a handbook of strategies which reviews major forms of interventions, reviews research evidence of effectiveness, and challenges existing theoretical boundaries. In contrast to existing handbooks, Ballou offers interventions identified by their goal of change, rather than by a particular theoretical orientation or the kind of difficulty the client is undergoing. Each chapter describes a strategy, presents clear instruction for its use, and considers appropriate and inappropriate uses for the strategy. Each chapter also addresses the research evidence underlying claims of effectiveness. Edited by an academic and practitioner of counseling psychology, the book seeks to address the needs of both professionals in the field and students and scholars in the academic community.

A series of essays considering the use of social groupwork with offenders in carceral and community settings

No one wants to be sued. A lawsuit is an assault on one 's self-image, reputation, and livelihood. It is physically, mentally, and financially draining. The purpose of this book is (1) to provide genetic counselors with varying levels of experience and expertise with heightened awareness of the sources and processes of the law as it can affect their practice; (2) to offer them strategies for minimizing the potential for their being named in a lawsuit; and (3) to provide guidance for the management of current and emerging situations. This is the first book specifically addressing genetic counseling, as opposed to general healthcare risk management.

All cultures use story as a way to make sense of life experiences. Yet for many, particularly in the western world, only a single story line is seen as the "real truth." Using narrative therapy as a caregiving approach can help individuals uncover multilayered narratives that are far more complex and liberating. Coyle contends that not only are these more complex narratives more helpful in giving our lives meaning, they also critique the cultural discourses in which they arose. Drawing on both theological approaches and real life experiences, Coyle creates a contextual pastoral theology that helps caregivers find the power of God in people's stories.

"One problem with evangelistic sermons is that they look and sound like evangelistic sermons." So says Craig Loscalzo, respected preacher and teacher of preachers. He believes in the gospel and its unique power, but knows that today's pastors no longer proclaim the gospel in a more or less "Christian" culture. Our pluralistic setting means that the evangelistic sermons of yesterday--which assumed a common premise and deep respect for Christian authorities--can no longer work so smoothly. So here you will find invaluable guidance in shaping evangelistic sermons that are fresh and appealing to today's unbeliever. Evangelistic Preaching that Connects includes a rationale for evangelistic preaching, sample sermons and practical direction, making it ideal for working pastors and seminary students alike.

The need to take the spiritual experience during illness into account is part of a broader trend in Western societies-a fascination with the practical uses of spirituality and its contribution to individual wellbeing, whether through a religious or a humanist tradition. This understanding of spirituality differs from traditional views embedded in religious traditions. This book takes a critical point of view at the biomedical representation of the function of spirituality in care. Medicine reorders notions such as life, death, health, sickness, and spirituality. This process is called here "sapientialization", i.e. the spiritual experience is expressed and understood under the auspices of and in terms of wisdom. This view tends to identify spirituality and ethics. I propose an alternate understanding of spirituality, grounded on its subversive power. Inspired by the work of the theologian John D. Caputo, it is critical of some problems that are associated with the sapientialization of spirituality in biomedicine, such as the medicalization of spiritual experiences or the instrumentalization of spirituality. It provides an understanding of spirituality that honours both the medical interest in it and its capacity to resist to instrumentalization.