Social workers play a crucial part in contemporary society by ensuring that individuals are able to address, overcome, and manage obstacles in their daily lives. In an effort to better serve their clients, many practitioners have turned to evidence-based practice. Evidence Discovery and Assessment in Social Work Practice provides practitioners with the tools necessary to locate, analyze, and apply the latest empirical research findings in the field to their individual practice. This premier reference work provides insights and support to professionals and researchers working in the fields of social work, counseling, psychotherapy, case management, and psychology.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1961.

Pardeck and his contributors approach the topic of family health from a macro perspective. Family health is a holistic approach to treatment embracing aspects of family functioning not typically considered in other more traditional approaches to assessment and treatment. They place particular emphasis on the ecological context in which the family functions, including the neighborhood, community, and other larger social systems. Family health is defined as the development of, and continuous interaction among, the physical, mental, emotional, social, economic, cultural, and spiritual dimensions of the family, that result in the holistic well-being of the family and its members. The chapters in the book are guided by a number of key premises, including (a) Family health social work practice is grounded in a biopsychosocial approach to assessment and treatment; (b) Family health is based in a systems-ecological approach to assessment and intervention because of the role that various systems play in the well-being of the family; (c) Family health views the family system as the most important system for promoting the growth and development of the person; (d) Family health social work practice requires close collaboration between social work practitioners and other professionals. Based on these basic premises, Pardeck focuses on the macro level issues of family health practice that include community intervention, policy and program development, and program administration. The book is an important resource for social work professionals, scholars, students, and other researchers involved with social work practice and human services.

This comprehensive update offers practical advice for professionals working in neuropsychology with older adults. Focusing on fundamentals, common issues, special considerations, and late-life cognitive disorders, respected names in this critical specialty address a wide range of presenting problems and assessment, diagnostic, and treatment concerns. Th roughout, coverage pays keen attention to detail, bringing real-world nuance to large-scale concepts and breaking down complex processes into digestible steps. And like its predecessor, the new Handbook features recommendations for test batteries and ends each chapter by extracting its "clinical pearls." A sampling of the topics covered: * Assessment of depression and anxiety in older adults. * The assessment of change: serial assessments in dementia evaluations. * Elder abuse identifi cation in older adults. * Clinical assessment of postoperative cognitive decline. * Cognitive training and rehabilitation in aging and dementia. * Diff erentiating mild cognitive impairment and cognitive changes of normal aging. * Evaluating cognition in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This Second Edition of the Handbook on the Neuropsychology of Aging and Dementia offers a wealth of expert knowledge and hands-on guidance for neuropsychologists, gerontologists, social workers, and other clinicians interested in aging. Th is can be a valuable reference for those studying for board certifi cation in neuropsychology as well as a resource for veteran practitioners brushing up on key concepts in neuropsychology of age related disorders.

This handbook offers a comprehensive review of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for working in integrated pediatric behavioral health care settings. It provides research findings, explanations of theoretical concepts and principles, and descriptions of therapeutic procedures as well as case studies from across broad conceptual areas. Chapters discuss the value of integrated care, diversity issues, ethical considerations, and the necessary adaptations. In addition, chapters address specific types of pediatric conditions and patients, such as the implementation of CBT with patients with gastrointestinal complaints, enuresis, encopresis, cancer, headaches, epilepsy, sleep problems, diabetes, and asthma. The handbook concludes with important directions in research and practice, including training and financial considerations.Topics featured in this handbook include: Emotional regulation and pediatric behavioral health problems. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for pediatric medical conditions. Pharmacological interventions and the combined use of CBT and medication. CBT in pediatric patients with chronic pain. CBT for pediatric obesity. CBT-informed treatments and approaches for transgender and gender expansive youth. Medical non-compliance and non-adherence associated with CBT. Training issues in pediatric psychology. The Handbook of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Pediatric Medical Conditions is an essential resource for researchers and graduate students as well as clinicians, related therapists, and professionals in clinical child and school psychology, pediatrics, social work, developmental psychology, behavioral therapy/rehabilitation, child and adolescent psychiatry, nursing, and special education.

This guy is tough, and so is his message.(By Ruben Rosario, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, MN August 2011. Edited for length)Like the U.S. Postal Service, apparently nothing keeps Larry Bauer-Scandin - foster dad to 125 - from his self-appointed rounds.Not the weather. Not the heart ailments or the genetic neurological disorder that robbed him of movement and rendered him legally blind. The 64-year-old Vadnais Heights resident just gets up and does it."My life was normal for the first nine years of my life until 1957 when my foot went to sleep, except that my foot never woke up," Bauer-Scandin told a group of inmates from the 3100 unit at the Dakota County Jail.But that's not the main message that Bauer-Scandin, a retired probation officer and jail counselor, wants to deliver on this day. "Whom do you blame for your problems?" he asks the group of 34 men, who are members of IMC, or Inmates Motivated to Change. Under the program, inmates with chemical dependency or mostly nonviolent offenses sign an agreement to take part in several programs and pledge not to make the same mistakes that keep landing them in lock-up."What people need to do is stand in front of a mirror and ask: 'How much of the problem is mine and how much is it somebody else?' "I first wrote about Bauer-Scandin five years ago. It was centered on his life as a foster parent. As he told the inmates, two of his former foster kids are cops, one in St. Paul. Two are soldiers deployed to Iraq. One's a millionaire. One's an author. Most are raising families or staying out of trouble in spite of hardships.But "15 are dead," said Bauer-Scandin, author of "Faces on the Clock," an engrossing memoir about his life. The dead include suicide victims, including an 11-year-old, others from AIDS and "my last one, they found in three or four pieces, as I understand."Bauer-Scandin's worth writing about again for what he continues to do at great pain and sacrifice without pay or fanfare. He didn't sugarcoat or pull punches with his audience."What I'm afraid is still happening is that the system is trying to figure out how to get tighter," he told them. "The sentences are getting tougher."And it's not the police, the sheriffs, the courts or even the folks in state and county-run corrections that are responsible for the race to incarcerate."It's the legislature," Bauer-Scandin said. "And legislatures have been known to do very stupid things."He also faults the media and a gullible public that forms opinions and dehumanizes people strictly on what they watch on TV and not on real-life experiences or knowledge."What do they see?" he said. "They see the Charlie Mansons. They see the unusual. They see the extreme. Most of you aren't that way. But that's what makes the news."Yet he doesn't divert from his main message: It's up to the inmate to take a positive step and choose the right way."Get yourself back into a position where you can influence those people, to be able to go to a school board or a city council or legislative meeting and have your voice heard."You can't fight the system from in here," he concluded. "You have to be out there."The inmates applauded and, one by one, stood in line to shake his hand on his way out the jail complex.His progressively debilitating disorder is taking more of a toll these days. But he steered the scooter inside the van and deftly wiggled his frail body into the driver's seat. He has no complaints, he told me. He will continue to go out and speak as long as God and his wife allow him."I hope something stuck," he tells me before he drives off.I hope so too, Larry.

The dramatically increasing aging population of Hong Kong has elicited new risks and opportunities to facilitate a positive life for older adults. This book offers a holistic review of gerontological theories and literature, and constructs a conceptual framework of social support networks, coping and positive aging. In light of the implications of the convoy model of social support to depict an indigenous landscape of positive aging in Hong Kong, this is one of the very few empirical studies that adopts both quantitative research and qualitative research. The research consisted of a pilot study of in-depth interviews with 16 older Hong Kong Chinese and a main study surveying 393 older members of District Elderly Community Center. The results of the study indicate that family and peer support constitute the mainstay of support networks of the elderly, and that family and peer support are associated with positive aging. Moreover, the study shows that it is the depth of emotional closeness, namely, close interaction and intimacy with social partners that makes the greatest contribution to positive aging. Additionally, problem coping and emotion coping are found to mediate the relationship between social support networks and positive aging. There is potential in bringing more domestic helpers into elderly care and improving the service quality such that the goal of Aging in Place can be promoted in Hong Kong. Intended for researchers in social work, gerontology and positive psychology, it is also essential reading for graduates and social work professionals interested in this area. This book makes a valuable contribution to social gerontological research among Hong Kong older adults and the promotion of wellbeing in the elderly via the construct of positive aging in the culture of Chinese society.

This edited volume builds on existing alternative food initiatives and food movements research to explore how a systems approach can bring about health and well-being through enhanced collaboration. Chapters describe the myriad ways community-driven actors work to foster food systems that are socially just, embed food in local economies, regenerate the environment and actively engage citizens. Drawing on case studies, interviews and Participatory Action Research projects, the editors share the stories behind community-driven efforts to develop sustainable food systems, and present a critical assessment of both the tensions and the achievements of these initiatives. The volume is unique in its focus on approaches and methodologies that both support and recognize the value of community-based practices. Throughout the book the editors identify success stories, challenges and opportunities that link practitioner experience to critical debates in food studies, practice and policy. By making current practices visible to scholars, the volume speaks to people engaged in the co-creation of knowledge, and documents a crucial point in the evolution of a rapidly expanding and dynamic sustainable food systems movement. Entrenched food insecurity, climate change induced crop failures, rural-urban migration, escalating rates of malnutrition related diseases, and aging farm populations are increasingly common obstacles for communities around the world. Merging private, public and civil society spheres, the book gives voice to actors from across the sustainable food system movement including small businesses, not-for-profits, eaters, farmers and government. Insights into the potential for market restructuring, knowledge sharing, planning and bridging civic-political divides come from across Canada, the United States and Mexico, making this a key resource for policy-makers, students, citizens, and practitioners.

This book examines the causes and consequences of suicide from the perspective of economics. The approach here differs from those in medical, psychiatric, epidemiological, and sociological studies of suicide and is thus novel in a way that highlights the importance of economic and institutional settings in the problem of suicide. The authors argue that suicide imposes a tremendous economic cost on contemporary society in a variety of ways, requiring the government to develop an effective prevention strategy. An empirical analysis using data from Japan and other developed countries shows that natural disasters and economic crises increase suicide rates, while liberal government policies favorable to the poor can decrease them. Further, the types of effective prevention strategies in the context of railway/subway suicides, celebrity suicides, public awareness campaigns, and education using data primarily from Japan are revealed. This book ultimately contributes to an understanding of suicides and the development of evidence-based policy proposals. The Japanese version of this book won the 56th Nikkei Prize for Economics Books (Nikkei Keizai Tosho Bunka Award) in 2013. Yasuyuki Sawada is Chief Economist of the Asian Development Bank and Professor of Economics at The University of Tokyo. Michiko Ueda is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Political Science and Economics at Waseda University. Tetsuya Matsubayashi is Associate Professor of Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP) at Osaka University.

This textbook features a groundbreaking collection of chapters co-written by Aboriginal authors. Informed by current field expertise, it provides an innovative teaching resource that recognizes and appreciates Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing, and demonstrates a commitment to decolonizing and reconciliation within social work and Allied Health. Aboriginal Fields of Practice explores many areas that have not been discussed before in contemporary Australia, including discussion of practice in criminal justice and an understanding of rural and remote practice. This valuable text will provide an excellent grounding for students and practitioners working with Aboriginal peoples.

This handbook addresses a broad range of topics relating to children's social behaviors and skills. It examines numerous disorders and problems that are directly affected by excesses and deficits of social skills. The book begins by providing an overview of the history and definition of social skills, citing it as a critical aspect of children's development. Chapters discuss developmental issues, provide theories of social competence, and assemble proven strategies for promoting the growth of social skills and for treating their deficits. The handbook also reviews a variety of methods for assessing various social competencies, including direct and naturalistic observation, skills checklists, self-reports, and functional behavior analysis. In addition, it provides a comprehensive overview of various training methods, including social learning, parent and peer treatments, self-control methods, social skill group programs, and curricula. Topics featured in the Handbook include: Current research and practical strategies for promoting children's social and emotional competence in schools. Social skills in children with autism spectrum disorder. Intellectual disabilities and their effect on social skills. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and its effect on the development of social skills in children. Evidence-based methods of dealing with social difficulties in conduct disorder. The Handbook of Social Behavior and Skills in Children is a must-have resource for researchers, graduate students, clinicians, and related therapists and professionals in clinical child and school psychology, pediatrics, social work, developmental psychology, behavioral therapy/rehabilitation, child and adolescent psychiatry, and special education.

The Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative (GCSWI), which is spearheaded by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW), represents a major endeavor for the entire field of social work. GCSWI calls for bold innovation and collective action powered by proven and evolving scientific interventions to address critical social issues facing society. The purpose of GCSWI was modeled after the National Academy of Engineering, which aimed to identify some of the most persistent engineering problems of the day and then put the attentions, energies, and funding of the entire field to work on them for a decade. The GCSWI does the same for social issues, tackling problems such as homelessness, social isolation, mass incarceration, family violence, and economic inequality. Grand Challenges for Social Work and Society is an edited book that will present the foundations of the GCSWI, laying out the start of the initiative and providing summaries of each of the twelve challenges. The 12 main chapters that form the core of the book, one on each of the dozen Grand Challenges, are written by the primary research teams who are driving each GC project.

In this compelling anthology of essays, professor Aslam Fataar reflflects on the ethical foundations essential for faithful and just living in today’s complex world. Anchored in the principle of adab al-ihsān – ethics of beauty and excellence – Fataar guides readers towards God-conscious, dignifified living that champions social justice.

Drawing from personal experiences, including his hajj pilgrimage with his wife, Najwa (co-author of four of the essays), and the legacies of anti-apartheid icons such as Imām Abdullah Haron and Imām Gassan Solomon, this work offffers both intellectual depth and practical wisdom. Addressing critical issues such as social inequality, genocide, war, environmental crises, and digital disruption, Fataar inspires readers to confront moral challenges with compassion, truth, and justice.

This essential volume serves as a beacon for those invested in public theology, ethical leadership, and social transformation in South Africa and globally.

Written by a team of nationally recognized African American social work professionals with extensive and distinguished backgrounds of HIV/AIDS service, the book examines the crisis facing African American communities. The editors strive to convey to academics, researchers, and students the magnitude of the crisis and that individuals and organizations serving African Americans need to be able to respond to the service delivery needs this crisis brings.

The crisis is evident in the fact that by year 2000 fully 50% of all AIDS cases will be among African Americans--who only constitute 12% of the nation's population. This book serves as a wake-up call and is designed to stimulate discussion and planning for new models of service to all African Americans and HIV prevention, education, and treatment.

Cultural practices have the potential to cause human suffering. The Tensions between Culture and Human Rights critically interrogates the relationship between culture and human rights across Africa and offers strategies for pedagogy and practice that social workers and educators may use.Drawing on Afrocentricity and emancipatory social work as antidotes to colonial power and dehumanization, this collection challenges cultural practices that violate human rights, and the dichotomous and taken-for-granted assumptions in the cultural representations between the West and the Rest of the world. Engaging critically with cultural traditions while affirming Indigenous knowledge and practices, it is unafraid to deal frankly with uncomfortable truths. Each chapter explores a specific aspect of African cultural norms and practices and their impacts on human rights and human dignity, paying special attention to the intersections of politics, economics, race, class, gender, and cultural expression. Going beyond analysis, this collection offers a range of practical approaches to understanding and intervention rooted in emancipatory social work. It offers a pathway to develop critical reflexivity and to reframe epistemologies for education and practice. This is essential reading not only for students and practitioners of social work, but for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of African cultures and practices.

This data-rich volume reviews short- and long-term consequences of residential or institutional care for children across the globe as well as approaches to reducing maltreatment. Up-to-date findings from a wide range of developing and developed countries identify forms of abuse and neglect associated with institutionalization and their effects on development and pathology in younger children, adolescents, and alumni. The sections on intervention strategies highlight the often-conflicting objectives facing professionals and policymakers balancing the interests of children, families, and facilities. But despite many national and regional variations, two themes stand out: the universal right of children to live in safety, and the ongoing need for professionals and community to ensure this safety. Included among the topics: Maltreatment and living conditions in long-term residential institutions for children Outcomes from institutional rearing Recommendations to improve institutional living Historical, political, socio-economic, and cultural influences on Child Welfare Systems Latin American and the Caribbean, African, Asian, Middle-Eastern, Western and Eastern European countries and the United States of America are presented. Child Maltreatment in Residential Care will inform psychology professionals interested in the role of residential care in the lives of children, and possibilities for improved outcomes. It will also interest social workers and mental health practitioners and researchers seeking evidence-based interventions for families adopting children from residential care.

Evaluation is an essential element of professional practice. However, there is little in the literature that is designed to help students involve and support young people in evaluating the impact of youth work activities. This comprehensive book explores current thinking about evaluation in the context of youth work and community work and offers both theoretical understanding and practical guidance for students, practitioners, organisational leaders and commissioners. Part 1 provides underpinning knowledge of the origins, purpose and functions of evaluation. It charts the developments in evaluation thinking over the past 50 years, and includes an exploration of 'theory of change'. Concepts such as impact, impact measurement and shared measurement are critically examined to illustrate the political nature of evaluation. Findings from empirical research are used to illuminate the challenges of applying a quasi-experimental paradigm of evaluation of youth and community work. Part 2 introduces the reader to participatory evaluation and presents an overview of the histories, rationale and underpinning principles. Empowerment evaluation, collaborative evaluation and democratic evaluation are examined in detail, including practice examples. Transformative Evaluation, an approach specifically designed for youth and community work, is presented. Part 3 focuses on the 'doing' of participatory evaluation and offers guidance to those new to participatory evaluation in youth and community work and a helpful check for those already engaging. It provides valuable information on planning, methods, data and data analysis and processes for sharing knowledge. This essential text will enable the reader to reconstruct evaluation as a tool for learning as well as a tool for judging value. It provides a comprehensive reference, drawing on a wide range of literature and practice examples to support those involved in youth and community work to develop and implement participatory approaches to evaluating and communicating the meaning and value of youth and community work to a wider audience.

This practical text offers professional guidance on stopping domestic violence in couples and families and promoting healing and safety in its aftermath. Rich in theoretical diversity (attachment, trauma, feminist, narrative) and inclusive of family structures and forms of violence, the coverage takes an approach to understanding both complex circumstances and intervening with families. The tasks of healing, from reestablishing trust to fostering positive coping, are clearly linked to effects of abuse such as unresolved loss, blunted trauma responses, poor emotion regulation, and damaged relational esteem. And because sustained safety is crucial to well-being, the authors extend their concepts of safety to include professionals' own experience, security, and self-care. Among the topics covered: * Living with violence in the family: retrospective recall of women's childhood experiences. * How to help stop the violence: using a safety methodology across the life span. * Helping couples separate safely: working towards safe separations. * Healing and repair in relationships: working therapeutically with couples. * Working systemically with parents, children, and adult survivors when the abuse stops. * Supervision and consultation with practitioners who intervene with families and trauma. Intervening After Violence: Therapy for Couples and Families is an essential resource for social workers and mental health professionals engaged in clinical practice seeking strategies for working therapeutically and systematically with couples and families coping with physical and emotional violence.

This invaluable guide helps social workers develop the writing skills necessary for a successful career. Actual examples drawn from all arenas of social work demonstrate strong and problematic writing. Organized around the core social work curriculum, the book's examples are applicable to every foundation course. Each example begins with field notes and proceeds through drafts to the final version, with explanations about corrections. Readers learn by doing through exercises interspersed throughout. Written by a social work and an English professor, the book provides a fusion of writing and practice, covering all the tools necessary for developing professional social work writing skills. Key Features: Provides chapters for each of the BSW/MSW foundational courses (HBSE, Practice, Policy, Research, and Fieldwork) to exemplify writing expectations in each area. Juxtaposes original drafts and corrected final versions with explanations about corrections made to highlight common mistakes. Includes writing samples used in actual practice such as research reports, court documentation, grant applications, intake forms, progress notes, press releases, and case assessments that exemplify every day challenges. Provides self-assessments and exercises to help readers identify their strengths and challenges. Highlights typical writing challenges including sentence structure, punctuation, use of voice and excessive verbiage, and sample resumes and cover letters, providing a valuable lifetime resource. Encourages practice in writing in different contexts and with different audiences to prepare readers for working in any social work venue. Covers legal and ethical issues and writing to influence policy and transmit research findings. New to this edition: Emphasizes writing fundamentals (new Ch. 1) by breaking the process into steps from note taking, to rough drafts, to editing the final version, to help students master most writing tasks. Connects critical thinking (new Ch. 2) and cultural competency skills (new Ch. 3) to writing and infuses this information throughout the book. Addresses CSWE 2015 EPAS and competencies to better prepare readers for writing professional documentation. Discusses the use of the APA style used in social work practice. Provides instructor's resources including Power Points, a sample syllabus, and assignments, tips, and activities for using the book in writing and foundational courses. Designed for writing-specific social work courses such as interviewing and documentation, professional seminars, as well as writing modules in all BSW and MSW foundation courses, this book is ideal for anyone interested in strengthening their social work writing skills.