The advent of computerized data systems, the growth of managed care, the AIDS epidemic, mandatory reporting requirements for child abuse, workplace drug testing, and various laws requiring that social workers maintain confidential communications in some situations yet disclose them in others have made confidentiality a vital, changing area of the law.

Practitioners, administrators, and those studying for these professions need to know how to use these laws to protect their clients, themselves, and their agencies. Mental health practitioners need authoritative guidance in these areas when working with clients -- children as well as adults -- in both individual and group settings. Administrators must be aware of the laws that protect worker and client privacy, and those that permit legitimate access to information.

The Spirit is speaking. Can you hear him? If you're longing to become more attentive to God--to listen to him, know his voice and experience his love, spiritual direction can point the way. In Seeking God Together, experienced spiritual director Alice Fryling offers a unique introduction specifically for group spiritual direction: a place where individuals can experience what it means to be listened to and loved by others, so that they can learn to listen more attentively to God in their daily lives and be used by God. Out of her years of being both director and directee, Fryling offers practical, step-by-step guidance for those who would like to start, lead or participate in group spiritual direction. Her book will help you know what to expect and fully equip you for the different aspects of the group experience, including learning to listen to God, using Scripture in a group, navigating different personalities, setting group expectations and asking life-giving questions. She also provides an appendix with opening exercises for use in your meetings together. "The intentional goal of group spiritual direction," Alice writes, "is to help each participant become more aware of God in their lives, for the sake of others. Spiritual direction leads you to an awakening of the soul." The Spirit is speaking to you and to others. Here is a book to help you and a group of soul friends listen for and with each other as you seek God together.

This handbook examines state-of-the-art research and clinical findings on attenuated psychosis syndrome (APS) across the globe. It addresses symptoms, assessment methods, and treatment approaches as they differ and converge across countries and cultures. The handbook explores how the illness impairs many aspects of daily functioning, with high rates of suicide and a reduced life span. It details how early detection is critical and may greatly reduce the public health burden of the illness. Chapters describe the early identification and intervention efforts that are currently underway across the world. The book offers international findings from prominent researchers, elaborating culturally relevant illness symptoms, help-seeking behaviors, and assessment and intervention strategies. In addition, chapters illustrate wide variations in symptom expression and experience, reinforcing the necessity of culturally attuned practice in patient-centered care. The book concludes by examining the implications - challenges and opportunities - for future research and clinical practices from an international perspective. Topics featured in the Handbook include: Barriers to service in low-resourced countries. The role of traditional or culturally acceptable care in developing early intervention models. The reliability and validity of tools for assessing and identifying APS. Possible medical diagnoses that can present with APS symptoms and how to differentiate these conditions from APS. The Handbook of Attenuated Psychosis Syndrome Across Cultures is a must-have resource for researchers, professors, clinicians, and related professionals as well as graduate students in child and school psychology, psychiatry, social work, and related disciplines.

No other book has studied the phenomenon of burnout among child- and youth-care workers across so many cultures using a standard measure to pinpoint the dimensions of culture that increase or decrease burnout. This work examines the problem across 13 cultures, including England, Scotland, Germany, Austria, Israel, Canada, and the United States. Among the consistent themes that emerge are workload, work environment, social support, and coping skills. Recommendations for prevention, remediation, and recovery are offered based on research findings and a theoretical approach emphasizing positive psychology.

This volume will be of interest to scholars and researchers studying burnout in any population, as well as those focused on the more general topic of cross-cultural psychology. Human service professionals, especially those in the field of child- and youth-care work, will also find the book helpful. It will appeal also to professors and students in higher education programs training human service workers in the fields of psychology, social work, and counseling.

A burgeoning body of literature on death and dying is organized into a comprehensive, carefully outlined, annotated list in this volume, which cites more than 2200 books, articles, chapters, monographs, and reports primarily concerned with the counseling and theological aspects of death and dying. Compiled by a member of the clergy involved in hospice care, this bibliography recognizes the wide range of topics that comprise the human experience of death and dying, as it accesses information from the pastoral to the medical, the historical to the topical, and the philosophical to the technical elements of thanatology. This multidisciplinary approach provides helping professionals as well as those involved with mortuary science and the study of thanatology with an extensive guide to specific and general information. Introductory material both reviews the current trend towards specialization in thanatology and the need to preserve a holistic approach towards death and dying, and suggests uses for the sources cited in the pages that follow. The annotated entries are descriptive and critical, and are arranged to introduce the topic historically. They are followed by relevant theological and philosophical issues and conclude with works that address the care of the dying and bereaved. All the sources are fully indexed by author, title, and subject matter.

The compensating construct of resiliency, itself, has not been compared to the problem of loss of relevancy. Therefore, there is an open corridor for the enlightened therapist, career coach, or mentor to appropriately guide a troubled person with targeted challenges to transform themselves into a newly thriving being. This book explores the topic in detail with references to the literature where prior theory can be applied to advance this topic further. Anecdotal evidence supporting the authors' perspective is presented, including several brief case studies of individuals who have thrived following cessation of their prior careers.

This is a refreshing and thought provoking book, presenting the views of female and male counselling clients about their experience of therapy after domestic violence. It brings together the existing literature and client views to present a new perspective on how to approach counselling with individuals who have experienced domestic violence.

Choice Outstanding Academic Title 2009

Relational Theory for Social Work Practice introduces social workers to the burgeoning feminist scholarship on relational theories and the practical application of these theories with diverse populations. It emphasizes the practical application of the basic relational concepts in a readable and comprehensive way, developing an approach to practice which is useful for both male and female social workers and clients.

Relational theory argues that the fundamental feature of healthy human development is the ability to form connections through relationships. Within this perspective, growth is seen as occurring within relationships rather than apart from them. Full case studies viewed through a feminist lens are integrated throughout the book. This work builds explicitly on the professional foundation of social work: mission, theory, practice skills, ethics, and values.

Helpful pedagogical features include a list of best practices for the social worker and a relational questionnaire. It will be of interest to students, researchers and professionals of social work.

Innovation in the world's institutions and global politics as well as in the physical environment and practices of the contemporary societies has raised the need for specific and up-to-date knowledge about the politics and policies of relief, aid and reconstruction. This book advances the political analysis of international disaster policies which have been mostly in the domain of other social sciences. Exploring the formation of this field of study, this collection analyses the most recent disaster events including the Haiti earthquake, the tsunami in the Pacific Ocean and the genocide in Rwanda and Former Yugoslavia. Broadly linked to constructivism and neo-institutionalism, this book also looks at the impact of these cooperation policies on the governance of the present global system.

This timely volume gives readers a robust framework and innovative tools for incorporating clients' unique cultural variables in counseling and therapy. Its chapters identify cultural, societal, and worldview-based contexts for understanding clients, from the relatively familiar (ethnicity, gender, age) to the less explored (migration status, social privilege, geographic environment). Diverse cases illustrate how cultural assessments contribute to building the therapeutic relationship and developing interventions that respect client individuality as well as group identity. In these pages, clinicians are offered effective strategies for conducting more relevant and meaningful therapy, resulting in better outcomes for client populations that have traditionally been marginalized and underserved. The appendices include the Scale to Assess Worldview (c) (Ibrahim & Kahn, 1984), The Acculturation Index (c) (Ibrahim, 2008), and the Cultural Identity Check List-Revised (c) (Ibrahim, 2007). Among the topics covered: Cultural identity: components and assessment. Worldview: implications for culturally responsive and ethical practice. Understanding acculturation and its use in counseling and psychotherapy. Social justice variables critical for conducting counseling and psychotherapy. Immigrants: identity development and counseling issues. Designing interventions using the social justice and cultural responsiveness model. Cultural and Social Justice Counseling is a profound source of knowledge for clinicians and students in mental health fields (counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, social workers) who are working with clients from diverse cultural backgrounds, including those working in international settings, with clients across cultures, and with sojourners to the US.

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.

Furthering social justice and human rights is a fundamental principle underlying the social work profession. Engaging in social policy formulation processes is a major route through which social workers can realise this goal. This type of social work activity has been termed 'policy practice'. The aim of this book is to shed light on policy practice in social work discourse, education and practice in eight liberal democracies. This is the first effort to undertake a cross-national study of social worker engagement in social policy formulation processes. The book offers insights into questions such as 'what is the importance attributed to social worker involvement in policy change in the social work discourse and education in different countries?' and 'how do social workers influence social policy in various national settings?' These issues are relevant to social worker practitioners, students, educators and researchers, as well as to social policy scholars, who are interested in the role of professionals in social policy formulation.

Challenging dominant discourses in neoliberal marketized societies about working with disconnected young people, this book argues that alternative, radical approaches to formal and informal education are necessary to challenge repressive practices, and to help build a more equal, socially-just society.

The already vibrant charitable sector in the US is in the midst of a transformation that is altering both the manner in which donations occur and the causes that are supported. Philanthropy in Transition examines the unique role that charitable giving has played in the US, from colonial times to the present. The rising importance of new means of contributing, particularly giving through buying or investing, is considered. These new models of philanthropy have expanded the ways by which ethical consumers or investors can support a cause. Although these innovations represent a revolution in the structure of philanthropy, they introduce significant complexity to the act of giving - donors are far removed from recipients - and this may weaken the impact of contributing. This transformation is also likely to accelerate the rising importance of web-based promotion and fund-raising, as traditional nonprofits compete with social market enterprises and social impact investments for funds.

This book provides a timely synthesis and discussion of recent developments in mindfulness research and practice within mental health and addiction domains. The book also discusses other Buddhist-derived interventions - such as loving-kindness meditation and compassion meditation - that are gaining momentum in clinical settings. It will be an essential text for researchers and mental health practitioners wishing to keep up-to-date with developments in mindfulness clinical research, as well as any professionals wishing to equip themselves with the necessary theoretical and practical tools to effectively utilize mindfulness in mental health and addiction settings.

This groundbreaking volume introduces the theoretical base and clinical methods of Neurocognitive Learning Therapy, an integrative framework for client-centered intervention. The model unifies psychology and neuroscience in revisiting the connections between brain and behavior, replacing the cognitive-versus-affective binary traditional to clinical thinking with a scenario of the cognitive and emotional learning processes that work together to shape adaptive and pathological behavior. This foundation in learning theory illuminates the therapeutic relationship, synching how therapists teach with how clients learn, with guidelines for educating to encourage change. The unique flexibility of the NCLT model allows practitioners across clinical orientations the freedom to apply eclectic intervention strategies that fit clients' learning styles and therapeutic needs. Included in the coverage: Neurocognitive Learning Therapy and Life Course Theory. Reward recognition in Neurocognitive Learning Therapy. Memory reconsolidation and Neurocognitive Learning Therapy. How to be an NCLT therapist. Neurocognitive Learning Therapy clinical procedures. Treating children with Neurocognitive Learning Therapy. Plus practice handouts and forms for therapists and patients. Neuropsychologists, child and school psychologists, and social workers will welcome Neurocognitive Learning Therapy not only as a source of theoretical insight into the brain and behavior, but also as an innovative system for enhancing their capacity for therapeutic teaching and their clients' capacity for learning.

A timely look at the epidemic of military suicide-and an assessment of what can be done to prevent it. Nearly every day an active-duty soldier in the United States military resorts to suicide, and nearly every hour a veteran does the same. In recent years the problem of military suicides has reached epidemic proportions, but it's all too easy for most of us to gloss over the headlines or tune out the details. In The Last and Greatest Battle-the first book devoted exclusively to the problem of military suicides-John Bateson brings this neglected crisis into the spotlight. Bateson, the former executive director of a nationally certified suicide prevention center, surveys the history of suicide in the United States military from the Civil War to the present day and outlines a plan to save lives-and ultimately end the tragedy of military suicides. He uses the stories of individual soldiers to illuminate the unique challenges faced by American troops today. Transitioning from the front lines to the home front is difficult for many service members, and many need help both during and after their deployments. But even though the military is spending millions of dollars on suicide prevention programs, record numbers of soldiers continue to take their lives. To that end, Bateson outlines a plan of action. If the military works to remove stigma, to make treatment more effective and more accessible, and to limit risk factors for suicide in the first place by taking measures like reducing the number and length of deployments and adjusting pre-deployment training to take into account the way that wars are waged today, an end to the problem of military suicide is as possible as it is essential.

Normally, our relationships with our brothers and sisters are the longest relationships in our lives, outlasting time with our parents, and most marriages today. The sibling relationship is emotionally powerful and critically important, giving us a sense of continuity throughout life. So what happens when a child loses contact not only with his or her parents, but with siblings too? That is what happens in thousands of cases each year inside the child welfare system. Children are surrendered by parents - or taken by the government - and placed in the foster care system. There, they are often separated and sent to different foster families, or adopted by different couples. In this work, a team of top experts details for us how this added separation futher traumatizes children. This stellar team of internationally known researchers - some of whom are themselves adoptees - shares with us hard, poignant, and personal insights, as well as ways we might act to solve this widespread problem.

Contributors address not only the importance of nurturing sibling bonds and mental health strategies to support those relationships, but also the legal rights of siblings to be together, as well as issues in international adoptions. Emerging and standing programs to encourage and facilitate adoptions that keep siblings together are featured, as are programs that at least enable them to stay in contact.

The world of international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) has dramatically changed during the last two decades. The author critically analyses the engagement of INGOs within the contemporary international development landscape, enabling readers to further understand INGOs involvement in the politics of social change.

This book explores what 'critical' means for the talking therapies in a climate of increasing state influence and intervention. It looks at theoretical and practical notions of 'critical' from perspectives including queer theory, feminism, Marxism, the psychiatric survivor movement, as well as from within counsellor training and education.

Social services are under pressure from Government and the public to demonstrate the effectiveness of what they do. If the search for useable and relevant measures of effectiveness is to succeed, practitioners, managers, and policymakers must have an understanding of the underlying social science concepts such as Evidence-based practice (EBP). This concept is now promoted as a 'scientific' approach to policy and practice. However, the concept was developed in the field of medicine, and many would ask whether we can safely apply it to the messy process of social problem solving? The promotion of evidence-based practice also has implications for the content and focus of social work education and training, and for the selection and recruitment of staff and students. Evidence-based Practice and Social Work provides a comprehensive overview of developments in this field and highlight many important debates and dilemmas. Writers give clear pointers to the need for a new partnership between research, policy and practice, able to promote effective services. They suggest a more inclusive version of EBP that is better able to respond to the uncertainties of social work practice in the real world. Contents include: An empirical study of the obstacles to evidence-based practice Brian Sheldon, Professor of Applied Social Research/Director, Rupatharshini Chilvers, Annemarie Ellis, Alice Moseley, and Stephen Tierney, CEBSS, Peninsula Medical School, Exeter.The limits of positivism revisited David Smith, Professor of Social Work, Dept of Applied Social Science, University of Lancaster.A problematic relationship? Evidence and practice in the workplace Nick Frost, Senior Lecturer in Continuing Education, University of Leeds.Promoting evidence based practice in a child care charity: The Barnardo's experience Tony Newman, Principal Officer, Research and Development, and Di McNeish, Head of Research, Barnardo's, Cardiff.The Social Care Institute for Excellence: The role of a national institute in developing knowledge and practice in social care Mike Fisher Professor and Director of Research and Reviews, Social Care Institute for Excellence, London.Evidence based social work practice: A reachable goal? Frank Ainsworth, Research Scholar and Lecturer (Adjunct), School of International, Cultural and Community Studies, Edith Cowan University and Patricia Hansen, Head, Department of Social Work, Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick.Reframing an evidence-based approach to practice Stephanie Tierney, Research Assistant, CEBSS, Peninsula Medical School, Exeter.What works about what works? Fashion, fad and EBP Carolyn Taylor, Lecturer in Social Work, and Susan White, Senior Lecturer in Social Work, Department of Applied Social Science, University of Manchester

Religion was a vital part of women's experience in Victorian Britain. This book is the first real study of the social history and cultural significance of the sisterhoods which sprang up within Britain in the second half of the nineteenth century, where women abandoned the domestic sphere to become the prototype of the modern social worker as well as pushing back the boundaries of what women could do within the structures of the Anglican church. The sisterhood movement began with the establishment of the first convent in 1845 and grew rapidly. By 1900 more than 10,000 women had joined the only Anglican organization which offered full-time work for women of all social classes. Even more impressive than the sisterhood's rapid growth was the degree of fascination that 'protestant nunneries' had for the general public -- the movement was the focus of a vigorous and heated public debate that lasted beyond the end of the century. Based upon years of research into the archives of twenty-eight religious communities, the book offers a unique breadth of coverage which allows for the formation of a more comprehensive and accurate picture of the movement than has been possible previously. Above all, the book shows that these sisterhoods were not refuges for women who failed to find husbands; rather, they attracted women who were interested in moulding careers. So successful were they in recruiting women that by the 1860s they threatened to undermine the hegemony of the ideal of domestic life as the proper sphere for women.