College counseling has entered an era that promises to be radically different than any time in its previous 100-year history. College students in this 21st century are more technologically advanced than previous generations and more likely to take virtual classes than previous generations of college students. Traditional services provided by the college counseling center are: individual and group counseling, psychoeducational groups, evaluation and assessment, career counseling, consultation to faculty and staff, medication management and resident advisor (RA) training. Nontraditional services are defined as virtual counseling, advising, and related services offered via distance technology. College counseling centers have long offered types of self-instructional services. They will need to address social media in ways that are both ethically sound and also able to effectively engage college students in seeking counseling services. The counselor can administer the Dimensions of a Healthy Lifestyle Scale (DHLS) to the client and then discuss the findings.

Abuse, neglect, and mistreatment in the nursing facility are difficult topics, particularly because there is an expectation that dedicated care is being given to vulnerable frail older adults and those with disabilities. Elder abuse is a deliberate act or failure to act that initiates or creates a risk of harm to an older adult. Abuse can be divided into physical abuse, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, psychological abuse, financial abuse, and neglect. The abuse often occurs at the hands of a caregiver or a person whom the elder trusts. All social workers, along with all other members of the nursing facility team, are generally considered mandated reporters. In all states, licensed social workers are required to report suspected or actual abuse, neglect, or mistreatment. Reporting abuse does not mean that the social worker is liable for its occurrence nor true verification of its occurrence. It is valuable for the social worker to be familiar with the definitions of abuse and to carefully review their facility’s policy defining abuse, neglect, and mistreatment and their particular policy of the mandatory reporting law. Policies can vary from facility to facility, and the social worker should not assume that every facility, even in the same state or region, handles these issues in the same manner.

This chapter discusses the need for organizational transparency and accountability. Social work leaders and managers have a responsibility to clients, as well as various regulatory systems, to ensure that programs are operating ethically and legally. It is imperative that social work leaders and managers have a comprehensive understanding of the various regulations that guide daily functions and develop judicious habits that safeguard clients, employees, and the organization from manifold risks. Various committees can be developed to oversee compliance with a number of regulations, including financial regulations, safety, and overall risk prevention aims, along with policies and procedures outlined as organizational expectations. Organizational expectations offer the foundation for organizational and programmatic goals to be established. Finally, the chapter briefly revisits the concept of mentoring or grooming staff for the purpose of succession planning and dismantle some of the processes inherent to succession planning.

This chapter explains the process of solution focused narrative therapy (SFNT) and offers suggestions for the therapist’s use of conversational questioning. SFNT therapy comprises six steps: best hopes, mapping the effects of the problem, constructing the preferred story, exception gathering, preparing the presentation of the preferred future and moving up the scale, and summarizing and inviting clients to watch for success. The most important step is beginning therapy. The therapist begins the session by introducing himself, learning the names of those attending, and asking the same question of all present. The chapter also presents an exercise, which may help to identify traits, values, and actions that help readers present their best self to their clients, particularly clients that are challenging.

This chapter introduces readers to the Active Client Engagement (ACE) model, which includes acquiring information, creating a context for collaboration, and evocation of clients’ strengths and resources. As with the strengths-based principles, each facet of ACE works in concert with and is dependent on the others. Together the three components assist with creating a focus in therapy and strengthening the therapeutic alliance. Additionally, the three aspects of ACE are interventive. The chapter introduces methods for gathering client information and using routine outcome monitoring (ROM). An additional part of this chapter involves ways to match clients’ communication styles. The chapter examines two different processes for gathering information: (a) routine outcome monitoring (ROM) in practice (including feedback-informed treatment [FIT]) and (b) interviewing for strengths. The processes are meant to make early contacts and what follows treatment-wise seamless.

Serving in the military presents many challenges, opportunities, and risks. Recently, the suicide rates among military service members and veterans have trended upward and reached unprecedented levels. Research has found that the primary motive for suicide attempts among military personnel is a desire to reduce or alleviate emotional distress, similar to motives reported by those in nonmilitary samples. This chapter highlights the individuals who are currently serving or have served in the military as they are specific populations due to their importance and distinct vulnerability. It explores the statistics, epidemiology, and trends in active military personnel and veteran suicide. In addition, the chapter draws specific risk factors (psychiatric, sociodemographic, interpersonal, and other associated factors) for military personnel and veterans from evidence-based research. The chapter also presents protective factors identified in literature for military service members and veterans. Finally, it explores treatment considerations and interventions for active military personnel and veterans.

It is paramount for professionals working with bereaved children to provide activities and opportunities for a child to explore his or her grief experience. Activities can provide insight to the professional about the child, their family prior to the death, and how the death has impacted the child’s environment. This chapter describes some things to keep in mind when planning activities for children and provides samples of activities that can be used with children in a support or counseling setting. Activities, by their very nature, facilitate meaning making because they allow the person to be creative, interact with others, or engage in ritual. The chapter presents a few samples of activities used over the years with children for the purpose of meaning making, continuing bonds, problem solving, and perspective building. Activities can also provide structure to the support setting.

Acute care hospitals and ambulatory health care facilities employ more social workers than other settings including individual and family services, schools, and state and local government agencies. The number of practicing health care professionals continues to rise and health care is now the largest employer in the United States. Acute care hospitals often include medical and surgical units, and patients need services that are required to be supervised by licensed medical personnel. Ambulatory settings provide diagnosis, treatment, and care that is not inpatient, and the treatment and care do not require the specialized services. This chapter identifies dialysis social work in nephrology settings as ambulatory care. It provides case exemplars to highlight acute and ambulatory care social work and the processes that are involved in assessment, intervention, and treatment. The chapter explicates areas of strength and concern in the present state of acute and ambulatory care social work practice delivery.

Alcohol and other drugs (AOD)/substance use on college campuses has been an ongoing challenge for campus administrations, health services and health promotion, housing, and counseling centers. The misuse of substances by college students has a significant physiological, emotional, economic, and academic cost. Students are frequently unaware of the impact marijuana use may have on academic performance and motivation. Brief intervention (BI) and treatment have been shown to be effective treatment modalities at reducing high-risk substance abuse behaviors. Counseling centers may consider allowing for at least one session of motivational interviewing to increase the likelihood of clients following through on referrals to comprehensive substance use assessment, self-help groups, or treatment. Counseling center staff, even those with limited AOD treatment experience, can feel empowered to use the screening, brief intervention, referral to treatment (SBIRT) model. Group therapy is one of the most widely used treatment modalities for substance use.

Although mental health professionals embrace broad assessment protocols, which attempt to incorporate biopsychosocial, and, more recently, the cultural and spiritual identities of the individual, attention is rarely given to the individual's unique internal and external sources of strength and support. The limitations of traditional medical model diagnosis, particularly in the form of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders classification system, have been noted by many researchers and practitioners. At the same time, research has focused on predictive factors in treatment outcome, both in terms of client characteristics and in the utility of evidence-based treatment protocols applied to specific mental disorders. The cumulative themes in contemporary discussions of diagnostic systems and effective treatments, logically related to diagnosis, suggest the need for an additional core component of the diagnostic system, for which the authors advocate the Intersectionality/Resiliency Formulation.

This chapter explains a set of guidelines to help mental health professionals and clients move away from the gender stereotypes that perpetuate inequality and illness. Identifying dominance requires conscious awareness and understanding of how gender mediates between mental health and relationship issues. An understanding of what limits equality is significantly increased when we examine how gendered power plays out in a particular relationship and consider how it intersects with other social positions such as socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. To contextualize emotion, the therapist draws on knowledge of societal and cultural patterns, such as gendered power structures and ideals for masculinity and femininity that touch all people’s lives in a particular society. Therapists who seek to support women and men equally take an active position that allows the non-neutral aspects of gendered lives to become visible.

Substance users have substantially reduced rates of use of preventive health care services, and reduced rates of compliance with prescribed medical treatment. Primary care providers are frequently overwhelmed and may be reluctant to address substance-related problems given few resources. Direct collaboration with a behavioral health specialist (BHS) co-located within the primary care clinic results in increased efficiency and better treatment outcomes. There are excellent resources available for the BHS who will provide tobacco abuse interventions in the primary care setting. A number of behavioral factors should be considered in effectively addressing substance use and abuse in the primary care setting. Primary care providers should also be alert to unexplained vague symptoms, somatic complaints, difficulty with sleep, anxiousness, frequent life disruptions or chaotic lifestyle, and a family history of mental health problems or substance abuse.

This chapter opens with a brief discussion of interventions that students who have sustained concussions may receive outside of school in a rehabilitation setting and at home. Students who have sustained concussions typically require short-term adjustments while they are still symptomatic. The chapter discusses appropriate school-based educational plans in relation to symptom clusters. The chapter addresses extracurricular involvement of students and special grading considerations during recovery. It includes guidance to help school teams determine if a child with persistent postconcussion symptoms requires a 504 plan or further evaluation for an individualized education program (IEP). Students who are eligible for IEPs under the traumatic brain injury (TBI) category may require significant modifications to the curriculum in order to be successful academically. Finally, the chapter concludes with a note on dealing with students who may malinger or continue to report symptoms when they have actually resolved.

The Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler provides a rich theoretical foundation for what has developed into Adlerian psychotherapy. This chapter defines the basic tenets of Adler’s theory of personality and therapy. Adler’s theory is grounded on the idea that childhood experiences are crucial to the psychological development, and that children, who are by nature in an inferior position to parents and other adults, strive to achieve some sense of superiority. Adler ’s work represents a psychological theory that acknowledges the influence of social factors on the personality. In efforts toward understanding the lifestyle, Adler viewed humans’ unique approaches to life through the lenses of the life tasks. These tasks included: the work task, the social task, and the sexual task. Adler believed that encouragement, the act of promoting courage within someone else, was the cornerstone of therapy and could inspire clients toward growth, healthy adaptation, and functioning in life.

This chapter focuses on a series of case studies and best practices for partnerships that discuss in detail the provision of back-office support for nonprofit partners. Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) is a nonprofit public health institute that creates and sustains healthier communities using best practices to improve community health through direct service, partnership, innovation, policy, research, technical assistance, and a prepared work force. Traditional back-office services are usually designed to address many of the challenges of today’s changing nonprofit environment. Services depend on the level of organizational need and affordability, but are usually identified through a comprehensive organizational assessment of the nonprofit client. The Urban Affairs Coalition (UAC) is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that was founded in 1969 following a historic meeting between the city’s business and community leaders. Most nonprofits never rise to the scale of having a full internal administrative staff and purchased equipment.

The focus of all good care is to determine need. Long-term care (LTC) is not an extension of acute care—it is distinctive in its very nature. Because LTC continues for prolonged periods, it becomes enmeshed in the very fabric of people’s lives. Screening for LTC is one way in which the federal government and, in particular, a state attempts to eliminate unnecessary or premature placement of older or disabled individuals in nursing homes. There are two types of screening: those for a level of care (LOC) involving just medical need and those that address additional factors of care need, which assess issues such as mental illness, development disabilities, and intellectual disabilities. The determination of LOC addresses whether the individual’s care needs meet criteria for a stay in a nursing facility long term. This chapter provides an overview of long-term care screenings and how the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) has and continues to impact this process.

This chapter examines the challenges and opportunities of adoption as well as the lifelong issues of the adopted child. Adoption from child welfare agencies typically occurs after foster care placement, when it becomes apparent that birth parents will be unable to reunite with their children. Media attention can be given to children who are free for adoption. Race and ethnicity are among the most controversial issues in adoption practices and typically focus on whether it is preferable to place a child with a family of a different race/ethnicity if a family of the same race/ethnicity is unavailable. Religious beliefs and faith also play a role in adoption. Many adoptive families tout the importance and success of international adoption. Adoption from foster care and international adoption can be very positive experiences for children and families. Although adoption disruption and dissolution occur infrequently, it is a traumatic experience when it does occur.

Research on brain structure and function in white-collar criminals is a notable gap in the neurolaw literature, a gap that was addressed for the first time in one recent research report. Neuroscience is suggesting a link between brain abnormalities and some types of criminal behavior, but it is not yet clear exactly what those abnormalities are. Research on brain function and criminality focuses primarily on levels of hormones and neurotransmitters involved in neuronal communication. The findings regarding connections between the brain and adult criminal behavior, preliminary as they are, have implications for social work practice, including prevention of criminal behavior as well as intervention with offenders. The consistent finding that the likelihood of antisocial behavior is greatest when genetically based brain abnormalities encounter harsh environments has implications for social policy beyond the criminal justice system.

This chapter focuses on the role that Adult Protective Services (APS) and related service systems play in protecting vulnerable older adults and adults with disabilities from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. It articulates policy issues connected to elder justice. The chapter also explores human rights issues related to elder abuse, aging, and disabilities, particularly how to balance rights to self-determination and safety when working with abused, neglected, and exploited older adults. APS operate within a continuum of services that challenge social workers in their efforts to respond effectively to elder abuse. In addition to knowledge of aging, disabilities, the dynamics of family violence and care giving, and community resources and skills in capacity assessment, working in multidisciplinary teams, advocacy, and systems navigation, social workers need commitment to values of self-determination and empowerment to guide their work in this system.

Although there has been an increase in federal spending on suicide prevention, the overall number of suicides in United States has actually increased over the past several years. It is important to understand the epidemiological trends, prevalence, and incidence rates of adult suicidality to understand why our effectiveness at reducing adult suicide rates has been so limited. Further, in order to improve existing prevention and intervention efforts, identification of relevant risk and protective factors among adults is essential. This chapter deconstructs myths and misconceptions related to suicide among adults, and provides an overview of empirically grounded strategies for effective assessment and treatment of this population. Although the presence of a diagnosable mental disorder, specifically depression, raises an adult’s risk potential, many adults without a diagnosis may be suicidal. Sociodemographic and psychiatric risk and protective factors should be assessed to aid in determining suicide risk to fully assess and plan treatment.

This chapter helps the reader to be familiar with the concept of an advanced specialization practicum. The overarching goal is to learn core competencies for assessment, intervention, consultation, and systems-level pedagogical supports. There is an increasing need for school psychologists with expertize in high school transition and postsecondary evaluations as well as dual enrollment collaborative evaluations. Clinic-based examples of specialized practica might include forensics evaluation through a law clinic or adjudicated youth programs, inpatient or outpatient hospital units, community mental health agencies, and private practice. The chapter describes important considerations for pursuing a variety of advanced practicum experiences, including coordinating postsecondary transition services, conducting forensic evaluations, and working within settings that utilize a medical model. To secure disability services at the college level, eligible students are required to submit acceptable documentation.

In Chapter 5, the authors review important concepts related to human rights and social and economic justice for school social work practice. This chapter defines human rights based on the principles outlined by the United Nations and reviews key concepts for enacting social justice as fundamental to human rights. The authors examine various forms of justice (e.g., social, economic, environmental, and educational justice) that impact students, their families, and their educational experiences. The authors pay particular attention to the plight of immigrant children or immigrant students. Further explored in this chapter is the role of discrimination in school settings that lead to disproportional representation of marginalized students. Reviews of critical race theory, Latin critical theory, and anti-oppressive social work practice are also highlighted in response to educational and social injustice.

This chapter focuses on Competency 2: Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice within your field placement and beyond. The chapter begins with a brief overview of the conceptual theories and frameworks for social justice. This is followed by an exploration of the types and sources of power, social locations, social constructions, social processes, social identities, conflicts, and the ways these concepts interact in relation to the field experience. The chapter then reviews visions and strategies for change.

Advertisements differ from fictional media in that they are purposely intended to change behavior. This chapter shows how influential are advertisements on our behavior, what “tricks” do advertisers use to influence behavior, and how do the influences of advertisements compare to fictional media. Advertising is a subset of marketing. Advertisements are designed to make the public aware of a product, as well as to provide a pitch for why that particular product is superior to its competitors. False advertisements tried to entice consumers with lofty but untrue claims of benefits and to hide weaknesses or financial liabilities with their products. One form of advertising that has been controversial is product placement. One other area that is controversial is advertisement directed at children. Children are thought of as being particularly vulnerable given that they are less adept than adults at reality testing.

Social justice is the foundation for a democratic society and means that all people should have an equal chance to achieve economic, personal, and public success. Social change means that nonprofit organizations do not accept the status quo in the health, education, poverty, and other areas of public concern where they work. The problem in today’s financially uncertain world is that nonprofits have moved away from doing social change advocacy and concentrate more on their own staff, fundraising, and other management issues. This chapter traces the development and evaluation of a training program for present and future nonprofit leaders that combine management and social change skills and knowledge, which allow a nonprofit executive to take on social change challenges. The training considers social change as a part of the daily workload of a nonprofit and so it is integrated into each management course in the curriculum.

This chapter focuses on how nonprofit leaders can become nonprofit advocates. It provides an overview of the legal guidelines that govern nonprofit lobbying. The chapter details the process of developing a policy agenda, learning the legislative landscape, and executing the agenda. It reviews the tactics of effective lobbying, such as working in coalitions, meeting with lawmakers, and cultivating relationships with legislative allies. The chapter then presents case studies that describe the advocacy process that went into the expansion of the role of nurse practitioners as primary care providers and the expansion of the retail-based convenient care clinic model. It explores case study that discusses an assessment process on which advocacy for college access and success systems change can be built. The chapter examines how nonprofits can shape legislation by lobbying elected officials in ways that are in keeping with the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) definitions and requirements.

This chapter describes what happens after a concussion, from the immediate changes in neurochemistry to the signs and symptoms that may be present in the days, weeks, and months following the event. It discusses the neuropsychological effects, including cognitive, physical, emotional/mood, and sleep symptoms. This chapter also describes dangers signs, which could be indicative of a more serious brain injury. It explains possible long-term effects of concussion, including complications associated with multiple concussions, postconcussion syndrome, second impact syndrome, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and suicide. Concussion symptoms provide clues related to what is going on in the child’s or adolescent’s brain. Concussions often go unreported because individuals are unaware that an injury has occurred. Some may also consider the injury not severe enough to warrant medical attention. In some cases, the effects of concussions are so intense, and individuals become so distraught, that they become suicidal.

Social workers write many kinds of letters as part of their professional responsibilities. They write to clients, other agencies, government departments, institutions that fund social services, and accreditation bodies that oversee social work practice. These letters often include agency reports, professional requests, thank-you notes, professional endorsements, and so on. This chapter contains examples of letters written by social workers on behalf of their agencies. The criteria for letter writing include the qualities and skills associated with all professional writing, especially brevity, focus, the appropriate use of names and titles (depending on the letter’s purpose and relationship between writer and recipient), organization of content and appropriate formatting.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) presents one of the most urgent health care issues of our time. AD is a disease of the brain and mind, and as such, neuropsychology has an essential and evolving role to play in addressing this growing public health concern. Measurement of key cognitive functions, such as delayed recall of recently presented information, is crucial in the diagnosis and monitoring of the disease. In addition to the importance of advancing scientifically informed disease-specific measurement of cognition, neuropsychology has a growing role to play in the design and implementation of nonpharmacological interventions for AD. The neuropathological hallmarks of AD are senile plaques (SP), neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), and cell and synapse loss in multiple brain areas. Granulovacuolar degeneration (GVD) has long been recognized to be present in the brains of AD patients.

Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) are locally operated information technology systems used for collecting client-level data pertaining to the provision of homeless services. This chapter focuses on the use of available data for research, including applied research and evaluation (as with the HMIS example). As the chapter presents the use of available data please consider the following questions: Why might researchers use available data as opposed to collecting data themselves? What are advantages and disadvantages of relying on available data to answer research questions? And what are sources of available data that can be accessed by human services professionals in conducting applied research and evaluation? The chapter provides a brief description on: statistical data; content analysis; issues in content analysis; and assessment of available data analysis.

This chapter focuses on the analysis of qualitative data, like the audio recordings of Native American parolees. As you read this chapter please keep the following questions in mind: How can researchers and practitioners conduct qualitative analysis in a way that helps ensure findings are both valid and reliable? What parallels exist between qualitative analysis and professional human services practice? What unique insights can be obtained through qualitative analysis that may be difficult to obtain through quantitative analysis? The chapter discusses the data-analysis strategies as two types. Categorizing strategies attempt to generalize and abstract by generating concepts and even theories from the raw data. Contextualizing strategies attempt to treat the data as a coherent whole and to retain as much of the raw data as possible to capture the whole context. The chapter reviews both categorizing and contextualizing strategies in the form of coding, reflective remarks, and memos.

Focusing on challenging oppressive systems and structures and creating a more inclusive and egalitarian society, anti-oppressive theory and practice (AOP) is an important recent addition to social work theory and practice. Developed over the last few decades in response to growing economic and social inequalities, AOP directs social workers to explore the role that individual, cultural, and structural oppressive systems and contexts can play in creating and reinforcing human problems in our society. AOP also provides important insights to help social workers address oppression within their own practice. As a lens for practice, AOP draws from a number of theories and perspectives to provide social workers with a holistic framework for generalist social work practice that is congruent with social work values. While broad in scope, AOP provides social workers with a dynamic and useful framework for working with diverse populations in a more inclusive manner and helps social workers to be more responsive to ever-changing practice and social realities. The chapter begins with an overview of AOP and describes some of the key concepts of this approach. A review of the opportunities and challenges of using AOP to guide practice in multiple settings is also discussed. A case study is used to illustrate how AOP can be used in practice.

Anxiety disorders are the most common types of disorders that present in clinical and health care settings. Some of the subtypes (e.g., phobias and generalized anxiety) share both anxiety and fear responses, which are proposed to receive equivalent attention in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Many changes proposed in current DSM-5 discussions will sharpen thinking about diagnostic considerations and systematic integration of prompts that will encourage exploration of cultural factors. However, the role of culture in shaping and defining fears and anxieties and the importance of an assessment of client strengths as well as pathological symptoms in the diagnostic process requires further development of diagnostic protocols, as would, for example, be provided with the Diversity/Resiliency This chapter describes key aspects of anxiety disorders, best practices and application of the Intersectionality/Resilience Formulation to Anxiety Disorders. It presents case studies and discussion questions and assignments.

In this chapter, we discuss practice-informed research (Competency 4) and practice evaluation (Competency 9). The focus is on applied research. The chapter covers formative and summative program evaluations, developing logic models, and the ethics of applied social work research. It also discusses informal practice evaluation and the use of supervision and client feedback to evaluate the effectiveness of your social work practice. In addition, it presents the use of single-subject designs to formally evaluate practice effectiveness as well as various types of measures that can be used with in formal and formal evaluations.

This chapter continues to delve into specific strategies and considerations for writing different sections of the narrative of the proposal. The chapter uses the National Institutes of Health as the model. It examines the approach, or how the investigator will go about answering the research questions or addressing the aims while conducting the research study or project. The approach section describes in sufficient detail the strategies that will be implemented to achieve the aim(s) of the study. This should include an unbiased approach in the design, recruitment of participants, procedures and measures, human subjects (if relevant), timeline, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of results. When writing the narrative for this section, it is important to consider the lens of reviewers. Lastly, the chapter describes writing considerations for specific types of research designs that are commonly used by health professionals: the randomized clinical trial, the pragmatic clinical trial, community-based participatory research, and mixed method designs.

Relationships are important to our happiness but, as it turns out, things are not quite as straightforward as this proposition would seem to imply. The first important observation that we can make of this association is that the perception of social support appears to be more significant to happiness than objective indicators of social support. Objective indicators of social support such as number of friends and frequency of social activity show small and sometimes nonsignificant relationships with happiness. One possibility is that the correlation between satisfaction with one’s relationships and satisfaction with life is simply a product of method invariance. The chapter focuses on how different types of relationships affect happiness. But this approach has a tendency to ignore the common relationship dynamics that might impact happiness across relationships. It also focuses on three dynamics of happy relationships: capitalization, gratitude, and forgiveness.

This chapter describes many of the theories that involve taxonomies. Most taxonomies of love begin in the same place: The language of love is examined, whether through an examination of film, literature, music, or firsthand accounts of people about their love life. The three primary love styles are eros, storge, and ludus. Eros is a passionate kind of love that is characterized by strong emotions and intense physical longing for the loved one. With storge, should the lovers break up, there is a greater chance than with other love styles that they remain friends. Ludus commonly is displayed by people who prefer to remain single and who see love as a game of conquest and numbers. A pragmatic lover hesitates to commit to a relationship until he or she feels confident of finding the right partner. The different love styles also correlate with some other personality traits.

This chapter focuses on Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities. The chapter reviews assessment of the two mezzo-level client systems: organizations and communities. The chapter reviews organizational theories and five methods of organizational assessment. It also reviews community assessment approaches and community asset mapping.

This chapter reviews the growing published research on assessing risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) and repeated IPV. It highlights research on the most commonly validated risk assessment instruments, and discusses some key practice issues relating to the use of IPV risk assessment. The chapter uses the term IPV in accordance with the current use of the term in the literature for physical and sexual assault against an IP, and uses gender-specific language when information pertains to female perpetrators, male victims, or same-sex relationships. Risk assessment instruments can be tools for furthering the understanding of IPV. Although the danger assessment (DA), spousal assault risk assessment (SARA), domestic violence screening instrument (DVSI), and ontario domestic assault risk assessment (ODARA) have good empirical support and are widely used, the field of domestic violence risk assessment is relatively new compared with other areas of forensic or psychological assessment.

Assessment and evaluation provide an opportunity for nonprofits and funders to discuss outcomes and program improvement concretely rather than abstractly. The current funding climate requires nonprofits to embrace evaluation, as a required means for achieving sustainability. This chapter provides an overview of key steps to support assessment and evaluation in addition to building the capacity and competency required to do so successfully. When we consider the scope and the depth of contributions from the nonprofit sector to society, at its core, we find the collective persistence to prioritize the preservation and well-being of human capital. Nonprofit leadership must prioritize assessment and evaluation, as they would any key human resource, budgeting, or fundraising matter. An often overlooked, yet critical step in assessment and evaluation involves the development of a theory of change (ToC) as a precursor to evaluation.

The assessment process involves gathering information so as to more fully understand the client, her circumstances, issues of culture, strengths, and needs. This information is then used to assist the worker and client in identifying goals and relevant interventions. Traditionally, assessment is focused on uncovering problems and identifying pathology. Today, however, social workers embrace a more holistic perspective taking into account a person’s strengths and capabilities as well as needs and challenges. Therefore, this chapter focuses on assessment and goal formulation using a strengths-based approach. The processes of gathering assessment information and formulating goals with clients should always be rooted in the values of the social work profession and the Strengths-Based Framework of Direct Practice. Of particular importance are concerns maintaining client’s self-determination and dignity. From a strengths perspective, continually examining the client’s strengths and incorporating them into the assessment and goal formulation process will lead to better outcomes.

This chapter provides an overview of some potential approaches for working with abused children and their families. Evidence-based practice is part of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics, which requires social workers to contribute to the evaluation of practice. Young children may respond well to music therapy, play therapy, and drama therapy. Emotional and psychological maltreatment can result in learning and behavioral problems in those who are abused. Intervention must focus on the entire family and provide physical, mental health, educational, and similar services to reverse the child’s developmental setbacks. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) and animal-assisted activities (AAA) provide avenues for overcoming of emotional problems, experience trauma, suffer insecure attachment, and live with a myriad of health problems. Cognitive behavioral therapy is an effective means to decrease the psychological symptoms associated with the trauma of child maltreatment.

This chapter focuses on the first four stages of the problem-solving model: engagement, assessment, planning/contracting, and implementation for working with victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). It presents theories, tools, and models for empowering victims including the use of safety plans, crisis counseling, and long-term intervention strategies. For clients who do display evidence of IPV, a full-scale IPV assessment is to be completed, which consists of three parts: history taking; determining the primary batterer and victim; and lethality assessment. Among common problems of IPV victims are those of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, and sexually transmitted disease (STD). There is an intersection between IPV and HIV/AIDS. Women who have been sexually and physically abused by intimate partners are more than three times as likely to report having a STD. The more abuse a victim suffers, the higher the risk for STDs and HIV.

Essentially, an assessment is a tight summary or a succinct view of a resident’s presenting strengths and problems or needs. Assessments are made in the conceptual framework of being “person-centered,” that is meeting the goals of the person as opposed to goals of therapists or others. In the case of nursing home residents, the Minimum Data Set 3.0 drives some of the assessment. The other part of the assessment is the collection of information about the resident’s formal and informal supports, prior life setting, and physical, emotional, and psychological resources. Social workers generally gather information for an assessment from several places: interviews with the resident, including the utilization of assessment tools; interviews with the family or responsible party; reviews of accompanying medical information; observation of the resident with others; and observations and assessments of other members of the care team.

This chapter begins by describing various practical assessment issues related to the effective implementation of emotion-centered problem-solving therapy (EC-PST). It first describes major areas of clinical assessment relevant to EC-PST including: assessment of general social problem solving abilities and attitudes; assessment of current and previous SPS activities; assessment of problems, stressful difficulties, major negative life events, and/or traumatic events recently or currently experienced by a given client or client population; and assessment of outcome variables related to presenting problems and emotion reactivity vulnerabilities. The chapter then provides treatment guidelines to assist the reader to best determine what form or version of EC-PST or training sequence should be implemented with a given individual. To foster effective treatment planning and clinical decision-making specific to EC-PST, it provides a series of frequently asked questions for therapists unfamiliar with this approach.

Assessment, one of the stages of social work practice, plays a key role in the delivery of effective services, and is used when selecting interventions, as well as monitoring the effectiveness of those interventions. This chapter examines assessment as both a product and an ongoing process, as is relevant to social work intervention in schools. Various types of assessments often utilized in school settings are explored, including social developmental study, functional behavioral assessment, classroom assessment, and school climate survey. This chapter includes an application of multidimensional assessment in the school setting. Additionally, the chapter describes assessment tools, including structured observations of students. It includes a discussion of the essential consideration of culture when assessing client systems of all sizes, including students, families, classrooms, schools, and communities.

This chapter discusses the factors and processes used in problem formulation, methods of involving clients/client systems in problem identification, techniques and instruments used to assess clients/client systems, and methods to incorporate the results of psychological and educational tests into assessment. It describes the risk assessment methods, the indicators and risk factors of the client's/client system's danger to self and others, and methods to assess the client's/client system's strengths, resources, and challenges. The chapter also describes the methods to assess motivation, resistance, and readiness to change, client's/client system's communication skills and coping abilities, and ego strengths. It explains the indicators of client's/client system's strengths and challenges, placement options based on assessed level of care, and the use of the diagnostic and statistical manual of the American Psychiatric Aassociation. The chapter finally explores the indicators of behavioral dysfunction, and methods to assess reliability and validity in social work research.

In both micro and macro practice, social workers must work with clients to identify the problem(s) to be addressed. This chapter discusses the factors and processes used in problem formulation. It explains methods of involving clients/client systems in problem identification, and techniques and instruments used to assess clients/client systems. The chapter discusses methods to incorporate the results of psychological and educational tests into assessment, to assess ego strengths, to assess organizational functioning, to obtain sensitive information, and to assess the client's/client system's strengths, resources, and challenges. It describes the communication theories and styles, the risk assessment methods, and the indicators of motivation, resistance, and readiness to change and of client's/client system's strengths and challenges. Finally, the chapter discusses methods to assess motivation, resistance, and readiness to change, to assess the client's/client system's communication skills and coping abilities, and to assess trauma, and placement options based on assessed level of care.

Assessment of academic achievement in reading, writing, and mathematics is a crucial part of most assessments of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) children and adolescents. This chapter discusses general issues that psychologists and other practitioners need to consider, including timing of the assessment in the second language (L2), cultural knowledge and bias, impact of oral language proficiency (OLP) on performance, and previous experience with the types of achievement testing done in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) immigrant-receiving countries. It explains specific academic assessment strategies, and interprets assessment results. The chapter provides a discussion of the diagnosis of learning disabilities (LDs). It analyses the strengths and problems associated with using discrepancy definitions, response to intervention (RTI), and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and shows how the research on typical development and differentiating L2 and LD can be applied.