Make the best use of measurement approaches that gauge social behavior Here is a state-of-the-art examination of various approaches to measuring and assessing client functioning and specific aspects of clients’ social environments. It examines numerous age groups and ethnic populations and makes use of cutting-edge methodologies in its examinations of measuring depression in children, measuring “the neighborhood” from a child’s perspective, measuring and assessing family functioning, measuring spirituality, and measuring psychosocial problems in seriously mentally ill families. Helpful tables in each chapter make complex information easy to access and understand. Inside Approaches to Measuring Human Behavior in the Social Environment you’ll find: a psychometric evaluation of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Childhood Diagnoses (KID-SCID) (with 4 tables) a clinical/psychometric perspective on using self-rating scales for assessing severely mentally ill individuals (with a chapter appendix and 2 tables) vital information on assessing the influence of tradition upon Chinese elders in order to provide culturally sensitive services (with 4 tables) a report on the psychometric properties of the Rap Music Attitude and Perception (RAP) Scale, an instrument designed to measure attitudes toward and perceptions of rap music (with 6 tables) a report on the assessment of self-esteem in people with severe mental illness (with 2 figures and 4 tables) a qualitative study of fourth and fifth graders’ views of the neighborhoods they live in (with 5 figures and 2 tables) an NIMH- and USDHHS-funded study examining the reliability and validity of the Preschool Symptom Self-Report (PRESS) which measures depression in maltreated young children (with 4 tables) a study of advances designed to improve the reliability/validity of the North Carolina Family Assessment Scale (NCFAS) as it relates to placement and the prediction of future placement within the context of Intensive Family Preservation Services (IFPS) (with 1 figure and 7 tables) conformatory factor analyses of the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS) (with 3 figures and 4 tables) a report illustrating the development and empirical testing of the Spiritual Strategies Scale (SSS)—a measure of spiritual supports used by older adults in managing challenges in their lives (with 4 tables) an examination of the validity of college students’ responses to the Scale for the Identification of Acquaintance Rape Attitudes (SIARA), a measure designed to assess attitudes believed to be supportive of sexual violence within dating relationships (with 3 figures and 5 tables) Approaches to Measuring Human Behavior in the Social Environment is vital reading for master’s and PhD level social workers, psychologists, counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychiatrists, and researchers in these fields.

Foster well-being in an institutional setting Human services workers are consistently discovering more about how important adult well-being is as a foundation of positive human development. Adult Development and Well-Being: The Impact of Institutional Environments closely examines this relationship and provides creative strategies to improve outcomes for adults within institutional settings or systems. Leading experts discuss the latest research, offer insightful perspectives on adult development issues, and provide policy recommendations to effectively foster change. This important resource targets specific issues and provides practical answers to questions about how to positively affect human behavior by cultivating well-being. Social work professionals know that adult development and well-being are directly impacted by institutional setting. Adult Development and Well-Being: The Impact of Institutional Environments explores current theory, literature, and studies on the various positive or negative influences institutions has on the self and intimate and social relationships. This text is extensively referenced and includes various tables to clearly present data. Topics in Adult Development and Well-Being: The Impact of Institutional Environments include: the experiences of grandparents raising grandchildren full time as a result of military deployment various influences on the adjustment to long-term care how the onset of mental illness impacts a person's sense of self and belief systems--and the value of the mental health system study of the impact of welfare reform policies on welfare and caregiving for low-income foster mothers the impact on normal sexual development for institutionalized individuals a study on the well-being of caregivers according to the kinship care arrangement burnout and turnover in social service organizations the impact of the United States Census on law, public policy, and distribution of privilege Adult Development and Well-Being: The Impact of Institutional Environments is crucial, eye-opening reading for social work professionals, policymakers, researchers, educators, and students.

Ashford, LeCroy, and Lortie's ground-breaking book offers students a balanced, integrated introduction to human behavior in the social environment. Lively and comprehensive, this book succeeds by helping students connect foundation knowledge with practice concerns. Clarified through the introduction of study tables and concept maps (at the end of each discussion behavior in the development chapters), the authors look at biopsychosocial development across the life span using an integrative multidimensional approach, discussing integrative practice, theory, treatment, and services throughout. This multidimensional framework provides a concrete tool for the reader to assess human behavior from a perspective that truly reflects the values and knowledge base of the social work profession. Together, the book's solid coverage of foundation knowledge, integration of the biopsychosocial dimensions for assessing social functioning, its multidimensional framework, and its use of case studies to illuminate the applied aspects of HBSE content--along with the authors' consistent attention to diversity--successfully combine to give readers a meaningful, exciting experience.

A quiet revolution is taking place in America's forests. Once seen primarily as stands of timber, our woodlands are now prized as a rich source of a wide range of commodities, from wild mushrooms and maple sugar to hundreds of medicinal plants whose uses have only begun to be fully realized. Now as timber harvesting becomes more mechanized and requires less labor, the image of the lumberjack is being replaced by that of the forager. This book provides the first comprehensive examination of nontimber forest products (NTFPs) in the United States, illustrating their diverse importance, describing the people who harvest them, and outlining the steps that are being taken to ensure access to them. As the first extensive national overview of NTFP policy and management specific to the United States, it brings together research from numerous disciplines and analytical perspectives-such as economics, mycology, history, ecology, law, entomology, forestry, geography, and anthropology—in order to provide a cohesive picture of the current and potential role of NTFPs. The contributors review the state of scientific knowledge of NTFPs by offering a survey of commercial and noncommercial products, an overview of uses and users, and discussions of sustainable management issues associated with ecology, cultural traditions, forest policy, and commerce. They examine some of the major social, economic, and biological benefits of NTFPs, while also addressing the potential negative consequences of NTFP harvesting on forest ecosystems and on NTFP species populations. Within this wealth of information are rich accounts of NTFP use drawn from all parts of the American landscape—from the Pacific Northwest to the Caribbean. From honey production to a review of nontimber forest economies still active in the United States—such as the Ojibway "harvest of plants" recounted here—the book takes in the whole breadth of recent NTFP issues, including ecological concerns associated with the expansion of NTFP markets and NTFP tenure issues on federally managed lands. No other volume offers such a comprehensive overview of NTFPs in North America. By examining all aspects of these products, it contributes to the development of more sophisticated policy and management frameworks for not only ensuring their ongoing use but also protecting the future of our forests.

This comprehensive text offers a solid foundation for asssessment of human behavior in micro, mezzo, and macro settings. The editors offer practical and concrete consideration of how human behavior is affected in different systems: individual, biological, family, community, and organizations. These influences are reviewed in terms of implications for practice. The book assembles selected readings that: provide a brief overview of each theoretical model discuss how empiricism can be applied to the model describe what methods, techniques, and interventions the model supports in order to change a client's behavior

Introductory thesis on the premise that social work is a social profession, and that it is the use of the social relationship as the medium for helping that distinguishes social work from other professions. This social relationship is then modelled as a social system.

* Offers a holistic view of human behavior throughout life cycle by focusing on environmental influences..* Gives in-depth coverage/analysis of physical, social, emotional, cognitive, psychological environments along with relevant personality theories within each life stage cycle.

Intended for graduate- and advanced college-level students of social work, this text covers traditional and alternative paradigms of social work knowledge and practice and of individuals; and perspectives on families, groups, organizations, and community. This update (previous, 1995) includes illust