This book is a distinctive collection of narratives of female Solution Focused practitioners, from across six continents, sharing their unique ways of using the approach at personal, professional, and social levels. Nineteen female practitioners from around the world share their practice and experience, and reflect on how their gender has influenced their work within different cultural, sociological, and socio-economic contexts. The editors introduce the concepts of a Solution Focused DNA and then encourage the contributors as well as the readers to answer questions such as: What are the common characteristics that are a part of your Solution Focused DNA? Which of them are related to gender, Which of them to the Solution Focused Approach, and Which of them to your sociocultural context? Contributors also provide insights on how they work from the Solution Focused approach integrating their own creative styles using embodiment and dance, animal assisted therapy, and humour. The chapters in this book explore a wide variety of themes and contexts, including shelters, trauma, the LGBTQ community, prisons, schools, refugee camps, veterans, the medical field, research, children, and more. This book will inspire practitioners regardless of gender to reflect on their own practice and to use and apply the Solution Focused Approach in innovative and creative ways.

This Second Edition of the Handbook addresses the evolving interdisciplinary health care context and the broader social work practice environment, as well as advances in the knowledge base which guides social work service delivery in health and aging. This includes recent enhancements in the theories of gerontology, innovations in clinical interventions, and major developments in the social policies that structure and finance health care and senior services. In addition, the policy reforms of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act set in motion a host of changes in the United States healthcare system with potentially profound implications for the programs and services which provide care to older adults and their families. In this volume, the most experienced and prominent gerontological health care scholars address a variety of populations that social workers serve, and the arenas in which they practice, followed by detailed recommendations of best practices for an array of physical and mental health conditions. The volume's unprecedented attention to diversity, health care trends, and implications for practice, research, policy make the publication a major event in the field of gerontological social work. This is a Must-Read for all social work social work educators, practitioners, and students interested in older adults and their families.

Too often in practice, there is a tendency to pathologize clients, requiring a diagnosis as part of the helping relationship. Suppose, however, that most of the client problems that social workers encounter have more to do with the vagaries of life and not with what clients are doing wrong. This powerful idea is the philosophy behind the strengths-based approaches to social work. This groundbreaking practice handbook takes this concept one step further, combining the different strengths-based approaches into an overarching model of solution-oriented social work for greater impact. The strengths perspective emphasizes client strengths, goal-setting, and a shared definition of positive outcome. Solution-focused therapy approaches ongoing problems when they have temporarily abated, amplifying exceptions as solutions. This natural but rarely explored pairing is one component in the challenging and effective practice framework presented here by the authors, two seasoned practitioners with over 50 years of combined experience. By integrating the most useful aspects of the major approaches, a step-by-step plan for action emerges. With this text in hand, you will: - Integrate elements from the strengths perspective, solution-focused therapy, narrative therapy, and the strategic therapy of the Mental Research Institute (the MRI approach) into an effective and eclectic framework - Build and practice your skills using case examples, transcripts, and practical advice - Equip yourself with the tools you need to emphasize clients' strengths - Challenge the diagnosis-first medical model of behavioral health care - Collaborate with clients to get past thinking (first-order change), and more to acting "outside the box" (second-order change) - Learn to work with a wide variety of clients, including individuals, groups, and families; involuntary clients; clients with severe mental illness; and clients in crisis For any student or practitioner interested in working with clients towards collaborative and empowering change, this is the essential text.

This expanded third edition of a popular textbook provides a completely revised and updated overview of the theories, models, and therapies that inform direct social work practice. The text is grounded in generalist social work principles and values and promotes a problem-solving model of social work practice as a framework for the eclectic use of theory, as well as for integrating the artistic, reflective elements of practice. It provides in-depth coverage of select psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, humanistic, critical, and postmodern theories. The third edition features a new section on Critical Theories, where a new chapter on Empowerment Theory is included with a completely revised chapter on Feminist Theory. A new chapter on Strengths-based Social Work has been added to the section on meta-theories for social work practice. Other new chapters include Emotion-focused Therapy and Collaborative Therapy. These revisions are based on suggestions from an extensive survey of professors. New to the Third Edition: • A new section on Critical Theories • New chapters on Strengths-based Social Work, Emotion-focused Therapy, Empowerment Theory, and Collaborative Therapy • Updated research on the debate about the importance of theory/technique versus common (e.g., relationship) factors, and on the critique of the empirically supported treatment movement Key Features: • Grounds direct practice firmly in the principles and values of generalist social work • Promotes a problem-solving model of social work as a flexible structure for integrating the eclectic use of theory with the artistic, reflective elementsof practice • Organizes direct practice theories into like groupings and provides an overview of the main characteristics of each grouping • Provides in-depth coverage of topics in a clear, logical, and consistent format • Includes editors and contributors from the U.S. and Canada

This basic textbook seeks to establish a "task-centered" methodology--a structured, short-term, problem-solving approach--applicable across systems at five levels of practice: the individual, the family, the group, organizations, and communities. The second edition offers more information on systems theories and includes case studies with each chapter. Checklists are provided for each level of practice along with questions for consideration and practice exercises to help students monitor their understanding and skill development.

In recognizing the limitations of traditional problem solving methods, solution focus has aided many individuals in changing their perception of problems and transforming them into solutions. Regardless of what difficulties one may be tackling, this book offers practical skills for overcoming. Filled with examples and illustrations, it addresses and explains the role of the all important “miracle†questions as well as “exceptions,†“scaling,†and “coping†questions to help identify leverage points for change. Active listening, a key solution focus skill is reviewed extensively.In addition, readers will learn how to establish well-formed goals and understand the truth of the philosophical statement “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.†Solution Focus’ radical simplicity diverts your attention away from the often frustrating search for the causes of problems and directs it to solutions; away from your weaknesses to your strengths; away from what is going wrong, to what is going right in your life. Though it may not be a fix-all, it will certainly give you a viable alternative to outdated problem solving strategies and teaches how to put solution focused knowledge into everyday practical use. If you want to learn a new way of assisting yourself or others to deal more creatively and effectively with problems, then you are encouraged to explore Solution Focus’ simple principles and tools for positive change.

Sufficiently concise to be teachable in a one-semester practice course, yet available with a treasure trove of related materials for use in a two or three-course practice sequence, this text helps translate the guiding theoretical perspectives of social justice, human rights, and critical social construction into purposeful social work practice. Three unique cases, specially written for this Series, provide a "learning by doing" framework unavailable from any other social work publisher. Companion readings and many other resources enable this text to be the centerpiece for three semesters of practice teaching. Go to www.routledgesw.com to learn more.

This text for generalist practice courses is also available with a treasure trove of related materials for use in a two or three-course practice sequence.? The text helps translate the guiding theoretical perspectives of social justice, human rights, and critical social construction into purposeful social work practice. Six unique cases, specially written for this Series, provide a "learning by doing" framework unavailable from any other social work publisher. Companion readings and many other resources enable this text to be the centerpiece for three semesters of practice teaching. Go to www.routledgesw.com to learn more. This custom edition includes the first seven chapters for instructors teaching the first semester of a two-semester generalist practice sequence, and is also available in e-book editions in a full range of digital formats.

Every fifteen seconds someone commits a crime of domestic violence in the United States, and most violators will be court-mandated to receive group treatment. Outcome studies of traditional treatment programs (those with confrontational or educational approaches) indicate high rates of dropping out and low effectiveness, lending urgency to the need to find an alternative method. This book describes a cutting-edge treatment approach that creates effective, positive changes in domestic violence offenders. Solution-focused therapy focuses on holding offenders accountable and responsible for building solutions, rather than emphasizing their problems and deficits. By focusing on "solution-talk" instead of "problem-talk," clients are assisted in developing useful goals and solution behaviors that are then amplified, supported, and reinforced through a solution-building process. The book will be of great interest to professionals and graduate students in social work, psychology, and counseling.

Foundations of Therapeutic Recreation, Second Edition, provides students with evidence-based information on fundamental concepts in therapeutic recreation to help them explore the various career possibilities in the field.