In his latest book, Tom Douglas turns his attention to the skills of group membership. While there is an extensive literature on basic groupwork practice, none of the existing books address the functions of groups exclusively from the viewpoint of members. Survival in Groups examines the influences and pressures which can exist in groups and explains what to look for in order to see these factors at work. It stresses the fact that the ability to see the processes of a group in action can enable group members to make consciously directed contributions to the group based on an understanding of what is involved. The final chapters discuss methods of integrating personal learning about group outcomes. Illustrated throughout with practice-based examples, Survival in Groups is aimed at the many students of social work, counselling, nursing and social care who are required to participate in groups, but who are unclear about what this involves. With its summaries, lists of basic concepts and brief annotated bibliography, the book will also be of use to busy professionals in the social care field where teamwork or groupwork is emphasised.

Seventeen-year-old Moses was ready for an adventure. In 1844, he joined a wagon train traveling from Iowa to California. But as winter approached, the wagon train ran into trouble. Oxen started dying and supplies were running low. Some people went ahead for help. Moses stayed behind with the belongings. Can he find a way to survive on his own in the mountains during the long, cold winter?

Scott Thompson, author of The Functional Fire Company, says the functional fire company concept was not created but realized: “I realized, after many attempts at trying to view success in the organization from the top down, that it wasn’t possible. Real indicators of success in the fire service come from the bottom up. A fire department’s success is best judged at the company level.” “Many leaders and senior members have been taught the how but not the why, and they don’t understand the reasons for doing what they do,” Thompson says. “Because firefighting is such a technical activity, we must ensure that we are explaining why we do things while we demonstrate the how. It is essential that we develop critical thinking for solving fire suppression, rescue, and EMS problems.” WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: “Chief Scott Thompson combines his decades of experience and years of observation with today’s leadership skills and provides a path for the successful fire department to follow. The Functional Fire Company will take you step by step from being an ordinary fire department to one which defines excellence. --Rick Lasky, Fire Chief (ret.) Texas “I found both motivation and a guide to implementation in this book. Chief Thompson has provided a deep resource for all ranks from creating culture to setting up training structure. I highly recommend this book to anyone with aspirations of making an organizational impact.” --Brian Brush “Chief Thompson has spent his entire career focusing on training and organizational effectiveness. The Functional Fire Company is his life’s work wrapped up into a playbook which offers insight into how to make your organization perform at maximum proficiency. Experience, perspective and a never quit mentality are evident as Chief Thompson provides a unique view to solving problems in the modern-day fire service.” --Terry McGrath, Assistant Chief, Lewisville (TX) Fire Department “This book offers a living, breathing example that Chief Thompson’s principles truly work. I hope you get as much value from this book as we have received from Chief Thompson’s lessons, and that you take what you learn back to your organization.” --Garrett Rice, The Colony Fire Department (TX) Battalion Chief, A Shift

The Survival Group Handbook (formerly known as MAGS: The People Part of Prepping, see here for additional book reviews: http: //bit.ly/magsreviews) is the first and most comprehensive book ever written on the subject of survival with others. It is designed to walk you through all the steps required to safely and securely find, and work with other people just like you who realize that going it alone in a dark world is not an option. This guide is the instruction manual and reference textbook for the solo survivor, family or national organization regardless of size or mission. By employing the hard learned lessons carefully researched in cooperation with many active groups, and applying sociology, history, law and threat analysis, the survivor will understand what makes a group work, how to build one from scratch, how to fix one that has become dysfunctional and where to put your group in a hurry. If you want to put a razor's edge on your team, understand how to effectively lead people, increase participation, correct poor group dynamics, and be able to successfully operate under a multitude of conditions, this book holds all the keys to your success.

A pest-control expert explains how to prevent a bed-bug infestation, how to avoid the pests in everyday life, what treatments work best against them, and how to pick a good exterminator.

In this insightful book, an underwater archaeologist and survival coach shows how understanding the collapse of civilizations can help us prepare for a troubled future. Pandemic, climate change, or war: our era is ripe with the odor of doomsday. In movies, books, and more, our imaginations run wild with visions of dreadful, abandoned cities and returning to the land in a desperate attempt at survival. In The Next Apocalypse, archaeologist Chris Begley argues that we completely misunderstand how disaster works. Examining past collapses of civilizations, such as the Maya and Rome, he argues that these breakdowns are actually less about cataclysmic destruction than they are about long processes of change. In short: it’s what happens after the initial uproar that matters. Some people abandon their homes and neighbors; others band together to start anew. As we anticipate our own fate, Begley tells us that it was communities, not lone heroes, who survived past apocalypses—and who will survive the next. Fusing archaeology, survivalism, and social criticism, The Next Apocalypse is an essential read for anxious times.

Al-Anon adult children tell their stories.