This book is a teaching aid for individuals and groups of adults with learning disabilities. Stories, in simple English, about relationships are followed by points for discussion and suggested discussion questions for counsellors.

The Secrets of Enduring Love focuses on what couples actually do to maintain, nurture and nourish their relationships. The reader will be taken on a journey through different ways of doing relationships, focusing on the key themes which came out of the research: everyday acts of kindness and appreciation; the importance of home; communication and conflict management; sex and intimacy; incorporating others into the relationship (children, pets, friends, hobbies); and telling your own love story. One of the key messages from the research is that different things work for different people, and at different times in the relationship. For this reason the book focuses on the differnt practices that we might bring into our own relationships, helping us to recognise the small things which we may be already doing but which ordinarily go by unnoticed, and offering a helping hand to find out what works best for us.

In this thought-provoking book, Jan Walmsley and Kelley Johnson discuss participative approaches to research and provide an up-to-date account of inclusive practice with individuals with learning disabilities. Drawing on evidence from two major studies, they explain how lessons learnt from inclusive research in the learning disability field are applicable to others working with marginalized groups. The authors examine the origins and the process of inclusive research, describing: * how and why it takes place * who carries it out * who funds it * how it is designed * how it relates to policy and practice. They look at the challenges inherent in this work, such as balancing the voice of the researcher with that of disabled participants and clarifying roles within research projects, and explore how it can become more inclusive and empowering. Providing valuable information and advice to researchers, policy makers and students as well as other health and social care professionals, this book presents a comprehensive examination of participative research in social care.

This multi-disciplinary textbook provides a comprehensive guide for anyone working with people with learning disabilities. It considers how we can engage with people with learning disabilities and their networks of relationships. Throughout, the book demonstrates how theory can be applied to practice with a wide range of contemporary examples. Each chapter is written by a key clinician or writer in this area, incorporating the disciplines of nursing, clinical psychology, and psychotherapy. The chapters also include summaries, reflective questions and explanations of key terms to reinforce themes and topics. The authors provide practical ideas for applying theory across agency contexts including inpatient hospital settings and explore the potential opportunities and future directions for the field. This is a must-read book for students who work with people with learning disabilities including nurses, psychologists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, psychiatrists and social workers.

A comprehensive introduction to working with people with learning disabilities, this guide provides the theoretical understanding needed to inform good practice and to help improve the quality of life of people within this group. Using accessible language and case examples, the authors discuss both psychological and practical theories, including: * person-centred and behavioural approaches * anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive approaches * systems theory * task centred approach * role theory. Emphasising empowerment and inclusion of those with learning disabilities, they relate theory to issues such as loss and bereavement, sexuality and social stigma. They also provide guidance for practitioners on social policy and legislation and explore crisis intervention, values and ethics, advocacy and joint agency work, making this an extremely useful resource for social workers, nurses, teachers care workers and others working with people with learning disabilities.

This reflective and evidence-based book will equip students as well as professionals who work with people with learning disabilities in primary, secondary and specialist healthcare settings, with the knowledge and skills they need to work effectively with people with learning disabilities. Chapters - written by leading academics and practitioners in the learning disabilities field - examine and discuss core issues, while a case-study approach ensures a solid grounding in practical skills. This practical element is further reinforced by the inclusion of service-user and practitioner ′voices′, whose lived experiences make the book even more engaging, as well as a range of reflective exercises and regular opportunities for readers to self-audit their learning. Reflecting the multi-professional nature of services for people with learning disabilities, this book will help practitioners and students make a real difference to the lives of people with learning disabilities who access health and social care environments.

"In this book, Barry Gray and Geoff Ridden have collected fourteen biographies written by people of all ages who have a learning disability. The authors discuss how these stories might be representative of other people with learning disabilities and what key themes may be identified from the stories. Such material has not been well documented in the past and is particularly appropriate for analysis which is not narrowly prescriptive."--BOOK JACKET. "This flexible and educational tool of analysis will enable carers, educators, care managers and workers in day and residential services to work more closely with their clients, to ensure that more choice is made available today to those whose voices have not always been heard. Lifemaps of People with Learning Disabilities will appeal not only to social workers and other health care practitioners, but also to families of people with learning disabilities."--BOOK JACKET.