The current practice of counselling, psychotherapy, and most helping professions often relies on clinical wisdom with little evidence of what actually works. Clinical wisdom is often a justification for beliefs and values that bond people together as professionals but often fails to serve clients since many of those beliefs and values may be comforting, but they may also be inherently incorrect. Improving the Effectiveness of the Helping Professions: An Evidence-Based Approach to Practice covers the use of research and critical thinking to assist helping professionals make the most effective choices in treating clients with social and emotional problems. The use of evidence-based practice (EBP) comes at a time when managed care and concerns over health care costs coincide with growing concerns that psychotherapy, case management, and counseling may not be sufficiently effective ways of helping people in social and emotional difficulty.

Covers the use of research & critical thinking to assist helping professionals make the most effective choices in treating clients with social & emotional problems.

In this exceptional new sixth edition, the author has retained the practical framework for offering immediate problem-solving assistance to persons in crisis. Therefore, the goal of this updated and expanded edition is to provide knowledge and methods applicable to particular crisis circumstances. Specific topics include: core concepts that are fundamental to all intervention efforts, crisis theory and the philosophy of crisis intervention, basic communication and problem-solving skills, suicide prevention, assistance for terminally ill persons, bereavement counseling, intervention with crime victims, rape counseling, negotiating with armed perpetrators, group strategies, family and marital interventions, disaster relief, case management, physical facilities, modes of contact, community relations, selection, training, and burnout prevention procedures. The handbook also details a review of the research on crisis intervention and how individual intervenors can build upon that knowledge. Numerous case examples presented in the handbook (with fictitious names) are based on actual occurrences the author has encountered. The techniques in this book are applicable to crisis centers, hotlines, Internet-based services, victim-assistance programs, college counseling centers, hospitals, schools, correctional facilities, children and youth programs, and other human service settings. The Study Questions at the end of each chapter are designed to serve as useful applications of crisis intervention theories and principles. Intended for caregivers whose work involves crisis intervention efforts, this is an informative resource for counselors, social workers, psychologists, nurses, physicians, clergy, correctional officers, parole and probation officers, and lay volunteers.

Critical thinking values, knowledge, and skills are integral to evidence-based practice in the helping professions. Practitioners must be able to think clearly, on a daily basis, about decisions that may change their clients' lives. Critical Thinking for Helping Professionals, 3rd Edition, is designed to engage readers as active participants in honing their critical thinking skills, mastering a coherent decision-making process, and integrating the evidence-based practice process into their work with clients. In this interactive skills-based workbook, 37 hands-on exercises offer rich opportunities for students in professional education programs to learn how to make informed decisions. Unique material exploring the use of propaganda in advertising and discussing the research on judgment and problem solving highlight the connection between critical thinking and evidence-based practice. For students in social work, nursing, counseling, and psychology, this new edition of a unique workbook is a fun and thought-provoking way to sharpen and maximize their decision-making skills so that they can provide their clients with the best care possible. * Fun, interactive exercises emphasize learning by doing * Integrates research and practice, practice and policy, and critical thinking and evidence-based practice * Helps readers to recognize how to recognize propaganda, avoid pitfalls in decision making, critically appraise research, and improve their practice * Ideal for graduate and undergraduate courses in research and practice

Given the tremendous importance of keeping up with the explosion of knowledge in professional fields—from medicine and health to teaching in schools and colleges – getting the most out of every learning opportunity is vital to the growth and vitality of our society, as well as to the development of professional practitioners themselves.In this concise, practical guide to improving professional learning and performance, Alan Knox brings decades of experience and study to bear on 12 key tasks for the leader of professional learning activities. Illustrated with examples from a wide variety of learning settings across the helping professions (e.g., health care, teaching, social work), the chapters will provide essential guidance to instructors and facilitators seeking to improve learning activities and thereby enhance professional performance. The combination of evidence-based concepts and practical examples is designed to enable readers to improve the learning activities they lead, and thereby enhance the performance of learners in their ongoing professional practice.

Social workers are increasingly met with the demands of evaluating their own programs and practice to maintain accountability with stakeholders, secure funding, and to remedy a number of large-scale problems facing our society. One of the four basic areas of the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS), evaluation, is a critical process for demonstrating social work programs' ability to help the clients and communities they serve. Social Work Evaluation, Third Edition, offers a straightforward guide in a broad range of social work evaluations at both the program and practice levels. Author James R. Dudley's seven-step approach to evaluation makes use of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed research methods to identify oversight and issues at the planning, implementation, and final outcome stages of intervention development. His unique focus on involving clients in the evaluation process ensures social workers consistently improve their capacity to impact clients' well-being and remain accountable to the communities they serve. Case examples from the author's extensive experience in evaluation illustrate a number of logic-based methods discussed throughout the text for real-world application. This comprehensive text aims to enhance student and practitioner skill sets to meet the demands of a changing field.

Critical Thinking for Helping Professionals, Fourth Edition draws on research concerning decision making, judgment, problem solving, and expertise to create 37 hands-on exercises designed to enhance critical thinking values, knowledge, and skills which are integral to evidence-based practice. Attention is devoted to ignorance as well as knowledge - including ignorance promoted by special interests and ignorance that is self-inflicted through lack of knowledge about common biases and fallacies that impede informed decision making. The text is ideal for graduate as well as undergraduate courses in research and practice.