Children’s display of unacceptable behavior in the school setting, school violence, academic underachievement, and school failure represent a cluster of problems that touches all aspects of society. Children with learning and behavior problems are much more likely to be un- ployed, exhibit significant emotional and behavior disorders in adulthood, as well as become incarcerated. For example, by adolescence, children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity D- order are more likely to be retained a grade, drop out of school, have contact with the law, or fair worse along a number of dimensions than their unaffected siblings (Barkely, 1998). Identification, assessment, and treatment of children with externalizing behavior problems and learningdisabilities is critical to optimizing development and prevention of relatively - tractable behavioral and emotional problems in adulthood. For example, poor interpersonal problem solving and social skills excesses and deficits are strongly associated with poor o- come in adolescence and adulthood. The school is where children learn essential academic, social, and impulse control skills that allow them to function effectively in later years. School is where problems in these areas can be most easily identified and addressed. The purpose of this book is to provide an overview of assessment practices for evaluating children’s externalizing behavior problems exhibited in the school environment. Reviews of approximately 100 assessment devices for measuring children’s externalizing problems are included. Instruments include structured interviews, rating scales, and observational methods.

Social skills are at the core of mental health, so much so that deficits in this area are a criterion of clinical disorders, across both the developmental spectrum and the DSM. The Practitioner’s Guide to Empirically-Based Measures of Social Skills gives clinicians and researchers an authoritative resource reflecting the ever growing interest in social skills assessment and its clinical applications. This one-of-a-kind reference approaches social skills from a social learning perspective, combining conceptual background with practical considerations, and organized for easy access to material relevant to assessment of children, adolescents, and adults. The contributors’ expert guidance covers developmental and diversity issues, and includes suggestions for the full range of assessment methods, so readers can be confident of reliable, valid testing leading to appropriate interventions. Key features of the Guide: An official publication of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Describes empirically-based assessment across the lifespan. Provides in-depth reviews of nearly 100 measures, their administration and scoring, psychometric properties, and references. Highlights specific clinical problems, including substance abuse, aggression, schizophrenia, intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and social anxiety. Includes at-a-glance summaries of all reviewed measures. Offers full reproduction of more than a dozen measures for children, adolescents, and adults, e.g. the Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire and the Teenage Inventory of Social Skills. As social skills assessment and training becomes more crucial to current practice and research, the Practitioner’s Guide to Empirically-Based Measures of Social Skills is a steady resource that clinicians, researchers, and graduate students will want close at hand.

This volume provides a single resource that contains information on almost all of the measures that have demonstrated usefulness in measuring the presence and severity of anxiety and related disorders. It includes reviews of more than 200 instruments for measuring anxiety-related constructs in adults. These measures are summarized in `quick view grids' which clinicians will find invaluable. Seventy-five of the most popular instruments are reprinted and a glossary of frequently used terms is provided.

An essential overview of the core skills needed by every social work practitioner Developing Evidence-Based Generalist Practice Skills features contributions from top scholars in social work practice, presenting essential information for the ethical and effective practice of social work. This clearly written guide provides step-by-step guidance for using evidence-based practice to make joint decisions with clients about assessment and treatment options through a careful consideration of the best available research evidence, the client's preferences and values, professional ethical standards, and other key issues. Comprehensive and straightforward, this book addresses foundational practice skills expected of all social work practitioners, including: Evidence-based practice Trauma-informed practice Interviewing skills Problem identification, contracting, and case planning Case management Advocacy Crisis intervention Practice evaluation Termination, stabilization, and continuity of care Each chapter begins with an overarching question and "what if" scenarios, and ends with a set of suggested key terms, online resources, and discussion questions. Designed as a foundation-level social work education text for undergraduate and graduate students in social work programs, this book meets the Council on Social Work Education's (CSWE) Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) for a thorough and up-to-date presentation of core social work skills featuring in-depth scholarship.

This book is intended to guide clinicians and researchers in choosing practical tools relevant for clinical assessment, intervention, and/or research in this area. It contains over 90 reviews of measures of depression and depression-related constructs. It provides summary tables comparing and contrasting different instruments in terms of their time requirements, suitability, costs, administration, reliability, and validity, and sample copies of 25 instruments in the public domain.

This is the first textbook that illustrates, step by step, how to practice evidence-based group work. As group workers are increasingly being held accountable to evaluate, monitor, and improve their practice, there are scant resources available that apply specifically to their practice. General books on evidence-based practice lack the rich material on group work organized for the first time in this one volume. Designed specifically as a supplement for undergraduate and graduate group work courses, the text is organized around the process and philosophy of evidence-based practice: formulating appropriate practice questions; searching for evidence; critically reviewing available evidence; applying the evidence with judgment, skill, and concern for the group members; and evaluating the outcomes achieved. The evidence-based group work framework teaches students how to skillfully apply best practices through practical learning activities, case examples, research designs, step-by-step guidelines and checklists, assessment tips, and detailed instructions for formulating questions and evaluating answers. It will be equally valuable as a handy reference for professionals eager to hone their practice skills.