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Disaster mental health is a growing field of practice designed to help victims and relief workers learn to effectively cope with the extreme stresses they will face in the aftermath of a disaster.The goal of disaster mental health is to prevent the development of long-term, negative psychological consequences, such as PTSD.This book assists clinicians and traumatologists in "making the bridge" between their clinical knowledge and skills and the unique, complex, chaotic, and highly political field of disaster. It combines information from a vast reservoir of prior research and literature with the authors' practical and pragmatic experience in providing disaster mental health services in a wide variety of disasters. ... Read more

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Asian Americans are the fastest growing minority group in the United States. When Asian immigrants arrive in the United States, they regularly encounter a vast number of difficulties integrating themselves into their new culture. In Handbook of Mental Health and Acculturation in Asian American Families, distinguished researchers and clinicians discuss the process of acculturation for individuals and their families, addressing the mental health needs of Asian Americans and thoroughly examining the acculturative process, its common stressors, and characteristics associated with resiliency. This first-of-its-kind, multi-dimensional title synthesizes current acculturation research, while presenting those concepts within a clinical framework. In addition to providing an in-depth look at both past and present research and offering directions for future topics to explore, the book also offers a range of practical tools such as research scales to measure levels of acculturation, interview techniques, and clinical approaches for special populations including children, the elderly, and their families. Thought-provoking and informative, Handbook of Mental Health and Acculturation in Asian American Families will enhance the understanding of the clinical and sociocultural problems Asian Americans face, providing clinicians with all the necessary insights to better care for their patients.

Customer Reviews (1)

A wonderful resource for clinicians working with Asian Americans
Although cultural assessment and formulation is the very necessary foundation for the creation of a narrative for our patients, building further awareness of how the patient experiences his or her own world may include a discussion about certain aspects of acculturative change, such as ethnic/racial identity, immigration, acculturation stress, and intergenerational conflict.
The process of acculturation has a direct influence on Asian American mental health.In this ground-breaking volume, Trinh and colleagues explore in-depth some of the current research in acculturation, as well as how to incorporate these concepts in our clinical work.This volume may be used as a reference, and each chapter provides a brief outline of what is to be discussed.The first section describes past and current research on acculturation, while the second section presents clinical concepts, dilemmas, and recommendations.Several seminal studies and clinical themes are revisited throughout, as each chapter builds upon the last. Read straight through, this book provides the reader with the historical context of acculturation research and the importance of acculturation in clinical practice with Asian Americans.Read by chapter, the book provides the reader with information on specific topics of interest.
Although difficult to generalize the Asian American experience, given the tremendous diversity in this population, what Trinh and colleagues convey through these chapters is a conceptual framework to guide researchers and clinicians and a deepened understanding of acculturation in Asian Americans. Recognizing common themes that are relevant to the Asian experience is valuable, and these concepts may be incorporated into all clinical work, be it an initial clinical evaluation, ongoing therapy, consultation, or medication management.Each author highlights some common issues as well as contributes further thoughts and observations specific to certain populations; some have included original hypotheses and research. And many will consider further the challenges regarding psychiatric research and clinical practice for Asian American mental health.
Resiliency and strength-based assessment is referred to throughout this volume.The ability to stand strong and healthy in the face of obstacles and misfortunes is something that we tend to overlook in our clinical worlds.There is a value in recognizing the particular strengths present in the Asian American population and its individuals especially given the stigma and shame that is associated with seeking help.Much still needs to be done with regards to formal research on resiliency in Asian populations, but many of the authors do provide suggestions and cite literature that will help guide clinicians and researchers alike to think about how to incorporate more strength-focused work into their work on acculturation in immigrant populations.
This volume is a significant contribution to the increasingly sophisticated discussion of how best to care for our patients and their families and provide a "next step" to the never-ending journey towards clinical and research excellence.


Albert Yeung, M.D., ScD
Director of Primary Care Research at the
Depression Clinical and Research Program,
Massachusetts General Hospital


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Customer Reviews (1)

Mental Illness
This is an excellent book to help one learn about the struggle of living with a mental illness, whether you are the patient, a family member, or a friend. ... Read more

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Providing a wide range of anti-stress techniques, including exercise, sex, food, humor, hobbies, and pets, a valuable guide to reducing stress for a better quality of living also shares the secrets of some of the world's greatest stress busters. Original. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good buy for the short-on-time
This book covers all the basics. It's a must-read for the short on time and the stressed out who aren't into New Agey mysticism or West Coast transcendntalism. I'm a fan of Chichester's and this Mens Health series. They're brief, helpful and entertaining. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Target orientated and user friendly
Since I have known this book accidentally during the introduction course of Master of Counselling. The book divided into different aspects, e.g. management of stress, management of depression. It was problem solving and can apply easily to everyone. I really recommend it for the students who study Counselling. I really like it!

Useful reading
Useful reading with exercises which can be used for those with mental health condition.Information in "layman's" terms regarding mental health conditions.Easy ready for the average reader. ... Read more

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Currently, there are over 15 million legally designated refugees all over the world and it is documented that 75 percent of those refugees are women, yet most of the existent literature does not focus on this group as women. Most of the literature focuses on political, economic, and social issues with very little reference to the mental health implications of the refugees’experiences as women. Refugee Women and Their Mental Health begins to fill this paucity of information on female refugees’experiences.

A book of immediate interest, Refugee Women and Their Mental Health focuses on understanding the plight of women refugees around the world, with an emphasis on mental health. The book adds successful and innovative treatment and recovery models for these women survivors.

Some of the chapters are written by women who are therapists/psychologists now and who have been refugees themselves. This adds additional insight into the plight and resulting mental health problems of refugee women. The chapters cover a vast range of topics:

• torture and sexual abuse as refugees/victims of state violence
• elderly women refugees
• immigration law and women refugees
• first-person narratives
• the transformation of identity
• successful creative treatment programs
  
  It becomes clear that women refugees from all over the world under different political events and circumstances share common values and have similar mental health needs. Refugee Women and Their Mental Health explores processes of recovery from the traumas experienced by these women and offers a variety of models for the application of feminist theory to the plight of women refugees. Experienced therapists of women and those in training to be therapists will want to read this book. The topics of refugee women rarely comes up in training programs, so the information in this book is vital for therapists, policy makers, and other service providers and professors of psychology of women, immigration and social work issues, and women and mental health issues.

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In 1997 the National Institute of Mental Health assembled a working group of international experts to address the mental health consequences of torture and related violence and trauma; report on the status of scientific knowledge; and include research recommendations with implications for treatment, services, and policy development. This book, dedicated to those who experience the horrors of torture and those who work to end it, is based on that report. ... Read more

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Sharon Johnson is the author of the best selling Therapist's Guide to Clinical Intervention now in its second edition.In this new book on PTSD, she lends her practical outline format to understanding PTSD assessment, treatment planning, and intervention.The book begins with a summary information on PTSD definition, and prevalence, assessment, and the evidence basis behind different treatment options. The book offers adjunctive skill building resources to supplement traditional therapy choices as well as forms for use in clinical practice.

This clinician's guide to diagnosing and treating PTSD is written in a concise format with much of the material in outline or bullet point format, allowing easy understanding of complex material for the busy therapist. Thebook includes a definition of the disorder, diagnostic criteria, the neurobiology of the disorder, tools and information for diagnosing clients, information on functional impairment, interventions, treatment planning, skill building, and additional clinician resources.

* Outlines treatment goals and objectives for DSM-IV PTSD diagnosis
* Discusses interventions and the evidence basis for each
* Offers skill building resources to supplement treatment
* Provides business and clinical forms for use with PTSD patients
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Customer Reviews (3)

Therapist/Professor Review December 9, 2009

This comprehensive book, authored by Sharon Johnson, is a perfect companion to another text I will be using for my Trauma and Abuse Seminar, taught in the spring of 2010. The evidence-based research coupled with cutting edge treatment concepts, such as Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder will provide students with invaluable information and the book is organized in a way as to be user-friendly and treatment applicable for both students and seasoned clinicians. Confidently I say that the information will generate class discussion and learning activities. I have purchased two copies. One, for my private practice office (as an already well used reference book for treatment of my clients), and one for my faculty office (as a reference for supervision, class preparation, and consultation). I highly recommend this book to professors, to be used for student texts and/or supervision references, and for clinicians, as a practical reference for treatment. Valerie E. Forward Ph.D. Core Faculty, The California School of Forensic Psychology, Alliant International University, Fresno, California

Therapist/professor review
Sharon Johnson has done it again!Like her previous guides to clinical intervention and substance abuse treatment, Dr. Johnson has succeeded in condensing a vast amount of relevant, current, and well-researched material into a form that is practical and user-friendly for teachers and practitioners.This most recent volume is very timely, as the media bombards us daily with the consequences of war, sexual abuse, forest fires, earthquakers, and other natural and unnatural disasters.Although trauma is as old as humankind, the legitimacy of its lingering effects has only recently been understood.Dr. Johnson's book is divided into the biopsychosocial aspects and diagnosis of PTSD and its treatment, with special emphasis on the neurobiology of posttraumetic stress and the development of skills for managing the effects of trauma.The current controversies and issues regarding the diagnosis of PTSD, notably the complicated effects of complex posstraumatic stress disorder, are included.The treatment interventions focus predominantly on evidence-based research, with the result that cognitive behaivoral and pharmacological interventions are covered most thoroughly, while attachment-based psychodynamic interventions are described more briefly, although noted as important and useful.This therapist's guide should be used, not as a superficial handbook of techniques, but as a well documented source of information, applied in the contexts of an effective therapeutic relationship, available clinical supervision, training and consultation.I will be using this text as a university professor and recomending it to my colleagues. Anne Petrovich, Associate Professor, California State University, Fresno

Excellent resources, a little disorganized
I have several of Sharon Johnson's "Therapist Guide" books. They are extremely comprehensive, but poorly organized. However, the books is well worth it, despite that fact. There is rich information that covers numerous perspectives, interventions, and opinions about treating trauma and PTSD. I think the information is superior to many more popular books, but the lack of organization probably keeps this one from standing out as much as it should within the field. ... Read more

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A Guide for Self-Reflection, Growth, and Change

Forbidden feelings, secret fears, stress, burnout-these are issues that many behavioral health care professionals treat in their clients everyday. But when it's the clinician who is overwhelmed with these issues, there is often no one-and nowhere to turn to. Untreated, these issues can affect therapists' ability to treat their clients effectively and put unneeded stress on their personal relationships. Based on the best-selling book On Being a Therapist, this much-needed workbook nourishes and challenges psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and other counselors, guiding them gently on a journey of self-reflection and renewal. Jeffery Kottler's well-conceived guide offers behavioral health care professionals a concrete forum to address the crucial daily and long-term issues that inevitably arise in their work.

To help clinicians help themselves, Kottler has filled this hands-on guide with self-assessment exercises and activities-all designed to facilitate candid self-expression, growth, and change. Special attention is paid to potentially career threatening issues, such as sexual attraction to a client, fear of failure, loss of confidence, and the financial stress and loss of autonomy that many clinicians experience as a result of managed care and its constraints.

By actively engaging in the workbook activities and keeping a weekly journal, readers will come away with renewed motivation, energy, and creativity as clinicians, as well as a valuable written record of personal growth and reflection.

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Customer Reviews (3)

Again a great resource
We use some of the exercises in this book in our support group for people in helping professions, which is aimed at addressing burnout and compassion fatigue. I really have had some good results with it.

The Therapist Workbook
Great book. I bought it to use in a Professional Roles course that I am teaching for graduating clinical psychology doctoral students. They love it. I have also recommended it to individuals in the field.

A helpful guide for therapists.
Jeffrey Kottler has filled this hands-on guide with self-assessment exercises and activities -- all designed to facilitate candid self-expression, growth, and change. ... Read more