Somatoform Disorders

This essential resource, written for social workers by a social worker, discusses the etiology, epidemiology, assessment, and intervention planning for common disorders. Austrian goes beyond a linear classification approach, instead emphasizing a broad bio-psychosocial ecosystems perspective, which takes into account each client's unique situation. In addition to including the most up-to-date information on new medications, biochemical data on disease causes, and diagnostic tests, the thoroughly updated second edition also gives an overview and critique of managed care as it relates to the treatment of mental disorders.

In trauma, when words fail, the body begins to speak. How can clinicians accurately and attentively "hear" the body and understand its messages? Useful both as a text and a professional handbook, Splintered Reflections is a detailed review of the physical symptoms and body-image distortions found after trauma, as well as a textbook of methods aimed at repairing the broken metaphors of the body so that a healthy mind-body relationship can be restored.

Among the various psychotherapeutic techniques explored are Freudian psychoanalytic theory, attachment theory, and trauma theory, all synthesized to form an interlocking framework within which the therapist can effectively listen, and stay with the messages from the patient's body. The reader is guided by detailed clinical examples drawn from an international group of trauma therapists that includes Barry Cohen, Richard Kluft, Bruce Perry, Valerie Sinason, and Onno van der Hart.

Psychopathology: Foundations for a Contemporary Understanding is specifically designed to meet the needs of graduate students enrolled in a one semester course on abnormal psychology or psychopathology in master's or doctoral programs in clinical and counseling psychology and related fields such as social work. Neither an undergraduate abnormal text (though suitable for use in advanced courses that presuppose a basic abnormal course) handbook-style compendium for professionals and researchers, it synthesizes the latest knowledge about the etiology and treatment of the most important psychological disorders, and challenges students to reflect on such crucial and controversial issues as the definition of psychopathology, the influence of culture and gender, the validity of psychological testing and the viability and utility of traditional psychiatric diagnosis. The authors, all leading experts, throughout focus on what has been demonstrated by research, not on what has been claimed by theories that may be accepted or traditional but lack empirical support. The first section presents and analyzes the basic concepts we need to understand disorder; the second examines the disorders most frequently encountered in clinical practice. The editors have brought to their job a combined total of 47 years of teaching graduate students. Well-organized and clearly written, Psychopathology: Foundations for a Contemporary Understanding is an invaluable new resource for instructors and students alike.

The new federal guidelines to help employers understand how the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to employees with an emotional disorder make it imperative that occupational psychologists and front line managers identify those workers who have an emotional disorder and distinguish them from those workers who are lazy or have a bad attitude. Kantor provides vital clinical information that assists professional consultants and supervisors alike in complying with the new guidelines while distinguishing true disability from behavioral problems which call for administrative action. Avoiding stress-heavy theory and one-size-fits-all approaches to treating occupational disorders, Kantor provides a comprehensive view of factors contributing to workplace traumas and presents an incremental approach to developing correct disgnoses and effective clinical therapies. Kantor describes both the familiar and the less familiar occupational disorders, shows how they develop as a result of dysfunctional interaction between workers and their environment, and suggests case-specific methods for preventing and curing many of the most debilitating workplace traumas.

This unique guide provides useful, practical summaries of the most important mental health concerns of women. This resource helps readers intervene efficiently and effectively by providing comprehensive, yet practical answers to the most common problems seen in practice, with an emphasis on treatment guidelines and other vital steps that should be taken.