Author: Joan M. Borst
Publisher: Prentice Hall
ISBN: 9780205498079
Category : Medical care
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Written with a strengths based perspective, this health care text integrates policy, practice, and professionalism for social workers. With its focus on diversity and by using a biopsychosical perspective, Social Work and Health Care teaches students to respect a variety of ways of coping and ways to culturally assess and approach intervention. Students learn about how the individual, and their families and friends are impacted by the loss of health or independence. Numerous examples encourage students to identify with the practicing professional.
Social Work and Health Care
Author: Joan M. Borst
Publisher: Prentice Hall
ISBN: 9780205498079
Category : Medical care
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Written with a strengths based perspective, this health care text integrates policy, practice, and professionalism for social workers. With its focus on diversity and by using a biopsychosical perspective, Social Work and Health Care teaches students to respect a variety of ways of coping and ways to culturally assess and approach intervention. Students learn about how the individual, and their families and friends are impacted by the loss of health or independence. Numerous examples encourage students to identify with the practicing professional.
Publisher: Prentice Hall
ISBN: 9780205498079
Category : Medical care
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Written with a strengths based perspective, this health care text integrates policy, practice, and professionalism for social workers. With its focus on diversity and by using a biopsychosical perspective, Social Work and Health Care teaches students to respect a variety of ways of coping and ways to culturally assess and approach intervention. Students learn about how the individual, and their families and friends are impacted by the loss of health or independence. Numerous examples encourage students to identify with the practicing professional.
Handbook of Health Social Work
Author: Sarah Gehlert
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0471758884
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 769
Book Description
The Handbook of Health Social Work provides a comprehensive and evidence-based overview of contemporary social work practice in health care. Written from a wellness perspective, the chapters cover the spectrum of health social work settings with contributions from a wide range of experts. The resulting resource offers both a foundation for social work practice in health care and a guide for strategy, policy, and program development in proactive and actionable terms. Three sections present the material: The Foundations of Social Work in Health Care provides information that is basic and central to the operations of social workers in health care, including conceptual underpinnings; the development of the profession; the wide array of roles performed by social workers in health care settings; ethical issues and decision - making in a variety of arenas; public health and social work; health policy and social work; and the understanding of community factors in health social work. Health Social Work Practice: A Spectrum of Critical Considerations delves into critical practice issues such as theories of health behavior; assessment; effective communication with both clients and other members of health care teams; intersections between health and mental health; the effects of religion and spirituality on health care; family and health; sexuality in health care; and substance abuse. Health Social Work: Selected Areas of Practice presents a range of examples of social work practice, including settings that involve older adults; nephrology; oncology; chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and HIV/AIDS; genetics; end of life care; pain management and palliative care; and alternative treatments and traditional healers. The first book of its kind to unite the entire body of health social work knowledge, the Handbook of Health Social Work is a must-read for social work educators, administrators, students, and practitioners.
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0471758884
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 769
Book Description
The Handbook of Health Social Work provides a comprehensive and evidence-based overview of contemporary social work practice in health care. Written from a wellness perspective, the chapters cover the spectrum of health social work settings with contributions from a wide range of experts. The resulting resource offers both a foundation for social work practice in health care and a guide for strategy, policy, and program development in proactive and actionable terms. Three sections present the material: The Foundations of Social Work in Health Care provides information that is basic and central to the operations of social workers in health care, including conceptual underpinnings; the development of the profession; the wide array of roles performed by social workers in health care settings; ethical issues and decision - making in a variety of arenas; public health and social work; health policy and social work; and the understanding of community factors in health social work. Health Social Work Practice: A Spectrum of Critical Considerations delves into critical practice issues such as theories of health behavior; assessment; effective communication with both clients and other members of health care teams; intersections between health and mental health; the effects of religion and spirituality on health care; family and health; sexuality in health care; and substance abuse. Health Social Work: Selected Areas of Practice presents a range of examples of social work practice, including settings that involve older adults; nephrology; oncology; chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and HIV/AIDS; genetics; end of life care; pain management and palliative care; and alternative treatments and traditional healers. The first book of its kind to unite the entire body of health social work knowledge, the Handbook of Health Social Work is a must-read for social work educators, administrators, students, and practitioners.
Social Work and Integrated Health Care
Author: Victoria Stanhope
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190607297
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 321
Book Description
This book provides a comprehensive view of the critical issues for social workers regarding the integration of primary care and behavioral health care. It discusses integrated health care settings, interprofessional practice, new roles for social workers, and describes key evidence-based practices such as screening, person-centered care planning, motivational interviewing and wellness self-management.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190607297
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 321
Book Description
This book provides a comprehensive view of the critical issues for social workers regarding the integration of primary care and behavioral health care. It discusses integrated health care settings, interprofessional practice, new roles for social workers, and describes key evidence-based practices such as screening, person-centered care planning, motivational interviewing and wellness self-management.
Health and Social Work
Author: Janna C. Heyman
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company
ISBN: 0826141641
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 364
Book Description
This new text illuminates the essential information about health and social work critical to understanding today’s complex health care systems and policies. Chapters highlight current practice, policy, and research in different settings and with special populations. Readers learn how to advocate for the individuals, families, and communities they serve to help improve health and well-being for all. All those interested in micro, mezzo, and macro practices in a healthcare setting will appreciate this rich resource. Highlights include: Each chapter speaks to the interconnections between practice, policy, and research and how they are integrated to inform social work and health. Unique chapters dedicated to special populations such as children and families, older adults, immigrants, persons with HIV/AIDS, LGBTQ individuals, veterans, and people with disabilities provide a deeper understanding of the health care issues specific to these groups. Thorough coverage of the role of social workers in a variety of settings such as substance abuse, correctional systems, public health, and integrated behavioral health care. An in-depth discussion of the values and ethical issues in a health care environment. An intersectionality lens used throughout promotes a greater understanding of a client’s multiple status of race, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, education level, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identification. Detailed case examples developed by professionals in the field in Parts II and III accompanied by discussion questions further enhance an understanding of the issues. Highlights how social workers advocate for social justice to promote good health and well-being for all. On-line instructor's resources including Power Points, how chapter content is tied to the 2015 CSWE Educational Policy Accreditation Standards (EPAS), answers to discussion questions, including approaches that instructors can use with cases and research, as well as a sample syllabus with suggested options for instructors to modify for different courses. Intended as a core text for MSW and advanced BSW courses on health and social work, social work practice in health care, health and wellness, or integrative behavioral health taught in social work, public health, or gerontology programs, this book is also of value in social work practice courses that focus on health care and special populations. Social workers practicing in the health care field will also appreciate this book.
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company
ISBN: 0826141641
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 364
Book Description
This new text illuminates the essential information about health and social work critical to understanding today’s complex health care systems and policies. Chapters highlight current practice, policy, and research in different settings and with special populations. Readers learn how to advocate for the individuals, families, and communities they serve to help improve health and well-being for all. All those interested in micro, mezzo, and macro practices in a healthcare setting will appreciate this rich resource. Highlights include: Each chapter speaks to the interconnections between practice, policy, and research and how they are integrated to inform social work and health. Unique chapters dedicated to special populations such as children and families, older adults, immigrants, persons with HIV/AIDS, LGBTQ individuals, veterans, and people with disabilities provide a deeper understanding of the health care issues specific to these groups. Thorough coverage of the role of social workers in a variety of settings such as substance abuse, correctional systems, public health, and integrated behavioral health care. An in-depth discussion of the values and ethical issues in a health care environment. An intersectionality lens used throughout promotes a greater understanding of a client’s multiple status of race, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, education level, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identification. Detailed case examples developed by professionals in the field in Parts II and III accompanied by discussion questions further enhance an understanding of the issues. Highlights how social workers advocate for social justice to promote good health and well-being for all. On-line instructor's resources including Power Points, how chapter content is tied to the 2015 CSWE Educational Policy Accreditation Standards (EPAS), answers to discussion questions, including approaches that instructors can use with cases and research, as well as a sample syllabus with suggested options for instructors to modify for different courses. Intended as a core text for MSW and advanced BSW courses on health and social work, social work practice in health care, health and wellness, or integrative behavioral health taught in social work, public health, or gerontology programs, this book is also of value in social work practice courses that focus on health care and special populations. Social workers practicing in the health care field will also appreciate this book.
Social Work in Health Care
Author: Kay Davidson
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317823974
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 970
Book Description
Here is an outstanding reference book of major readings in the field of social work in health care. Practitioners, educators, researchers, and students can use this landmark two-part volume to review dominant themes and critical issues in today’s practice environment and to understand the evolution of current trends and emerging policies and programs. In this one desktop source book, hundreds of references relevant to the health care social work field are immediately accessible. Education, policy, practice, and research issues integral to social work’s expanding role in health care are the main focus, with each chapter highlighting a theme of enduring importance to the field. Other outstanding articles related to the chapter’s theme are cited in the appendix to each chapter which also includes a selected bibliography of suggested topical readings. Comprehensive new book filled with information vital to social workers in the health care field! Over 900 pages of scholarly articles by the foremost social work leaders in health care! 9 categories embrace the range of social work activity in the health care field! Exciting new ideas and practical suggestions for everyday dilemmas! Hundreds of references immediately accessible in one desktop source! Selected bibliography of topical headings provides sources for even more relevant articles! A MUST HAVE volume for instructors and students! Deepen your understanding of all aspects of social work practice in health care with this superb volume! Here is an outstanding reference book of major readings in the field of social work in health care. Practitioners, educators, researchers, and students can use this landmark two-part volume to review dominant themes and critical issues in today’s practice environment and to understand the evolution of current trends and emerging policies and programs. Social Work in Health Care makes hundreds of references relevant to the health care social work field immediately accessible in this one desktop source book. Education, policy, practice, and research issues integral to social work’s expanding role in health care are the main focus, with each chapter highlighting a theme of enduring importance to the field. Other outstanding articles related to the chapter’s theme are cited in the appendix to each chapter which also includes a selected bibliography of suggested topical readings. Find answers and ideas for everyday dilemmas in this all-inclusive, information-packed volume!Social workers practicing in the rapidly expanding health care field call upon a repertoire of skills to fulfill a variety of functions including direct patient care and contact with patients’families, education, and influencing organizational policies on their clients’behalf. The in-depth scholarship and the diversity of multiple approaches to health care social work, as presented in Social Work in Health Care, will have a strong impact on the field. Through the intertwining network of education, policy, practice, and research issues in the book, and professsional discussion of those topics, a beginning point exists from which social workers can develop principles to guide their social work activities in the medical and health fields.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317823974
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 970
Book Description
Here is an outstanding reference book of major readings in the field of social work in health care. Practitioners, educators, researchers, and students can use this landmark two-part volume to review dominant themes and critical issues in today’s practice environment and to understand the evolution of current trends and emerging policies and programs. In this one desktop source book, hundreds of references relevant to the health care social work field are immediately accessible. Education, policy, practice, and research issues integral to social work’s expanding role in health care are the main focus, with each chapter highlighting a theme of enduring importance to the field. Other outstanding articles related to the chapter’s theme are cited in the appendix to each chapter which also includes a selected bibliography of suggested topical readings. Comprehensive new book filled with information vital to social workers in the health care field! Over 900 pages of scholarly articles by the foremost social work leaders in health care! 9 categories embrace the range of social work activity in the health care field! Exciting new ideas and practical suggestions for everyday dilemmas! Hundreds of references immediately accessible in one desktop source! Selected bibliography of topical headings provides sources for even more relevant articles! A MUST HAVE volume for instructors and students! Deepen your understanding of all aspects of social work practice in health care with this superb volume! Here is an outstanding reference book of major readings in the field of social work in health care. Practitioners, educators, researchers, and students can use this landmark two-part volume to review dominant themes and critical issues in today’s practice environment and to understand the evolution of current trends and emerging policies and programs. Social Work in Health Care makes hundreds of references relevant to the health care social work field immediately accessible in this one desktop source book. Education, policy, practice, and research issues integral to social work’s expanding role in health care are the main focus, with each chapter highlighting a theme of enduring importance to the field. Other outstanding articles related to the chapter’s theme are cited in the appendix to each chapter which also includes a selected bibliography of suggested topical readings. Find answers and ideas for everyday dilemmas in this all-inclusive, information-packed volume!Social workers practicing in the rapidly expanding health care field call upon a repertoire of skills to fulfill a variety of functions including direct patient care and contact with patients’families, education, and influencing organizational policies on their clients’behalf. The in-depth scholarship and the diversity of multiple approaches to health care social work, as presented in Social Work in Health Care, will have a strong impact on the field. Through the intertwining network of education, policy, practice, and research issues in the book, and professsional discussion of those topics, a beginning point exists from which social workers can develop principles to guide their social work activities in the medical and health fields.
Integrating Social Care into the Delivery of Health Care
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309493439
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 195
Book Description
Integrating Social Care into the Delivery of Health Care: Moving Upstream to Improve the Nation's Health was released in September 2019, before the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic in March 2020. Improving social conditions remains critical to improving health outcomes, and integrating social care into health care delivery is more relevant than ever in the context of the pandemic and increased strains placed on the U.S. health care system. The report and its related products ultimately aim to help improve health and health equity, during COVID-19 and beyond. The consistent and compelling evidence on how social determinants shape health has led to a growing recognition throughout the health care sector that improving health and health equity is likely to depend â€" at least in part â€" on mitigating adverse social determinants. This recognition has been bolstered by a shift in the health care sector towards value-based payment, which incentivizes improved health outcomes for persons and populations rather than service delivery alone. The combined result of these changes has been a growing emphasis on health care systems addressing patients' social risk factors and social needs with the aim of improving health outcomes. This may involve health care systems linking individual patients with government and community social services, but important questions need to be answered about when and how health care systems should integrate social care into their practices and what kinds of infrastructure are required to facilitate such activities. Integrating Social Care into the Delivery of Health Care: Moving Upstream to Improve the Nation's Health examines the potential for integrating services addressing social needs and the social determinants of health into the delivery of health care to achieve better health outcomes. This report assesses approaches to social care integration currently being taken by health care providers and systems, and new or emerging approaches and opportunities; current roles in such integration by different disciplines and organizations, and new or emerging roles and types of providers; and current and emerging efforts to design health care systems to improve the nation's health and reduce health inequities.
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309493439
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 195
Book Description
Integrating Social Care into the Delivery of Health Care: Moving Upstream to Improve the Nation's Health was released in September 2019, before the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic in March 2020. Improving social conditions remains critical to improving health outcomes, and integrating social care into health care delivery is more relevant than ever in the context of the pandemic and increased strains placed on the U.S. health care system. The report and its related products ultimately aim to help improve health and health equity, during COVID-19 and beyond. The consistent and compelling evidence on how social determinants shape health has led to a growing recognition throughout the health care sector that improving health and health equity is likely to depend â€" at least in part â€" on mitigating adverse social determinants. This recognition has been bolstered by a shift in the health care sector towards value-based payment, which incentivizes improved health outcomes for persons and populations rather than service delivery alone. The combined result of these changes has been a growing emphasis on health care systems addressing patients' social risk factors and social needs with the aim of improving health outcomes. This may involve health care systems linking individual patients with government and community social services, but important questions need to be answered about when and how health care systems should integrate social care into their practices and what kinds of infrastructure are required to facilitate such activities. Integrating Social Care into the Delivery of Health Care: Moving Upstream to Improve the Nation's Health examines the potential for integrating services addressing social needs and the social determinants of health into the delivery of health care to achieve better health outcomes. This report assesses approaches to social care integration currently being taken by health care providers and systems, and new or emerging approaches and opportunities; current roles in such integration by different disciplines and organizations, and new or emerging roles and types of providers; and current and emerging efforts to design health care systems to improve the nation's health and reduce health inequities.
Social Work Practice in Healthcare
Author: Karen M. Allen
Publisher: SAGE Publications
ISBN: 1483353192
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 537
Book Description
Social Work Practice in Health Care by Karen M. Allen and William J. Spitzer is a pragmatic and comprehensive book that helps readers develop the knowledge, skills, and values necessary for effective health care social work practice, as well as an understanding of the technological, social, political, ethical, and financial factors affecting contemporary patient care. Packed with case studies and exercises, the book emphasizes the importance of being attentive to both patient and organizational needs, covers emerging trends in health care policy and delivery, provides extensive discussion of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and addresses social work practice across the continuum of care.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
ISBN: 1483353192
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 537
Book Description
Social Work Practice in Health Care by Karen M. Allen and William J. Spitzer is a pragmatic and comprehensive book that helps readers develop the knowledge, skills, and values necessary for effective health care social work practice, as well as an understanding of the technological, social, political, ethical, and financial factors affecting contemporary patient care. Packed with case studies and exercises, the book emphasizes the importance of being attentive to both patient and organizational needs, covers emerging trends in health care policy and delivery, provides extensive discussion of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and addresses social work practice across the continuum of care.
Health Care Politics, Policy, and Services
Author: Gunnar Almgren, MSW, PhD
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company
ISBN: 0826104797
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 364
Book Description
Designated a Doody's Core Title! Winner of an AJN Book of the Year Award! Who Has a Right to Health Care? What Is the Government's Role in Providing Accessible Health Care? How Are Corporations, Insurance Companies, and Health Care Providers Affecting the Quality of Health Care? And, Most Importantly, Can We Reform the U.S. Health Care System? We often debate these issues in health care policy or public health courses, yet we do so without the proper knowledge of the underlying structure of the U.S. health care system--or a framework by which it can be judged. Many health care workers entering the system are ill-equipped to address the issues faced in direct health care practice, in part because they have no ability to evaluate it. In this innovative text, Gunnar Almgren provides all the tools necessary to understand and critique a health care policy in dire need of change. First, he describes the historical evolution of U.S. health care, explaining how the early roles of hospitals, doctors, and nurses still influence today's system. He explains the complex financial aspects of health care, including the concerns of all its major stakeholders. He looks at the government's role in regulating and funding health care, and how that role has expanded and contracted through various political administrations. An entire chapter describes the facilities and services available for the elderly--an issue that will continue to rise in importance as America ages. Finally, he examines the many causes of disparities in the U.S. health care system. In addition, Almgren offers a unique social justice analysis as a framework by which the current system--and proposed reforms--can be judged. By analyzing the health care system through various models of social justice, we can begin to understand and address the urgent issues of economic, racial, and geographic disparities that plague our current system. With its clear, thorough, and comprehensive coverage of U.S. health care, this unique text is accessible to all those in public health, nursing, social work, public policy, or public administration. No other book addresses the underlying issues of the U.S. health care system alongside a variety of social justice models that we can use to evaluate, and perhaps eventually, change it.
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company
ISBN: 0826104797
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 364
Book Description
Designated a Doody's Core Title! Winner of an AJN Book of the Year Award! Who Has a Right to Health Care? What Is the Government's Role in Providing Accessible Health Care? How Are Corporations, Insurance Companies, and Health Care Providers Affecting the Quality of Health Care? And, Most Importantly, Can We Reform the U.S. Health Care System? We often debate these issues in health care policy or public health courses, yet we do so without the proper knowledge of the underlying structure of the U.S. health care system--or a framework by which it can be judged. Many health care workers entering the system are ill-equipped to address the issues faced in direct health care practice, in part because they have no ability to evaluate it. In this innovative text, Gunnar Almgren provides all the tools necessary to understand and critique a health care policy in dire need of change. First, he describes the historical evolution of U.S. health care, explaining how the early roles of hospitals, doctors, and nurses still influence today's system. He explains the complex financial aspects of health care, including the concerns of all its major stakeholders. He looks at the government's role in regulating and funding health care, and how that role has expanded and contracted through various political administrations. An entire chapter describes the facilities and services available for the elderly--an issue that will continue to rise in importance as America ages. Finally, he examines the many causes of disparities in the U.S. health care system. In addition, Almgren offers a unique social justice analysis as a framework by which the current system--and proposed reforms--can be judged. By analyzing the health care system through various models of social justice, we can begin to understand and address the urgent issues of economic, racial, and geographic disparities that plague our current system. With its clear, thorough, and comprehensive coverage of U.S. health care, this unique text is accessible to all those in public health, nursing, social work, public policy, or public administration. No other book addresses the underlying issues of the U.S. health care system alongside a variety of social justice models that we can use to evaluate, and perhaps eventually, change it.
Health Care Social Work
Author: Ren Winnett
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190942185
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 265
Book Description
Health Care Social Work aims to directly empower health care social workers around the world by providing valuable new information about the breadth and depth of the profession's health care contributions, legislative and policy influences upon practice, and implications for future practice and growth in different nations. Written by scholars and practitioners of health care social work from around the world, chapters encourage comparative analysis of distant health care social work practice as a means of supporting meaningful change on a local level and contributing to public health in a way that transcends boundaries and makes a difference globally. Readers will gain an opportunity to examine their assumptions about health care social work practice and reflect meaningfully upon less familiar techniques and approaches as a way of prompting problem-solving with an expanded frame of reference.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190942185
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 265
Book Description
Health Care Social Work aims to directly empower health care social workers around the world by providing valuable new information about the breadth and depth of the profession's health care contributions, legislative and policy influences upon practice, and implications for future practice and growth in different nations. Written by scholars and practitioners of health care social work from around the world, chapters encourage comparative analysis of distant health care social work practice as a means of supporting meaningful change on a local level and contributing to public health in a way that transcends boundaries and makes a difference globally. Readers will gain an opportunity to examine their assumptions about health care social work practice and reflect meaningfully upon less familiar techniques and approaches as a way of prompting problem-solving with an expanded frame of reference.
Social Work and Mental Health
Author: Sylvia I. Mignon, MSW, PhD
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company
ISBN: 0826164439
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 323
Book Description
Clear, comprehensive, and accessible, this textbook presents an overview of the contemporary American mental health system and its impact on clients and social workers. The failure of the system to provide quality care for the mentally ill is explored, including issues and policies that social workers face in accessing mental health care for their clients, while also discussing the ways in which social workers can improve the overall functioning of the system and promote the development and expansion of policy and practice innovations. This is the first textbook to examine the lack of understanding of the roots of mental illness, the challenges in classification of mental disorders for social workers, and difficult behavioral manifestations of mental illness. By looking at the flaws and disparities in the provision of mental health services, especially in relation to the criminal justice system and homelessness and mental illness, social work students will be able to apply policy and practice to improve mental health care in their everyday work. A focus on the lived experiences of the mentally ill and their families, along with the experiences of social workers, adds a unique, real-world perspective. Key Features: Delivers a clear and accessible overview and critique of social work in the broader context of mental health care in the US Reviews historical and current mental health policies, laws, and treatments, and assesses their impact on social services for the mentally ill Investigates racial and ethnic disparities in mental health provision Incorporates the experiences of people with mental illness as well as those of social workers Offers recommendations for future social work development of mental health policies and services Includes Instructors Manual with PowerPoint slides, chapter summaries and objectives, and discussion questions Addresses CSWE core competency requirements
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company
ISBN: 0826164439
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 323
Book Description
Clear, comprehensive, and accessible, this textbook presents an overview of the contemporary American mental health system and its impact on clients and social workers. The failure of the system to provide quality care for the mentally ill is explored, including issues and policies that social workers face in accessing mental health care for their clients, while also discussing the ways in which social workers can improve the overall functioning of the system and promote the development and expansion of policy and practice innovations. This is the first textbook to examine the lack of understanding of the roots of mental illness, the challenges in classification of mental disorders for social workers, and difficult behavioral manifestations of mental illness. By looking at the flaws and disparities in the provision of mental health services, especially in relation to the criminal justice system and homelessness and mental illness, social work students will be able to apply policy and practice to improve mental health care in their everyday work. A focus on the lived experiences of the mentally ill and their families, along with the experiences of social workers, adds a unique, real-world perspective. Key Features: Delivers a clear and accessible overview and critique of social work in the broader context of mental health care in the US Reviews historical and current mental health policies, laws, and treatments, and assesses their impact on social services for the mentally ill Investigates racial and ethnic disparities in mental health provision Incorporates the experiences of people with mental illness as well as those of social workers Offers recommendations for future social work development of mental health policies and services Includes Instructors Manual with PowerPoint slides, chapter summaries and objectives, and discussion questions Addresses CSWE core competency requirements