Elements of the Helping Process

Book excerpt: Bridge the gulf between theoretical science and clinical application! This new edition of Elements of the Helping Process is a practical guide filled with novel ideas and innovative methods for tailoring the helping process to meet clients'special needs. Every chapter of the original edition has been updated, and new chapters in this edition discuss resiliency and its clinical enhancement; trauma and its impact on both clients and clinicians; and practice evaluation processes. The down-to-earth advice in this book draws upon both theoretical foundations and practical techniques and integrates individual and family approaches to assessment and intervention. With common sense and minimal professional jargon, this book will show you how to customize social work to the needs of the client, highlighting components such as writing, developing family trees, and creating logs and profiles. Elements of the Helping Process, Second Edition, provides practical guidelines, systematic directions, and suggestions for actively responding to clients and their needs. Here you'll find detailed descriptions of steps to follow for each phase of the helping process. Use this invaluable synthesis of theories, strategies, and techniques to create a climate of trust and to match assessment and intervention with the unique goals of your clients. This valuable book contains thoughtful, insightful discussions of: a paradigm that emphasizes the health and strengths of the client attachment behavior and empathy creating a safehouse seven levels of helping relationships what to expect from clients at first contact (with a helpful checklist to guide you in assessing first contacts) the importance and process of assessment clients, goals, and contracting guidelines for discovering and capturing a client's life story the benefits of logging and guidelines for using a log the power of metaphor the process of termination; how to know when a client is ready and much, much more! In contrast to guides based strictly on orthodox theory, this user-friendly book bridges the gap between scientific theories and the day-to-day decisions facing clinicians, making it easy for professionals to apply these strategies to individual practices.