Peter J. Boccone - Böcker

Assessment in Counseling: Guiding Practice and Decision Making considers the real-world use of assessment by counselors and other helping professionals. The book underscores the importance of collecting data to understand a client's history, current circumstances, and future goals; provide a clinical diagnosis; develop goals and objectives for treatment; and determine the appropriate time to terminate treatment.Section I introduces the assessment process, lists the characteristics of "good" assessments, reviews various instruments and approaches to assessment, and discusses the use of the DSM as an assessment tool. Section II describes the use of assessments across different functional areas in the counseling profession, including school-based assessment, assessment in hospitalization settings, in addictions work, in times of crisis and trauma, in forensic settings, and more. The final section discusses additional considerations, including working in interdisciplinary teams and reading and writing evaluation reports. Each chapter features an introduction, learning objectives, exercises and case illustrations, and a closing exercise to bring the chapter's material together. Highly practical and realistic, Assessment in Counseling is an excellent resource for courses and programs in counseling, as well as practicing helping professionals.

Recognizing that counselors are often the primary source of therapeutic care, A Counselor's Guide to Psychopharmacology and Alternative Treatments provides readers with an overview of the fundamentals of psychopharmacology so they can help facilitate medication-based treatment plans and more fully meet their clients' needs. The text bridges the gap between the content-knowledge of psychopharmacology and the intentional incorporation of medication-based interventions into a larger, counseling-driven therapeutic processThe book is organized into three parts, which explore the basics of psychopharmacology, medications, and additional considerations. Opening chapters discuss models of treatment, pharmacotherapy in mental health, the role of the counselor, and foundational information on neurobiology and pharmacology. Additional chapters discuss antidepressant, antianxiety, and antipsychotic medication, mood stabilizers, and the interplay of substance abuse and medication-assisted treatment. Closing chapters provide readers with alternatives to pharmacotherapy, including electroconvulsive therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation, and emerging alternatives, such as herbal supplements and hallucinogens. Medication noncompliance, malingering, and diagnostic considerations are also coveredIn addition to critical content, the text features application-based exercises designed to help readers hone skills related to the analysis of complex cases, as well as the navigation of client interactions in a deliberate, empowering, and holistic mannerA Counselor's Guide to Psychopharmacology and Alternative Treatments is a critical resource for future and practicing counselors at all levels.