Human Services Technology prepares student for entry-level positions in institutions and agencies which provide social, community, and educational services. Graduates should qualify for positions in mental health, child care, family services, social services, and educational agencies.
Human Services Books
Disasters and Vulnerable Populations
Offers the most current, evidence-based information for helping specific populations affected by disasters Vulnerable populations such as children, older adults, and people with disabilities are disproportionately affected by large-scale disasters. This hands-on resource for students and professionals in social work, counseling, nursing, and mental health encompasses the best and most current evidence-based interventions for effectively responding to the needs of vulnerable populations following disasters. Using an all-hazards perspective, the book also provides a dedicated section containing population-specific personal preparedness considerations and discusses the role of preparedness in mitigating negative consequences. The resource is unique in its provision of vital information for locating requisite assessment tools, preparedness checklists, and forms. It also provides a list of mobile applications offered through national organizations. The resource addresses the specific psychosocial needs of vulnerable populations after a disaster. It delivers best practices for crisis intervention with specific populations including children, older adults, people with disabilities, people with mental health issues, and people with substance abuse issues. The authors present a theoretical foundation for understanding disasters, response systems, common guidelines for preparedness, and basic crisis theory. This is a resource that will be valuable not only to practitioners in a great variety of health disciplines, but also to volunteer professionals and paraprofessionals involved in disaster preparedness and response. Case vignettes are included in each chapter to illustrate issues particular to each population Key Features: Offers the highest quality, best available evidence for choosing appropriate interventions Focuses on vulnerable populations including children, older adults, and people with disabilities, mental health issues and substance abuse issues Comprises a practical, hands-on manual for mental health and medical professionals and volunteers regarding disaster preparedness and response Provides assessment tools and preparedness checklists and forms Includes case vignettes to illustrate issues specific to each population
Economics of Health and Medical Care
Economics of Health and Medical Care is an introduction to population-based health economics as well as the traditional, market-oriented approach to health care economics. The book examines economics through the lens of descriptive, explanatory, and evaluative economics.The Seventh Edition is an extensive revision that reflects the vast changes that have been occurring in the health care industry and in the economy, most notably in the areas for payment systems and quality improvement. Additionally, the text offers expanded discussion of the impact of the Affordable Care Act on the demand for healthcare services and health insurance, particularly regarding Medicare and Medicaid programs. Evolving issues in healthcare as well as discussion of the implication for efficiency in the production and consumption of healthcare services are covered throughout the text. Key features: * Revised introduction provides an overview of why health economics, explaining the economic approach to understanding health care issues and problems. * Updated data to reflect changes in the healthcare system, along with new and expanded empirical studies illustrate the use of economics and healthcare. * Helpful links to additional online sources further support and clarify chapter concepts* Updated and expanded glossary that incorporates new and additional terminology in healthcare and now incorporates definitions of basic economic terminology.
Essential Interviewing Skills for the Helping Professions
Essential Interviewing Skills for the Helping Professions reaches beyond most other essential skills for clinical interviewing books with its emphasis on social justice, attention to the role of microaggressions in clinical practice, and the upmost importance of practitioner wellness as integral to longevity in the helping professions. Each chapter addresses interviewing skills that are foundational to the helping professions from mental health to physical health, includes detailed exercises, addresses social justice, and discusses practitioner wellness opportunities. Sometimes clients' stories are fraught with trauma, other times their stories are bound within generations of substance addiction or family violence, while other clinical stories present personal and social obstacles that arise from years of oppression at the hands of prejudice and discrimination. This book therefore goes beyond the basic ideas of choosing when to use an open question or to reflect emotions by covering how to integrate social justice and knowledge of power, privilege, and oppression into the interviewing arena. Essential interviewing skills require the practitioner to not only purposefully listen to the client's story, but also to be self-aware and willing to acknowledge mistakes and learn from them. The work of the clinical interviewer is a continuous challenge of balancing listening, responding, action, and self-awareness, and this book is designed to help.
Health Insurance and Managed Care
Health Insurance and Managed Care: What They Are and How They Work is a concise introduction to the workings of health insurance and managed care within the American health care system. Written in clear and accessible language, this text offers an historical overview of managed care before walking the reader through the organizational structures, concepts, and practices of the health insurance and managed care industry.The Fifth Edition is a thorough update that addresses the current status of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), including political pressures that have been partially successful in implementing changes. This new edition also explores the changes in provider payment models and medical management methodologies that can affect managed care plans and health insurer.The Fifth Edition also offers new or expanded coverage of:* "Moral hazard," and its application in health insurance and managed care* The ever expanding and evolving payment systems and methodologies used in the U.S. Healthcare System* The role of benefits design along with discussion about medical necessity and its impact on benefits coverage* The impact of limitations on sales, governance and administrative (SG&A) costs and profits * Continued changes in payment mechanisms such as value-based payment under the Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA)* Medicare Part D, the drug benefit and the plans that offer it, as well as the complexities of Medicare Advantage payment plans, Medicaid expansion under ACA, and more.
Libraries and the Substance Abuse Crisis
The opioid epidemic, and other behavioral health issues such as alcohol and drug abuse, directly impact every community across the nation; and, by extension, public libraries' daily work. Because libraries are not only trusted guardians of information but also vital community centers, people struggling with addictive behaviors as well as their family members and friends often turn to the library for help. But many library workers feel overwhelmed, finding themselves unprepared for serving these patrons in an effective and empathetic way. This book encourages readers to turn their fears and uncertainty into strengths and empowerment, offering to-the-point guidance on welcoming people with substance use disorders and their loved ones through policy, materials, outreach, collaboration, programs, and services. Written by a frontline librarian whose personal experiences inform the book, this resource explores the library's role in the fight against addiction and how to become part of the solution by combating stigma; provides background on understanding how substance abuse and related behaviors affect different age groups and populations; explains how to be proactive regarding library safety and security by carefully crafting library policies and effectively communicating them to staff; offers real world guidance on training library staff, including pointers on recognizing observable signs of drug abuse and responding appropriately and safely to uncomfortable or potentially dangerous situations; discusses safeguards such as a needle disposal unit, defibrillator, and Naloxone; gives tips on marketing, outreach, and programming, from putting together displays of materials and resources to partnering with local organizations; and recommends useful websites, documentaries, and additional resources for further learning. By making their own contributions to changing the way people struggling with substance abuse are treated in society, libraries can demonstrate that resilience can transcend crisis.
The Long Fix
Beyond the outrageous expense, the quality of care varies wildly, and millions of Americans can't get care when they need it. This is bad for patients, bad for doctors, and bad for business.In The Long Fix, physician and health care CEO Vivian S. Lee, MD, cuts to the heart of the health care crisis. The problem with the way medicine is practiced, she explains, is not so much who's paying, it's what we are paying for. Insurers, employers, the government, and individuals pay for every procedure, prescription, and lab test, whether or not it makes us better--and that is both backward and dangerous.Dr. Lee proposes turning the way we receive care completely inside out. When doctors, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies are paid to keep people healthy, care improves and costs decrease. Lee shares inspiring examples of how this has been done, from physicians' practices that prioritize preventative care, to hospitals that adapt lessons from manufacturing plants to make them safer, to health care organizations that share online how much care costs and how well each physician is caring for patients.Using clear and compelling language, Dr. Lee paints a picture that is both realistic and optimistic. It may not be a quick fix, but her concrete action plan for reform--for employers and other payers, patients, clinicians, and policy makers--can reinvent health care, and create a less costly, more efficient, and healthier system for all.
Thriving!
Written in a conversational and engaging style, this updated and expanded Third Edition of Thriving! helps future counselors and therapists to succeed in their training and professional development throughout their graduate careers. This informative and inspirational book includes an overview of the literature, personal accounts from students, practical tips/activities, and the latest coverage of such topics as advances in neuroscience research, crisis intervention, and more!
The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health
An unapologetic exploration of the Black mental health crisis--and a comprehensive road map to getting the care you deserve in an unequal system. We can't deny it any longer: there is a Black mental health crisis in our world today. Black people die at disproportionately high rates due to chronic illness, suffer from poverty, under-education, and the effects of racism. This book is an exploration of Black mental health in today's world, the forces that have undermined mental health progress for African Americans, and what needs to happen for African Americans to heal psychological distress, find community, and undo years of stigma and marginalization in order to access effective mental health care. In The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health, psychologist and African American mental health expert Rheeda Walker offers important information on the mental health crisis in the Black community, how to combat stigma, spot potential mental illness, how to practice emotional wellness, and how to get the best care possible in system steeped in racial bias. This breakthrough book will help you: Recognize mental and emotional health problems Understand the myriad ways in which these problems impact overall health and quality of life and relationships Develop psychological tools to neutralize ongoing stressors and live more fully Navigate a mental health care system that is unequal It's past time to take Black mental health seriously. Whether you suffer yourself, have a loved one who needs help, or are a mental health professional working with the Black community, this book is an essential and much-needed resource.
Understanding the Sociology of Health
Understanding the Sociology of Health continues to offer an easy to read introduction to sociological theories essential to understanding the current health climate. Up-to-date with key policy and research, and including case studies and exercises to critically engage the reader, this book shows how sociology can answer complex questions about health and illness, such as why health inequalities exist. To better help with your studies this book contains: · a global perspective with international examples; · a new chapter on health technologies; · online access to videos of the author discussing key topics as well as recommended further readings; · a glossary, chapter summaries and reflective questions to help you engage with the subject. Though aimed primarily at students on health and social care courses and professions allied to medicine, this textbook provides valuable insights for anyone interested in the social aspects of health.