Building Strengths and Skills: A Collaborative Approach to Working with Clients / Edition 1

by Jacqueline Corcoran

Overview

This is a much-needed practice book that demonstrates how helping professionals can emphasize their clients' resilience, strength, and capacities, rather than focusing on pathology or deficits. It offers an integrative practice model for both assessment and intervention that interweaves strengths-based (specifically solution-focused therapy and motivational interviewing) and skills-building (cognitive-behavioral) approaches. In the strengths-and-skills-based model, helping professionals assume that clients possess the necessary capacities to solve their own problems, transforming the therapeutic relationship into a collaboration focused on bolstering motivation and resources for change. When these resources are exhausted or when deficits become a substantial barrier, then practitioner and client work to develop an individualized skills-building plan. A wide range of examples, written by Jacqueline Corcoran with experts from different fields of practice, clearly demonstrate how the model can be applied to individuals and families struggling with behavior problems, depression, substance abuse, anxiety, violence, and abuse, so that both strengths and skills maximize the client's success. This innovative, dynamic resource is a must have for practitioners across the helping, social service, and mental health professions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195154306
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	09/02/2004
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	9.92(w) x 6.50(h) x 1.32(d)

About the Author

Virginia Commonwealth University

Table of Contents

ContentsPart I. Introduction of the Strengths-and Skills-Based ModelPrefaceChapter 1. Solution-focused TherapyChapter 2. Motivational InterviewingChapter 3. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy by iJacqueline Corcoran & Joe Walsh/iChapter 4. Assumptions of the Strengths-and Skills-Based ModelChapter 5. The Helping Process of the Strengths-and Skills-Based ModelChapter 6. Learning the Model: Applications to a Hospital SettingPart II. Application to DisordersChapter 7. Working with Adolescent Conduct Problems by iJacqueline Corcoran and David Springer/iChapter 8. Depression by iJacqueline Corcoran and Jane Hanvey Phillips/iChapter 9. Substance Abuse by iHolly Matto/iChapter 10. An Older Couple with Anxiety by iCarrie Becker, Jacqueline Corcoran, and Kristin Garell/iPart IV. Application to Family ViolenceChapter 11. Domestic Violence by iJacqueline Corcoran and Holly Bell/iChapter 12. Working with Parents in the Child Welfare System with Substance Abuse by iMelinda Hohman, Christine Kleinpeter, and Hilda Loughran/iChapter 13. Working with Physical Abuse and Neglect by iJacqueline Corcoran, Audrey Jones, and Christine Anksvard/iChapter 14. Working with Parents of Sexual Abuse Victims by iJacqueline Corcoran, Dianna Hart, Kristin Garell, and Janice Berry-EdwardsMeasurementChapter 15. Strengths-Based Measures by iTheresa Early & Sean Newsome/i

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Gary B Kaniuk, PsyD (Cermak Health Services)
Description: This book provides a new model for psychotherapy, one which combines solution-focused therapy, motivational interviewing, and cognitive-behavioral therapy. The author believes that combining strength-based and skills-building models will assist clients in overcoming their difficulties more effectively than either of the approaches used separately.
Purpose: In the preface, the author states that this book "takes into account both individual resources and the areas where client skills can be bolstered, offering an eclectic practice approach that interweaves and operationalizes both strengths-based and skills-based approaches". Those are definitely worthy objectives and the book met them.
Audience: As the author asserts, "the helping process described in Building Strengths and Skills can fit any number of roles, including those of case manager, probation officer, caseworker, medical social worker, counselor, crisis worker, and therapist". In my judgment, I would add graduate students to the list because it gives them another approach to use with clients. The author is a credible authority in the subject matter of the book. Dr. Corcoran is Associate Professor of Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University and has authored two other volumes dealing with families. The other contributors have good credentials as well.
Features: The book devotes its first chapters to describe solution-focused therapy, motivational interviewing, and cognitive-behavioral theory and intervention. Dr. Corcoran then spends three chapters integrating the models and showing specifically how to apply it. In chapter six, "Learning the Model: Applications to a Hospital Setting", case studies are presented followed by commentary. This is extremely helpful in learning the model and its application with clients. The second part of the book deals with how to apply this eclectic method with specific disorders, including adolescent behavior disorders, depression, substance abuse, marital therapy, and family violence. The book is wonderful because it presents so many case examples. Dr. Corcoran is a wonderful writer who is able to express herself in a clear, thoughtful manner. The material comes alive as you see it applied to specific problem areas. This book will be a wonderful addition to a student's library because it teaches them another method, one which is comprehensive but not complicated.
Assessment: I really enjoyed reading this book. The field of psychology is exploring more strength-based models, as opposed to deficit-based ones, but Dr. Corcoran has combined the two in an insightful way. You will not be disappointed with this book whether you are a new clinician or a senior therapist. Since this approach can be utilized in only a few sessions, it meets the demands of a managed-care driven society.

Doody's Review Service

"The greatest strength of Corcoran's work is its potential to help those who are in the position of having a brief period of time to intervene with clients who may not have voluntarily sought assistance and may even be opposed to it." PsycCRITIQUES

"An important piece of work that positively breaks from the norm." -Edward C. Chang, University of Michigan

"If you have been waiting for a book that actually brings positive psychology to life, this is it." -C.R. Snyder, coeditor, Handbook of Positive Psychology

"A readable and practical guide, complete with interview transcripts." -Wallace Gingerich, Case Western Reserve University

From the Publisher

4 Stars! from Doody