This user-friendly textbook not only guides social workers in developing competence in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) system of diagnosis, it also assists them in staying attuned during client assessment to social work values and principles: a focus on client strengths, concern for the worth and dignity of individuals, appreciation of environmental influences on behavior, and a reliance on evidence-based approaches.The authors, seasoned practitioner-scholars, provide an in-depth exploration of fourteen major mental disorders that social workers commonly see in practice, integrating several perspectives in order to meet the challenges social workers face in client assessment. A risk and resilience framework helps social workers understand environmental influences on the emergence of mental disorders and the strengths that clients already possess. Social workers will also learn to apply critical thinking to the DSM when it is inconsistent with social work values and principles. Finally, the authors catalog evidence-based assessment instruments and treatments so that social workers can intervene efficiently and effectively, using the best resources available.Students and practitioners alike will appreciate the wealth of case examples, evidence-based assessment instruments, and treatment plans that make this an essential guide to the assessment and diagnostic processes in social work practice. "This volume stands as a rich resource for practitioners to assist in the understanding and utilization of DSM as a necessary tool in the critical phases of assessment and diagnosis incontemporary social work practice. It will serve as a highly useful, indeed necessary, desktop reference and is a critically important contribution in the development and utilization of the DSM in clinical practice. It also represents social work's unique contribution in the understanding and management of DSM categories and assists greatly in demonstrating to colleagues in other professions our distinct role in the understanding and management of mental, emotional, and behavior disorders. A prodigious undertaking by two highly experienced clinicians."--Francis J. Turner, Professor Emeritus, Wilfrid Laurier University"This is a well-written book that fills a gap in the social work literature on the DSM. The authors review the strengths and weaknesses of this much-used diagnostic tool in the context of child, adolescent, and adult populations.Their focus is on a bipsychosocial assessment from a lifespan perspective, while reviewing the evidence-based aspects of diagnosis and assessment. I highly recommend it for clinical practice."--Catheleen Jordan, Professor of Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington"This book raises the bar high for learning how to do social work practice. The case materials and applications are priceless, and the text takes books to a new level for demonstrating techniques. It is extraordinary in its approach to helping students learn practice methods, offering the training resources needed for developing competencies in social work practitioners."--Cynthia Franklin, Stiernberg/Spencer Family Professor in Mental Health, University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work"...a breath of fresh air...this volume does not limit its scope and succeeds admirably for it. Corcoran and Walsh's book should be a required reference for every clinical social worker with an interest in evidence-based practice."--PsycCRITIQUES More Reviews and Recommendations

Jacqueline Corcoran, Ph.D., is Associate Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work. Her recent books include Clinical Applications of Evidence-Based Family Interventions (OUP, 2003) and Building Strengths and Skills (OUP, 2005).Joseph Walsh, Ph.D., is Associate Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work. He is the author of Theories for Direct Social Work Practice and coauthor of The Social Worker and Psychotropic Medication.

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