This pocket resource provides Peer Specialists working with adults in mental health and/or substance use treatment, with key information about common terms and strategies they need in order to be effective in this specialized role. It is also provides a customizable resource of referral information that Peers can share with the people they support.

This revised pocket resource provides Peer Specialists or Peer Counselors working with adults in mental health and/or substance use treatment, with key information about common strategies they need in order to be effective in this specialized role. It is also provides a guide to common terms and a customizable resource of referral information that Peers can share with the people they support.

There were more visits to peer support/self-help groups last year, than there were visits to the offices of mental health professionals. Peer support groups have exploded in popularity, as the public and the healthcare community recognize that they provide an effective complement to formal care, and improve the chance that many participants will have better healthcare outcomes. Few peer support/self-help group leaders have more than minimal training in how to lead a group successfully. This is unfortunate, as leading a self-help group is often challenging. This pocket resource is designed to provide easy access to key information and strategies to help Peer Specialists and other lay group leaders develop and expand their group facilitation skills so they can lead healthy thriving peer support groups.

Advocacy for consumers of mental health and social services is a key force moving these services toward truly patient-centered care. Patients, family members, Peer Specialists, clinical staff and quality assurance professionals all find themselves in the advocacy role at times, pushing for continued improvement in programs and organizations that patients rely on for their recovery. Unfortunately few people have any formal training or education in how to advocate effectively. This pocket resource is designed to provide easy access to the key strategies and information needed to help anyone finding themselves advocating for small or large changes in a healthcare or social service organization, to do so effectively.

Mental health professionals face tricky questions like these every day. But locating reliable sources of information takes considerable time, a luxury that many hard-working clinicians today simply don't have. PsycEssentials: A Pocket Resource for Mental Health Practitioners is a quick but comprehensive guide that helps mental health clinicians locate the answers to these common and often urgent questions. User-friendly chapters are arranged chronologically to address the typical progression of therapy, and describe a wealth of publicly available resources from standardised screening measures and various clinical assessment and risk evaluation measures, to state laws regarding child and elder abuse reporting, symptoms for mental health diagnosis, commonly prescribed drugs, and resources for the implementation of evidence-based psychotherapies.

This remains the best (and only) handbook for learning to be a peer counselor. After years of success with their first editon, the editors have updated and greatly expanded Peer Counseling with new chapters by additional contributors. This new edition provides the basics of rapidly training college students and others in: Listening skills -- Crisis counseling -- Counseling skills Cultural and ethnic perspectives -- Resident advisors Suggested training curriculum Chapters from new contributing authors help reflect changes in the work of the average college campus peer counselor: Ethical considerations -- Making referrals -- Date rape -- Sexual orientation -- HIV antibody test counseling Complete with bibliography and index

An intimate insiders' examination of various consumerrun services for mental health clients.