Preserving And Strengthening Small Towns And Rural Communities

A compilation of the most dynamic and exemplary presentations at the 23rd Annual National Institute on Social Work and Human Services in Rural Areas, this volume offers a much-needed generalist approach to practice in the rural environment. Preserving and Strengthening defines the issues and crises of surprisingly diverse populations and illustrates the myriad solutions and interventions available to the social work practitioner in the rural context. The book defines the specific needs of the small town and rural populations of the United States and Canada from the familial, societal, economic, agency, and empowerment perspectives ; recognizes the diverse range of cultural and ethnic groups, including African Americans, American Indians, and Canadian First Nations People ; addresses the traditional way of life found in rural communities and offers approaches to enhance it ; and assembles the research and experiences of leading practitioners in the rural environment.

First Published in 2005. This is Volume 41 of the Theory Into Practice series, with focus on Transforming School Counseling, featuring guest editor Susan Jones Sears. This issue showcases a close examination of educational practices in schools serving low-income and minority students with disturbing trends. The articles discuss the findings that students in high-poverty and high-minority schools see little connection between what is being taught and a better future for themselves. Also contained are a variety of proposed reasons to explain why many school counselors are not considered to be change agents.

Before the interstates, Main Street America was the small town’s commercial spine and served as the linchpin for community social solidarity. Yet, during the past three decades, a series of economic downturns has left many of the great small cities barely viable. American Hometown Renewal is the first book to combine administrative, budgetary, and economic analysis to examine the economic and fiscal plight currently facing America’s small towns. Featuring a blend of theory, applications, and case studies, it provides a comprehensive, single-source textbook covering the key issues facing small town officials in today’s uncertain economy. Written by a former public manager, university professor, and consultant to numerous small towns in the Heartland, this book demonstrates the ways in which contemporary small towns throughout the nation are facing economic challenges brought about by the financial shocks that began in 2008. Each chapter explores a theme related to small town revival and provides a related tool or technique to enable small town officials to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. Encouraging local small town officials to look at the economic orbit of communities in a similar manner as a town’s budget or a family’s personal wealth, examining its specific competitive advantages in terms of relative assets to those of competing communities, this book provides the reader with step-by-step instructions on how to conduct an asset inventory and apply key asset tools to devise a strategy for overcoming the challenges and constraints imposed upon spatially-fixed communities. American Hometown Renewal is an essential primer for students studying city management, economic community development, and city planning, and will be a trusted handbook for city managers, geographers, city planners, urban or rural sociologists, political scientists, and regional microeconomists.

A thoughtful text integrating strengths, assets, and capacity-building themes with contemporary issues in rural social work practice Now in its second edition, Rural Social Work is a collection of contributed readings from social work scholars, students, and practitioners presenting a framework for resource building based on the strengths, assets, and capacities of people, a tool essential for working with rural communities. This guide considers methods for social workers to participate in the work of sustaining rural communities. Each chapter features a reading integrating the themes of capacity-building and rural social work; discussion questions that facilitate critical thinking around the chapter; and suggested activities and assignments. Rural Social Work, Second Edition explores: Important practice issues in rural communities, including the challenges of working with stigmatized populations such as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people, the homeless, and people living with HIV/AIDS Practice models that hold special promise for rural social workers, including evidence-based practice and community partnership models Newer research tools such as asset mapping, social network analysis, concept mapping, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Exploring how social workers can integrate the tremendous resources that exist in rural communities into their practice, Rural Social Work, Second Edition provides a solid introduction to the complex, challenging, and rewarding work of building and sustaining rural communities.

The Handbook of Social Work in Health and Aging is the first reference to combine the fields of health care, aging, and social work in a single, authoritative volume. These areas are too often treated as discrete entities, while the reality is that all social workers deal with issues in health and aging on a daily basis, regardless of practice specialization. As the baby boomers age, the impact on practice in health and aging will be dramatic, and social workers need more specialized knowledge about aging, health care, and the resources available to best serve older adults and their families. The volume's 102 original chapters and 13 overviews, written by the most experienced and prominent gerontological health care scholars in the United States and across the world, provide social work practitioners and educators with up-to-date knowledge of evidence-based practice guidelines for effectively assessing and treating older adults and their families; new models for intervention in both community-based practice and institutional care; and knowledge of significant policy and research issues in health and aging. A truly monumental resource, this handbook represents the best research on health and aging available to social workers today.

Encompassing community development, organizing, planning, & social change, as well as globalisation, this book is grounded in participatory & empowerment practice. The 36 chapters assess practice, theory & research methods.

Learn why it is imperative to bring a progressive focus back to social welfare policy! This vital book explores recent research on poverty and inequality, identifies strategies for ensuring adequate services, and challenges many of the inaccurate beliefs that were used to justify welfare reform legislation in 1996. You'll find up-to-date information on various marginalized groups and their social problems, including lack of health coverage for women with mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence problems. In addition, you'll find data on the health coverage situation for the poor, for Appalachians, and for women in general. Finally, Rediscovering the Other America: The Continuing Crisis of Poverty and Inequality in the United States suggests strategies for changing public perceptions about the nature of poverty and the poor. From the editors: “In 1962, Michael Harrington published The Other America, which documented how deeply entrenched poverty and inequality were in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Four decades later, we find it necessary once again to rediscover this profound social condition. The purpose of this book is to awaken policymakers and the public to this situation once again, in order to affect the nature of public policies dealing with these issues.” Rediscovering the Other America: The Continuing Crisis of Poverty and Inequality in the United States covers a wide range of issues, some similar to what Harrington described in 1962 and some reflecting recent social, political, and economic developments. Specifically, the book addresses: providing health care coverage for the poor why poverty persisted during the economic boom of the Clinton presidency politicians' views and beliefs regarding poverty, welfare, and welfare recipients the impact of the 1996 welfare reform legislation on the nonprofit sector economic differences between women and men poverty in Appalachia the impact of welfare reform on those who receive public assistance

Ethics in Rural Psychology provides readers with theoretical underpinnings, practical applications, and empirically based knowledge of the practice of psychology in rural communities. Dr. Boilen explores the similarities and differences within and across rural American communities to provide a framework for understanding this vast and varied population. Focusing on the ethical considerations unique to these communities, chapters use illustrative case examples, useful exercises, and personal anecdotes to highlight obstacles unique to rural areas. Finally, the book emphasizes the opportunity to be innovative and creative in rural practice, demonstrating how rural practices hold promise for cutting-edge advancements in the field of psychology. This book will serve practitioners, students, and researchers as a primer, handbook, and road map for the challenging and rewarding clinical work that awaits in rural America.