"This much-needed volume brings to the clinician or student some of the best critical-minded analysis by some of the most insightful thinkers about psychiatric diagnosis today. The thought-provoking questions these essays raise, and the multifaceted and provocative answers they provide, cultivate sensitivity to the nuances of diagnostic assessment that often makes the difference between clinical success and failure." - Jerome C. Wakefield, PhD, DSW, New York University Silver School of Social Work, New York This transformative resource challenges social workers and mental health professionals to rethink their approaches to assessment and diagnosis from the ground up. Among the book’s unique features are its use of diverse lenses to examine a common case and its illustration of how multiple perspectives can be integrated for a richly textured portrait of the individual in context. Equally crucial is the book’s commitment to professional development, from exercises to improve case conceptualization to strategies for teaching and learning. Topics include: The DSM-5 definition of mental disorder: critique and alternatives. Making assessment decisions: macro, mezzo, and micro perspectives. Neuroscience, resilience, and the embodiment of “mental” disorder. Narrative, psychodynamic, and cultural conceptualizations of disorder. Person-centered and contextualized diagnosis in mental health. Meeting the challenge of teaching integrated assessment. Critical Thinking in Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis has much to offer professionals, researchers, and educators in the fields of social work and mental health. .

What's behind every healed patient? Critical thinking! And what book best equips you to master the critical thinking skills needed for success on the NCLEX examination and in professional nursing practice? Alfaro's Critical Thinking, Clinical Reasoning, and Clinical Judgment, 6th Edition! With a motivational style and insightful "how-to" approach, this unique textbook draws upon real-life scenarios and evidence-based strategies as it guides you in learning to think critically in clinically meaningful ways. The new edition features a more streamlined, full-color design, and expanded coverage on some of key trends, including: interdisciplinary care teams, competency-based education, the IOM’s Leading Health Indicators, legal considerations, the effects of the Affordable Care Act, and much more. If you want to truly succeed in nursing practice today and be thinking-oriented rather than task-oriented, then look no further than this one-of-a-kind textbook. Simple approach and motivational writing style include vivid examples, memorable anecdotes, and real case scenarios to make content come alive. Practical strategies to promote critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and clinical judgment are incorporated along with supporting evidence as to why the strategies work. Focus on application (or "how to") and inclusion of supporting rationales (theory) make difficult concepts easy to learn. Critical thinking indicators feature evidence-based descriptions from the author of behaviors that promote critical thinking in nursing practice. Highlighted features and sections — such as Chapter at a Glance, Pre-Chapter Self-Tests, Guiding Principles, Critical Moments, Other Perspectives, Think-Pair-Share, Help Me Out cartoons, real-life clinical scenarios, key points, critical thinking exercises, and more — promote independent learning. UNIQUE! Brain-based learning principles utilize strategies that challenge the mind and are incorporated throughout the text. Timely coverage includes topical issues, such as: problem-focused versus outcome-focused thinking, prioritizing, developing a culture of safety, healthy work environments, expanding roles related to diagnosis and management, applying delegation principles, evidence-based practice, improving grades and passing tests the first time, NCLEX preparation, ensuring documentation reflects critical thinking, communication and interpersonal skills, strategies for common workplace challenges, and more. Inclusion of ethics- and standards-based professional practice reflects today’s professional climate which demands increasing accountability. Incorporation of cultural, spiritual, and lifespan content along with the nurse’s role in hospitals, communities, and long-term care settings presents a broad approach to critical thinking. Discussion of Tanner and Benner’s most recent work on what the research says about critical thinking and clinical judgment in nursing keeps readers up to date on the evidence-based side of practice. Coverage of IOM, QSEN, and other patient safety standards also keeps readers up to date on safe and effective nursing care.

The Thinker’s Guide to Clinical Reasoning introduces healthcare students and professionals to the foundations of critical thinking and offers examples of applications within clinical fields. It is not enough for healthcare workers to have access to data and research, they must also know how to analyze and process information to guide patients in making the best decisions about their health. This process requires critical thinking skills often ignored in healthcare curricula. As part of the Thinker’s Guide Library, this book advances the mission of the Foundation for Critical Thinking to promote fairminded critical societies through cultivating essential intellectual abilities and virtues across every field of study across world.

Critical Thinking in Clinical Research explains the fundamentals of clinical research in a case-based approach. The core concept is to combine a clear and concise transfer of information and knowledge with an engagement of the reader to develop a mastery of learning and critical thinking skills. The book addresses the main concepts of clinical research, basics of biostatistics, advanced topics in applied biostatistics, and practical aspects of clinical research, with emphasis on clinical relevance across all medical specialties.

Explores key topics in psychology, showing how they can be critically examined.

Develop the critical thinking skills you need for success in today's challenging healthcare setting with Critical Thinking and Clinical Judgment: A Practical Approach to Outcome-Focused Thinking, 4th Edition! This book's insightful and motivational style makes the concept of critical thinking come alive. Learning difficult concepts is easy with the book's "how-to" approach that provides supporting rationales to help you understand why and how to make decisions. User-friendly and motivational style with vivid examples, anecdotes, and real case scenarios brings content to life. Helps you work smarter - not harder - by providing workplace strategies for managing time, dealing with conflict, and giving bad news. Incorporates practical strategies to promote critical thinking with evidence showing why and how the strategies apply to real life. Emphasizes the importance of ethics- and standards-based professional practice in a world of increasing accountability to keep both you and your patients safe. Incorporates cultural, spiritual, and lifespan content throughout and addresses nurses' roles in hospitals, communities, and long-term care settings for a balanced, comprehensive look at critical thinking. Pre-Chapter Self-Tests help you focus on learning outcomes by identifying your learning needs. Independent learning is easy with user-friendly features such as Key Points, Critical Thinking Exercises, unique HMO ("Help Me Out") cartoons, and much more. New illustrations clarify key concepts and reflect the latest developments in critical thinking. UNIQUE! Applies brain-based learning principles through the use of strategies that challenge the mind to help you gain a better understanding of the content. A wealth of new content, including problem-focused versus outcome-focused thinking, prioritization, novice and expert thinking, evidence-based practice, and more, provides you with the latest information in the field. UNIQUE! Other Perspectives and Critical Moments vignettes with giraffe and elephant icons make learning this important information fun and engaging. Covers the Institute of Medicine's competencies and delegation strategies based on the ANA's Principles for Delegation. NCLEX(R) examination-style review section includes multiple-choice questions to helps you prepare for board exams.

Develop the critical thinking and reasoning skills you need to make sound clinical judgments! Alfaro-LeFevre's Critical Thinking, Clinical Reasoning, and Clinical Judgment: A Practical Approach, 7th Edition brings these concepts to life through engaging text, diverse learning activities, and real-life examples. Easy-to-understand language and a "how-to" approach equip you to become a sensible, resilient critical thinker with the clinical reasoning skills you need to think think through complex issues and make sound clinical decisions. This edition emphasizes readiness for clinical practice and the Next Generation NCLEX exam, with a focus on systems thinking, interprofessional practice, nursing skills for the 21st century, and Quality and Safety for Nursing Education (QSEN) competencies. Clear, straightforward approach and motivational writing style provides vivid examples, memorable anecdotes, and real-life case scenarios to make content come alive. Focus on application ("how to") with supporting rationales (theory) makes difficult concepts easy to learn. Critical Thinking Indicators feature evidence-based descriptions of behaviors that foster critical thinking in nursing practice. Highlighted features and sections that promote deep learning include: This Chapter at a Glance, Learning Outcomes, Key Concepts, Guiding Principle boxes, Critical Moments boxes, Other Perspectives features, Think-Pair-Share activities, H.M.O. (Help Me Out) cartoons, real-life clinical scenarios, Key Points, Critical Thinking Exercises, and more! Cultural, spiritual, and lifespan content explores the nurse’s role in hospitals, long-term care settings, and entire communities, presenting a broad approach to critical thinking. Inclusion of ethics- and standards-based professional practice reflects the increased demand for accountability in today’s professional climate. Timely coverage of the latest in nursing education and critical thinking includes concept-based learning; QSEN and IOM standards; problem-focused versus outcome-focused thinking; prioritization and delegation; developing a culture of safe, healthy work environments; expanding roles related to diagnosis and management; improving grades and passing tests the first time; NCLEX exam preparation; ensuring that documentation reflects critical thinking; communication and interpersonal skills; strategies for common workplace challenges; and more.

"In Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis in Social Work Practice, seasoned practitioner-scholars Jacqueline Corcoran and Joseph Walsh provide an in-depth exploration of sixteen major mental disorders that social workers commonly see in practice, including anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. They skillfully integrate several perspectives in order to help practitioners meet the challenges they will face in client assessment, and present a risk and resilience framework that helps social workers understand environmental influences on the emergence of mental disorders and the strengths that clients already possess. The authors also catalog the latest evidence-based assessment instruments and treatments for each disorder 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, treatment plans, and new social diversity sections that make this an essential guide to the assessment and diagnostic processes in social work practice"--

NEW! Updated content throughout reflects the most current clinical practice, including nationally accepted clinical treatment guidelines. NEW! Enhanced organization features reorganized and renumbered clinical situations for easier navigation and improved clarity. NEW! Evaluation section (Section 7), now provided for students, helps reinforce skills developed throughout the book. NEW! In-text cues to the author’s critical thinking model provide references to the research-based critical thinking model inside the front cover. NEW! Icons have been streamlined for greater consistency, clarity, and intuitiveness.

Decisions are influenced by a variety of fallacies and biases that we can learn how to avoid. Critical thinking values, knowledge, and skills, therefore, are integral to evidence-based practice. These emphasize the importance of recognizing ignorance as well as knowledge and the vital role of criticism in discovering how to make better decisions. This book is for clinicians--clinicians who are willing to say "I don't know." Critical Thinking in Clinical Practice, Second Edition is designed to enhance readers' skills in making well-informed, ethical decisions. Making such decisions is no easy task. Decisions are made in uncertain, changing environments with time pressures. Interested parties, such as the pharmaceutical industry, spend millions of dollars to influence decisions made. Drawing on a wide range of related literature, this book describes common pitfalls in clinical reasoning as well as strategies for avoiding them--sometimes called mind-tools. Mental health and allied professionals will come away from this text with knowledge of how classification decisions, a focus on pathology, and reliance on popularity can cause errors. Hazards involved in data collection and team decision making such as groupthink are discussed. Part 1 provides an overview of the context in which clinicians make decisions. Part 2 describes common sources of error. Part 3 describes decision aids including the process of evidence-based practice. Part 4 describes the application of related content to different helping phases including assessment, intervention, and evaluation. Part 5 suggests obstacles to making well-informed decisions and how to encourage lifelong learning. This new Second Edition has been completely updated with expanded coverage on: Evidence-based practice Screening issues and practice errors Lifelong learning Problem solving Decision making An interactive, dynamic book filled with insightful examples, useful lists and guidelines, and exercises geared to encourage critical thinking, Critical Thinking in Clinical Practice, Second Edition provides an essential resource for helping professionals and students.