Responding to the Oppression of Addiction brings together the voices of over 40 academics and social work practitioners from across Canada to provide a diverse and multidimensional perspective to the study of addiction. This thoroughly updated edition features eight new chapters and streamlines the content of the previous editions, with chapters condensed and combined to create a more accessible text. The fourth edition features new content on themes such as residential schools, prevention initiatives, special needs of different populations, policy perspectives framed within an anti-oppression standpoint, cognitive behavioral therapy, and the emerging topic of problem gambling. Returning chapters have been updated, with contributors providing more in-depth examinations of trauma-informed approaches. The entire volume has a strengthened anti-oppressive framework, on both an overarching and by-chapter level. This celebrated and varied collection is an indispensable resource for upper-level students, graduate students, and practitioners working in the fields of social work, addictions studies, and the helping professions. FEATURES: - Thoroughly updated chapter-by-chapter content grounded in an anti-oppressive framework with deeper exploration of trauma-informed approaches - Provides an authoritative analysis of the practices and policies that contribute to the construction of the meaning of addiction through a Canadian lens

In this book, social work practitioners, theorists, and researchers offer new perspectives on the meaning, role, and history of addiction in our society and the construction of illicit drug use as a social problem. Some of the contributors discuss assessment tools and therapeutic programs being employed today in the treatment of addicted individuals. These papers work together to educate the aspiring helping professional and the practitioner in the field about the very complex and ubiquitous problem of addiction, while underlining the centrality of addiction as another form of the oppression addressed daily by social workers. Editors Rick Csiernik and William Rowe want to extend and enrich the education and on-going discussion of addiction within the social work community in order to help increasing numbers of individuals through better legislation, informed institutions, and more effective treatment alternatives.

The revised third edition of the formerly titled Substance Use and Abuse retains its comprehensive, holistic examination of the field of substance use and misuse from a Canadian perspective. Now organized into seven sections, the 30 chapters examine the nature of addiction; explore biological, psychological, and social theories that attempt to explain addiction; discuss drugs that produce addiction, along with a review of prevention, treatment, and treatment system options; and consider the legal and ethical issues that those working in substance use and addiction frequently encounter. Thoroughly updated to reflect contemporary issues and recent advances in the field of addiction counselling, Rick Csiernik’s much-loved text features new content on the changes to cannabis law and culture in Canada, the opioid crisis and public response, as well as expanded content on cultural competence, non-substance use addictive behaviours, motivational interviewing, and relapse prevention. Substance Use and Misuse is an essential and timely resource for counsellors treating individuals dealing with addiction, and for courses across social work, human services counselling, psychology, and mental health and addictions programs. FEATURES: - Now divided into seven sections with 30 chapters to enhance student comprehension and learning - Contains new information on contemporary themes including the opioid crisis, e-cigarettes and vaping, risks and benefits of THC and CBD, principles of good family skills training, sample dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) activities, and a sample intervention script - Includes an enhanced treatment section with updates on harm reduction, traumainformed care, the transtheoretical model of change, and motivational interviewing

Research skills are as critical to social work practitioners as skills in individual and group counselling, policy analysis, and community development. Adopting strategies similar to those used in direct practice courses, this book integrates research with social work practice, and in so doing promotes an understanding and appreciation of the research process. The third edition of Practising Social Work Research comprises twenty-seven case studies that illustrate different research approaches, including quantitative, qualitative, single-subject, and mixed methods. The third edition also adopts a greater equity, diversity, and inclusivity focus than the previous editions. Through the use of applied, real-life examples, the authors demonstrate the processes of conceptualization, operationalization, sampling, data collection and processing, and implementation. Designed to help the student and practitioner become more comfortable with research procedures, Practising Social Work Research capitalizes on the strengths that social work students bring to assessment and problem solving.

In this book the authors present additional personal and community narratives and extended examples to enliven their writing. They have also expanded their coverage of social policy research and advocacy, interdisciplinary perspectives on communities (e.g. the concept of social capital), and interventions to enhance neighborhood and community life. They portray community psychology as now more international, more attentive to human diversity, and more attuned to the nuances of social and cultural contexts than ever before. They provide narratives illustrating how ordinary citizens working together have transformed their communities and engaged in social change.

The second edition of the formerly titled Just Say Know: A Counsellor’s Guide to Psychoactive Drugs, this indispensable counselling resource provides a practical understanding of psychoactive drug pharmacology and physiology. Rick Csiernik unpacks the risks and therapeutic applications of the most commonly used and misused drug families, including depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens, and psychotherapeutics. This new edition features a wide range of updated research and content addressing the recent rise of opioid, fentanyl, cannabis, novel psychoactive substances, and antipsychotic medication use, as well as the impacts of drug use on sleep and mental health. Two new appendixes are featured summarizing the effects of drugs on pregnancy and interactions drugs may have with certain brain chemicals. The Essential Guide to Psychoactive Drugs in Canada is the perfect addition to any addiction or mental health-related course. User-friendly and highly readable, this resource serves as a guide for service providers to deliver evidence-based care. This text is crucial for counsellors, therapists, instructors, and students looking to acquire an in-depth practical understanding of drug use, medication, and addiction in disciplines such as social work, sociology, pharmacology, health studies, nursing, psychology, and addiction studies.

Why are some drugs considered socially acceptable while others are demonized? What makes these definitions so widespread? Who benefits from these conceptualizations? The Drug Paradox examines both the empirically founded and the socially constructed facets of drugs and drug use, highlighting the incongruous aspects of laws, policies, and programming that aim to address behaviours around drugs. The authors explore this paradox, arguing that Canada’s punitive approach to addressing drug use continues to exist alongside harm-reduction strategies and that these competing approaches ultimately impede Canada’s ability to deal effectively with substance misuse. Using a policy-oriented approach while also emphasizing the utility of a multifaceted biopsychosocial model, this text provides students with a foundation in the sociology of psychoactive substances in the Canadian context. It covers a broad range of issues—models of addiction, the history of Canada’s drug laws, media representation, government responses to substance use, and international perspectives on drug policy—and addresses various research areas that are important for students to consider when trying to make sense of the competing discourses on drugs in society. The Drug Paradox is ideal for use in sociology courses on drugs and drug use and will also appeal to those focusing on drug use from a criminology, public health, or policy perspective.

This book consists of 27 chapters developed from papers originally delivered at a recent conference at the University of Toronto on anti-oppressive practice in social work. Dr. Shera has gathered expert contributors to discuss, define, and analyse theories of social work practice, pedagogical issues, fieldwork practice, models of education of social work practitioners, and current critical issues. These selected conference papers lay the groundwork for anti-oppressive practice in a way that will generate discussion and inspire researchers and practitioners.

Poverty, Mental Health, and Social Inclusion offers a comprehensive selection of chapters written by academic researchers as well as direct practitioners and mental health consumer-survivors to examine the intersection of poverty, mental health, and social exclusion. With the aim of addressing complex issues from homelessness and housing to stigma and mental health, the volume presents the perspectives of a wide range of those affected by poverty and social exclusion including Canadian veterans, Indigenous women, homeless youth and families, and mental health consumer-survivors. Divided into four sections, the chapters explore the effects of social exclusion, examine the trajectory of how it occurs, analyze harmful policies in place that exacerbate the correlation between poverty and mental health issues, and introduce potential solutions to expand social inclusion to marginalized groups. Accessibly written, this text will be a valuable resource for courses on mental health, poverty, and social policy across the disciplines of social work, sociology, and health studies at both the graduate and undergraduate level.