"We put together a book that would offer readers multiple perspectives, insights, and directions in understanding social problem solving as an important theory that has driven wide-ranging scientific research and as an important means of training to empower and elevate the lives of individuals. We believe that social problem solving can help individuals free themselves from the problems they face or the distress that these problems cause. We recognize that some problems may be difficult or impossible to solve, but we believe that considerable value remains in understanding and promoting effective social problem solving to foster the novel insights and methods in which problems that seem insurmountable ultimately may be conquered in incremental steps, across time and across individuals. Moreover, we believe that problems can be solved in different ways. When problematic situations or circumstances are manageable or controllable, a good problem solver tries to find ways to change them for the better. However, when such situations or circumstances are unchangeable or uncontrollable, one can still use problem solving to find ways to accept and tolerate with less distress that which cannot be changed or controlled"--Preface. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved)

This reference work breaks new ground as an electronic resource. Utterly comprehensive, it serves as a repository of knowledge in the field as well as a frequently updated conduit of new material long before it finds its way into standard textbooks.

Offers a cognitive problem-solving approach to the urgent need for children to acquire competence in meeting the demands of childhood within social, school, and family parameters. Designed for children from kindergarten through middle school, this book is especially appropriate for children whose behavior is impulsive, oppositional, or aggressive. Because a great deal of children’s behavior is tied to problem solving, the authors give practitioners a program to help children solve instrumental and relational issues in differing social settings. Using a wealth of examples, role plays, games, and activities, this volume guides children in formulating goals for better social intervention. – from publisher information.

"School counseling staff, as well as teachers and others running advisory or related groups, will find this manual to be useful for helping students succeed in middle school. At this critical point in their lives, young adolescents can move in a positive and hopeful direction, or they can enter into a negative, downward spiral." "SDM/SPS provides students with basic school survival skills and research-based strategies for responsible decision making and problem solving. SDM/SPS uses a positive, project-oriented approach to help reduce school violence, foster social and emotional intelligence, improve academic effort and attention, develop multicultural perspectives, and prevent at-risk students from giving up on school." "The authors present a thoroughly tested and effective approach for working with a broad spectrum of learners, including those with emotional and behavioral disorders. The manual includes numerous reproducible worksheets and assessment tools for tracking progress. It provides strategies for supporting academic achievement, improving media literacy skills, encouraging parent involvement, and implementing a school-community service project."--BOOK JACKET.

The problem that gives rise to this book is dissatisfaction with social science and social research as instruments of social problem solving. Policy makers and other practical problem solvers frequently voice disappointment with what they are offered. And many social scientists and social researchers think they should be more drawn upon, more useful, and more influential. Out of the discontent have come numerous diagnoses and prescriptions. This thoughtful contribution to the discussion provides an agenda of basic questions that should be asked and answered by those who are concerned about the impact of social science and research on real life problems. In general, Cohen and Lindblom believe that social scientists are crippled by a misunderstanding of their own trade, and they suggest that the tools of their trade be applied to the trade itself. Social scientists do not always fully appreciate that professional social inquiry is only one of several ways of solving a problem. They are also often engaged in a mistaken pursuit of authoritativeness, not recognizing that their contribution can never be more than a partial one. Cohen and Lindblom suggest that they reexamine their criteria for selecting subjects for research, study their tactics as compared to those of policy makers, and consider more carefully their role in relation to other routes to problem solving. To stimulate further inquiry into these fundamental issues, they also provide a comprehensive bibliography.

Focuses on teaching students to be reflective, non-impulsive, and responsible decision makers and problem solvers - while emphasizing essential literacy skills. The programme uses cooperative learning methods, including small-group brainstorming, problem-solving, and role-playing activities. Students learn skills such as self-control, listening, respectful communication, giving and receiving help, and working cooperatively.

A broad resource that offers tools for how to conduct problem-solving sociology in order to deepen and reformulate our understanding of society. Most students arrive in graduate sociology programs eager to engage with the pressing social and political issues of the day. Yet that initial enthusiasm does not always survive the professional socialization of graduate school. In Problem-Solving Sociology, Monica Prasad shows graduate students and early career sociologists how to conduct research that uses sociological theory to help solve real-world problems, and how to use problem-solving to improve sociological theory. Prasad discusses how to be objective when examining issues of injustice and oppression, and provides methodological strategies and plenty of exercises for research aimed at creating change. She gives examples throughout of problem-solving research conducted at all levels, from undergraduate theses to the major figures of the discipline. She also considers how to respond to some common objections; where problem-solving fits into the landscape of sociological practice; and how to build a life in problem-solving.

This book is the first to systematically describe the key components necessary to ensure successful implementation of Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) across mental health settings and non-mental health settings that require behavioral management. This resource is designed by the leading experts in CPS and is focused on the clinical and implementation strategies that have proved most successful within various private and institutional agencies. The book begins by defining the approach before delving into the neurobiological components that are key to understanding this concept. Next, the book covers the best practices for implementation and evaluating outcomes, both in the long and short term. The book concludes with a summary of the concept and recommendations for additional resources, making it an excellent concise guide to this cutting edge approach. Collaborative Problem Solving is an excellent resource for psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and all medical professionals working to manage troubling behaviors. The text is also valuable for readers interested in public health, education, improved law enforcement strategies, and all stakeholders seeking to implement this approach within their program, organization, and/or system of care.

Updated with recent issues such as the national debate on health care reform, this Second Edition of How Can We Solve Our Social Problems? gives students a sense of hope by demonstrating specific, realistic steps we can take to solve some of the most pervasive social problems in America today. Author James Crone maintains a sense of sociological objectivity throughout and helps students realize that we can take steps to solve such key social problems as poverty, racial and ethnic inequality, unequal education, and environmental issues. The book's first two chapters define "social problem,," provide a theoretical background, discuss the daunting barriers we face in attempting to solve social problems, and demonstrate how sociology can help.

It just isn't Noodle's fault that his mom forgot to remind him to turn in his library book. Or that he didn't finish his homework. Luckily he learns not to blame others, but instead to take responsibility for his actions.