This first book in the Prevention Practice Kit overviews the prevention field and Kit contents, and highlights key points emerging through the historical evolution of prevention. It gives special attention to elements that are infused throughout all books: a systemic, ecological approach and community and multi-disciplinary collaboration.

Essential competencies needed for delivering prevention programs are identified, such as the collaborative attitude and skills necessary to cross boundaries between health and mental health professionals and between scientific and community experts. All this attention to prevention concepts and skills culminates in an extensive application of prevention focused on bullying, so that readers can see an illustration of how prevention practice can occur. Finally, to further boost applied practice, examples are sprinkled throughout the book accompanied by a set of learning exercises. An extensive set of references concludes the book.

This book is part of the Prevention Practice Kit: Action Guides for Mental Health, a collection of eight books each authored by scholars in the specific field of prevention and edited by Dr. Robert K. Conyne and Dr. Arthur M. Horne. The books in the collection conform to the editors' outline to promote a consistent reading experience. Designed to provide human services practitioners, counselors, psychologists, social workers, instructors, and students with concrete direction for spreading and improving the practice of prevention, the series provides thorough coverage of prevention application including a general overview of prevention, best practices, diversity and cultural relevance, psychoeducational groups, consultation, program development and evaluation, evidence base, and public policy.

This book is endorsed by the Prevention Section of the Society of Counseling Psychology of the American Psychological Association. Fifty percent of all royalties are donated to Division 17 of the APA.

Competencies Needed for Prevention Proficiency

Competencies needed for prevention proficiency

As the definition of prevention clarifies, it becomes more possible to identify what it takes to implement it. This is a question of competencies—what attitudes, knowledge, skills, and values are necessary for proficient preventive practice? In turn, once competencies are targeted, then training programs, or aspects of existing programs, can be developed to teach those competencies. It follows that if prevention training is lacking or, worse, missing from academic programs, then graduates will be unprepared to deliver prevention interventions once in the field.

The competency domains for preventive practice have been quite clearly charted, however. They “lurk” awaiting broader-scale adoption by academic programs in the helping fields.

What are the practice competencies that are needed by mental health ...

  • Loading...
locked icon

Sign in to access this content

Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL

  • Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life
  • Read modern, diverse business cases
  • Explore hundreds of books and reference titles