This book is the first to utilize the empowerment approach of social work practice with substance-abusing clients, bridging clinical, community, and social policy approaches in order to place individual addiction in its sociopolitical context. As Lorraine Gutierrez points out in her foreword, the book "challenges us to transform our thinking about substance abuse and move beyond our existing focus on individual deficits." Arguing that pathology-focused definitions of substance abuse tend to transform people into their problems, Freeman instead advocates for strengths-centered policies and...

Empower patients with culture-specific strategies for promoting health, treating disease, and preventing violence

Current reports show that Black Americans have the highest death rate of all racial and ethnic groups. They suffer disproportionately from a number of fatal diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, and certain cancers. Moreover, violence takes far too high a toll, especially among young Black men. Clearly a different approach to health education and promotion is needed to end this tragic waste of valuable human lives. Health Care in the Black Community: Empowerment,...

Empower patients with culture-specific strategies for promoting health, treating disease, and preventing violence Current reports show that Black Americans have the highest death rate of all racial and ethnic groups. They suffer disproportionately from a number of fatal diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, and certain cancers. Moreover, violence takes far too high a toll, especially among young Black men. Clearly a different approach to health education and promotion is needed to end this tragic waste of valuable human lives. Health Care in the Black Community: Empowerment, Knowledge,...

This pioneering volume takes a family systems perspective to aid understanding, treating and preventing substance abuse. It explores a myriad of variables and each chapter includes a case study or vignette to highlight relevant individual and family life-cycle issues.

Topics discussed include treating substance abuse across the life span, multicultural approaches and co-dependency. This challenging volume makes a major contribution to the substance abuse and family therapy fields.