Distinguished by its focus on the development of the helper, its experiential emphasis, and the unique use of personal vignettes, Neukrug's easy-to-understand and comprehensive text provides an overview of the field of human services. It begins with discussions of history and current issues, followed by a chapter on standards as they relate to skills, credentialing, ethics, and accreditation. The book later moves on to cover important content areas that human service professionals must know and understand to be effective, including counseling theory, helping skills, group and family counseling, consultation and supervision, community organizing, human development, cultural competence, how to work with varied client populations, and research, evaluation, and assessment. The last chapter focuses on career development, including guidance about further education and insight into how career development models can be applied to the student and the student's clients.

1. Defining the Human Service Professional.
2. History and Current Issues in Human Services.
3. Standards in the Profession: Skill Standards, Credentialing, Program Accreditation, and Ethics.
4. Theoretical Approaches to Human Service Work.
5. The Helping Interview: Skills, Process, and Case Management.
6. Development of the Person.
7. Couples, Family, and Group Helping.
8. Organizational and Community Change and the Role of Consultation and Supervision.
9. Culturally Competent Helping and Diversity.
10. Working with Varied Client Populations.
11. Research, Evaluation, and Assessment.
12. Career Development, Processes, and Resources: Your Future in Human Services.
Glossary.
Appendix A: Websites of Professional Associations.
Appendix B: Ethical Standards of Human Service Professionals.
Appendix C: Overview of DSM-5 Diagnostic Categories.
Appendix D: Consultation at a Mental Health Center.

Distinguished by its focus on the development of the helper, its experiential emphasis, and the unique use of personal vignettes, Neukrug's easy-to-understand and comprehensive text provides an overview of the field of human services. It begins with discussions of history and current issues, followed by a chapter on standards as they relate to skills, credentialing, ethics, and accreditation. The book later moves on to cover important content areas that human service professionals must know and understand to be effective, including counseling theory, helping skills, group and family counseling, consultation and supervision, community organizing, human development, cultural competence, how to work with varied client populations, and research, evaluation, and assessment. The last chapter focuses on career development, including guidance about further education and insight into how career development models can be applied to the student and the student's clients. The previous edition's Chapter 2 (on history and standards) has been split into two chapters to make the content more focused and accessible. The new Chapter 2, "History and Current Issues in Human Services," examines issues such as disaster and trauma training, evidence-based practice, social justice, and technology in social work. The new Chapter 3, "Standards in the Profession: Skill Standards, Credentialing, Program Accreditation, and Ethics," gives greater attention to these important standards. Content from the previous edition's Chapter 10, "A Look to the Future," has been integrated into the "Current Issues" section of the new Chapter 2. The material on human systems is now presented in two chapters: "Couples, Family, and Group Helping" (Chapter 7) and "Organization and Community Change and the Role of Consultation and Supervision" (Chapter 8). The previous edition's chapter on working with diverse clients has been expanded and now appears as Chapter 10, "Working with Varied Client Populations." The last edition's Afterword is now the book's final chapter, "Career Development, Processes, and Resources: Your Future in Human Services." This chapter allows a deeper look at career development models and how they can be applied to both the student and the student's clients. It also provides critical information for students interested in furthering their education. This comprehensive overview of the human service field offers information on history, current issues, standards in the profession (Skill Standards, ethics, credentialing, and accreditation), professional issues, counseling theory, skills, case management, group and family counseling, organizational and community change, consultation and supervision, human development, cultural competence, how to work with select populations, career development, and research, evaluation, and assessment. Experiential exercises at the end of each chapter offer a wide variety of activities that students can complete in class or at home. Ethical vignettes at the end of each chapter encourage students to contemplate and reflect upon the content. Each chapter opens with a personal vignette, written by the author, in which he shares his perspective and thoughts about being a helper.