Human Services Technology : Innovations in Practice and Education

Make the most of your human services training or practice with these electronic tools! Human Services Technology: Innovations in Practice and Education shows how technology can help practitioners, educators, organizations, and agencies to overcome obstacles, develop problem-solving skills in adults and children, and resolve fear/anxiety issues. It also illustrates how the right software can make a profound difference in the learning experience by transforming students from passive consumers to proactive information hunters. The first half of this vital book highlights well-designed, user-friendly, practice-focused software for use with children and youth, including Funny Face, Bruce's Multimedia Story, Say No With Donny, Talking it Out, and more. These can be used in play therapy, as a child welfare aid, as an educative/preventative intervention for a variety of issues, and for problem solving in school. This half of the book continues with six chapters discussing software designed for human services professionals working with adults. These include interactive video conferencing, online support for job stress, a computer-aided art therapy program, telephone counseling, an electronically supported way to conduct staff meetings, and more. The second half of Human Services Technology discusses software used for training counselors. These programs monitor users’understanding of the material, provide feedback, allow users to decide what direction their studies would move in, and make provision for students to determine their own pace. This vital book shows how technology can help practitioners, educators, organizations, and agencies to: deliver effective services to clients who cannot or will not come to face-to-face sessions use electronic games and simulations to develop problem-solving skills in children and adults use virtual environments and realistic stimuli to resolve issues of fear and anxiety make prevention information easily available to more people than ever