The Psychological and Social Impact of Illness and Disability

This edition...adds an important international perspective on illness and disability. The personal narratives help bring the real world of people who are suffering to the forefront of the scientific discourse."--Doody's Medical Reviews

Now in its sixth edition, this best-selling textbook continues to be the most comprehensive and diverse text available on the psychosocial aspects of disability. It examines current thought and treatment approaches to working with individuals with disabilities through the contributions of expert thinkers and practitioners in the disability field. Abundant and insightful narratives by disabled individuals offer a bridge between theory and practice for students in rehabilitation psychology and counseling courses.

In addition to completely updated and reorganized material, this edition contains insightful new section introductions, empirically based research articles, and the contributions of international researchers presenting a more global and richer perspective on the psychosocial aspects of disability and illness. It also contains an increased focus on the negative impact of societal attitudes and treatment of disabled individuals on their psychological adjustment to disability. The addition of objectives at the beginning of each chapter and review questions and personal perspectives at the end of each chapter further facilitate in-depth learning.

• Presents the most comprehensive and diverse coverage of psychosocial aspects of disability topics of any textbook available
• Examines contemporary thinking and treatment approaches in working with individuals with disabilities
• Provides a bridge between theory and practice through the narratives of individuals with disabilities
• Establishes a historical understanding of societal attitudes toward disability and treatment past and present of persons with disabilities
• Analyzes barriers to enabling persons with disabilities and improving social consciousness and quality of life for this population
• Facilitates course planning through inclusion of objectives and review questions/personal perspectives in each chapter

Dr. Irmo Marini, PhD, is Professor and Graduate Coordinator, Department of Rehabilitation, the College of Health Sciences and Human Services, University of Texas Pan-American, Edinburg, TX. He has national certifications as Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and a Certified Life Care Planner. Dr. Marini is on the editorial boards of several rehabilitation counseling journals and has over 60 journal and book chapter publications. He also writes a quarterly column for the Psychosocial Process, the official journal of the American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Psychologists and Social Workers. He is the recipient of four outstanding faculty awards in scholarship and two in teaching. Dr. Marini is former Chair of the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification, the national certifying body of over 16,000 Rehabilitation Counselors in the US and Canada, and is current President of the American Rehabilitation Counseling Association. Dr. Marini owns and operates Marini & Associates, forensic rehabilitation consultants specializing in vocational assessments and life care planning in legal cases involving personal injuries.

Dr. Mark Stebnicki, PhD, is Professor and Director of the graduate program in rehabilitation counseling, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC. He holds a doctoral degree in rehabilitation counseling and is a Licensed Professional Counselor in North Carolina. Dr. Stebnicki has national certifications as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and a Certified Case Manager and is certified by the Washington, DC--based crisis response team National Organization for Victim Assistance. He has over 18 years of experience working with adolescents and adults with mental health issues and acquired chronic health conditions. Dr. Stebnicki is an active teacher, researcher, and practitioner who has written over 21 articles in peer-reviewed journals, written two books, and presented nationally at well over 50 seminars, workshops, and conferences. Dr. Stebnicki served on the crisis response team for the Westside Middle School shootings in Jonesboro, AR (1998) and has done many stress debriefings with private companies, schools, and government employees after incidents of workplace violence and natural disasters. His youth violence program, the Identification, Early Intervention, Prevention, and Preparation Program, has been awarded national recognition by the American Counseling Association Foundation for its vision and excellence in the area of youth violence prevention. Other accolades include consulting with former President Bill Clinton's staff on addressing the students of Columbine High School after their critical incident (1999).