Admission and Emergency Assessments: A Handbook for Clinicians is an excellent resource for clinical practice, but its major thrust is on clinical assessments. The key areas covered contain requisite information for clinical practitioners who engage in crisis intervention and clinicians who conduct suicide/risk assessments. Furthermore, this book has valuable content related to a therapist’s comportment during interactions with clients under duress, clients who are psychotic, teenagers, clients under the influence of substances, and so much more. This information is exceptionally important. As the authors point out, high turnover among individuals who conduct level of care assessments is a major problem. This text is a valuable tool that addresses key issues in this area, which could lead to a decrease in the turnover rate by preparing and increasing the skill set of graduate level social workers pursuing this line of work. The approach and tone are pitch-perfect for master's or doctoral students of social work. The pace is just right, and the content is palatable, interesting, and presented in language that can be easily consumed.

Adrian D. Anderson, Savannah State University

This information is very relevant to the field and I don’t recall reading anything very specific to the intake process during my own training. Students need to be prepared when they go into the workforce. The scenarios and educational parts on how to make the best use of the intake time, yet still engage the clients/patients are very useful in the field. I am a seasoned counselor and I appreciated reading this text!

Carrie Sollin, Adelphi University

The authors Houvenagle and Schmanski have a very easy-to-follow, practice-driven approach to understanding something that is often misunderstood in the clinical world. It reads as though very experienced clinicians are providing supervision to the reader.

Amy Ward, DSW, LCSW, Virginia Commonwealth University