Shirley Brinkerhoff: 11 books

At twenty-seven, Sheila is already on the verge of a second divorce. She has a degree in early elementary education, but still can't decide on a career. Suffering from a continual feeling of emptiness and unsure of who she is, Sheila is terrified of losing her husband, yet seems to do everything she...

Find out what it takes to be a research scientist with character... Research scientists work to develop new products and techniques that improve human lives. These scientists can be: •Biochemists; •Botanists; •Marine biologists; •Microbiologists; •Physiologists; or •Zoologists. Whatever...

A century ago, people with symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) were sometimes institutionalized for life or treated with frightening operations such as frontal lobotomies. In the twentieth century, psychoanalysis and other types of therapies began to offer more treatment options. In this...

When terrorists attacked the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Cassie McCauley watched in horror from her classroom on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. Her heart pounded faster and faster as she saw billowing clouds of dark gray smoke pour from the landmark buildings. When the first...

Find out what it takes to be a psychologist with character... Psychologists can specialize in a variety of areas, including: •Experimental psychology; •Physiological psychology; •Development psychology; •Social psychology; •Clinical psychology; •School psychology; •Industrial psychology;...

Learning disabilities are extremely common. Teachers and parents often make the mistake of thinking children with these disabilities aren't trying hard enough or simply aren't as intelligent as other students—but in reality, young people with learning disabilities simply need special attention and...

ADHD is a common condition in which kids are too energetic and have problems concentrating on one task. All too often, students with ADHD are simply thought to be "problem students," students who aren't trying hard enough or have discipline problems. Today, though, more and more people are becoming...

Schizophrenia, the most severe of the mental disorders, usually begins in late adolescence or young adulthood. A patient's first symptoms may be hallucinations, such as hearing voices that sound as real as those of friends and family. Or they may be delusions, such as believing that aliens are sending...

Find out what it takes to be a social worker with character... Social workers help children and adults identify their problems, decide on effective solutions, and find reliable resources. They do this in a variety of settings, including: •Community centers; •Settlement houses; •Schools; •Hospitals;...

Mental disorders can affect people of all ages and backgrounds. But specific mental disorders may be more likely to affect certain groups of people than other groups. For example, some mental disorders, like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, are more common in children and adolescents than...

A high school student allows herself to eat less than six hundred calories a day. Months go by as her body withers. Her friends and family are aghast at her emaciated appearance. Nevertheless, she still agonizes over being "too fat." A college student regularly downs six or seven thousand calories...