Foundations for Community Health Workers

A practical guide to key skills for community health workers

Training, credentialing and employment opportunities for Community Health Workers (CHW) are expanding across the nation.  Foundations for Community Health Workers provides a practical and comprehensive introduction to essential skills for CHWs, with an emphasis on social justice, cultural humility, and client-centered practice. Real-life case studies and quotes from working CHWs illustrate challenges and successes on the job. This updated second edition features:

• An Overview of community health work, including the role and history of CHWs, public health, health equality and health care policy in the US.
• Core competencies for providing direct services, including cultural humility, scope of practice, ethics, client-centered counseling, care management, and home visiting.
• Professional skills such as effective communication, conflict resolution, stress management, and interviewing for jobs.
• New chapters on key health issues such as chronic conditions management, promoting health eating and active living, understanding trauma and promoting the health of formerly incarcerated people.
• Group and community work, including health outreach, conducting trainings, groups facilitation, and community diagnosis and organizing,

The second edition also features over 80 videos with CHWs and faculty that model how to work with clients and provide insight into skills and competencies needed for successful CHWs, and includes updated references and resources. The new Training Guide that accompanies the textbook includes detailed, step-by-step lesson plans, case studies, role plays, assessments, and video tutorials, with links to even more instructor resources.

Foundations for Community Health Workers provides a practical and comprehensive guide to the essential skills you'll need to serve your community effectively.