Social Work Practice A Critical Thinker's Guide

by Gambrill, Eileen

• ISBN13: 9780199757251
• ISBN10: 0199757259
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-11-28
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The first textbook to emphasize the importance of critical thinking skills to practice, this third edition of the classicSocial Work Practiceretains its unique focus on thinking critically about decisions that social workers make daily. Organized around the phases of helping, this hands-on introduction highlights the decision points that social workers encounter during assessment, intervention, and evaluation. This text, together with its companion website, provides students with a wealth of hands-on exercises for developing and assessing their practice skills. Most importantly, it helps students enhance client well-being by becoming critical thinkers and evidence-informed practitioners.

Author Biography

Eileen Gambrill, PhD, is the Hutto Patterson Charitable Foundation Professor in Child and Family Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

Table of Contents

Prologue: Social Workers at Work

Getting Oriented

Social Work: An Introduction

Clients and Services

Values, Ethics, and Obligations

Thinking about Knowledge and How to Get it

Different Views of Knowledge

Critical Thinking: Integral to Evidence-Based Practice

Thinking about Problems and Causes

Competing Views of Personal and Social Problems and Their Causes

Taking Advantage of Research Findings about Behavior and How it is Influenced by the Environment

A Decision-Focused Practice Model

Problem Solving and Decision Making: Integral to Helping Clients

Evidence-Based Practice: A Decision-Making Process and Philosophy

Posing Questions and Searching for Answers

Critically Appraising Research: Thinking for Yourself

Getting Started

A Contextual Assessment Framework

Beginning: A Practice Guide

Engaging Clients

Relationship Skills

Interpersonal Helping Skills

Creating and Handling Challenging Social Situations

Gathering and Organizing Information

Where to Look: Deciding How to Gather Needed Information

Observation: Learning to See

Reviewing Resources and Obstacles

Putting it All Together

Selecting Plans and Assessing Progress

Selecting and Implementing Service Plans

Evaluating Outcomes as Integral to Problem Solving

Planning for Endings

Intervention Options

Empowering Clients: Providing Information and Skill Building

Helping Clients Learn Positive Behavior Change Skills

Working with Groups and Families

Organizations and Communities

The Long Run

Maintaining Skills and Staying Happy in Your Work

References

Index

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