The Practice of Generalist Social Work

Book Overview

In this book and companion custom web site you will find:

• Complete coverage of the range of social work generalist practice within the framework of planned change, encompassing engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation and termination—for work with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. This edition features expanded coverage of practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
• Consistent and in-depth use of key theoretical perspectives and case examples to demonstrate essential knowledge, values, and skills for generalist social work practice. But the text does not overwhelm the student reader with a plethora of nuances of intervention and other skills that will occur in a variety of practice settings and roles. Instead, this book presents clearly the core competencies for general social work practice.
• Six unique, in-depth, interactive, easy-to-access cases, which students can easily reach from any computer, provide a “learning by doing” format unavailable with any other text(s). ). Your students will have an advantage unlike any other they will experience in their social work education. One case, Brickville, is brand new to this book. Go to cases to see each of these cases on the free website.
• In addition, four streaming videos relate to competencies and skills discussed in the book at the three client system levels—individuals and families, groups, and communities. The videos depict social workers demonstrating skills discussed in the chapters, and offer instructors numerous possibilities for classroom instruction. In the video for the new case, "Brickville," a social worker combines individual and family practice skills with multicultural community engagement as he works with an African American family about to be displaced by redevelopment and facing multiple stressors.
• At least 10 exercises at the end of each chapter provide you with the means to insure that your students can demonstrate their mastery of the theoretical frameworks, skills, and core competencies of generalist social work practice as presented not just in the text, but in the free web-based cases as well. Instructors can choose from among the approximately 5 exercises that relate to relevant practice issues, and 5 relate specifically to one of the on-line cases.
• A wealth of instructor-only resources provide: full-text readings that link to the concepts presented in each of the chapters; a complete bank of objective and essay-type test items, all linked to current CSWE EPAS standards; PowerPoint presentations to help students master key concepts; a sample syllabus; annotated links to a treasure trove of social work assets on the Internet and teaching tips on how to use them in your practice sequence of courses.

A clear focus on generalist social work practice, informed by the authors’ decades of real-world practice experience, at all levels of engagement and intervention.

The Practice of Generalist Social Work, Third Edition is also available as customized copies, designed to fit your two- and three-semester courses.

Two Semesters: Chapters 1-7, Chapter 8-13

Three Semesters: Chapters 1-5, Chapters 6-9, Chapters 10-13

As with the second edition, instructors can choose chapters relevant to their practice course and custom publish them at www.routledge.customgateway.com.

In the custom companion website you will find:

Six unique, in-depth, interactive, fictional cases with dynamic characters and real-life situations that students can reach from any computer and that provide a “learning by doing” format unavailable with any other text. Students will have an advantage unlike any other in their social work training. Instructors are encouraged use the case studies to enrich the learning experience. Learn more about the cases »

A wealth of instructor-only resources including: full-text readings linked to key concepts in each chapter, along with questions to encourage further thought and discussion; a rich bank of exam questions (both objective and open-ended) and PowerPoint presentations; sample syllabi demonstrating how the text and website used together through the course satisfy the 2015 Council on Social Work Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS); annotated links to a treasure trove of articles, videos, and Internet sites; and an online forum inviting all instructors using texts in the series to share ideas to improve teaching and learning. Learn more about these resources »

Table of Contents

About the Author

Julie Birkenmaier is a Professor in the School of Social Work at Saint Louis University, Missouri. Dr. Birkenmaier’s practice experience includes community organizing, community development, and nonprofit administration. Her research and writing focuses on financial capability, financial credit, community development, and asset development. With colleagues, she co-wrote Financial capability and asset-building in vulnerable households. She also co-edited Financial Capability and Asset Development: Research, Education, Policy and Practice. With Marla Berg-Weger, she co-authored the textbook, The Practicum Companion for Social Work: Integrating Class and Field Work  (4th edition).

Marla Berg-Weger is a Professor in the School of Social Work at Saint Louis University, Missouri, and Executive Director of the Geriatric Education Center. Dr. Berg-Weger holds social work degrees at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels. Her social work practice experience includes public social welfare services, intimate partner violence services, mental health, medical social work, and gerontological social work. Her research and writing focuses on gerontological social work and social work practice. She is the author of Social Work and Social Welfare: An Invitation  (4th edition). With Julie Birkenmaier, she co-authored the textbook, The Practicum Companion for Social Work: Integrating Class and Field Work  (4th edition). She is the Past President of the Association of Gerontology in Social Work and currently serves as the Managing Editor of the Journal of Gerontological Social Work  and is a fellow in the Gerontological Society of America.

Instructor Resources