First published in 1999, Jokinen , Juhila and Poso comprises both theoretical/reflexive articles and articles based on empirical social constructionist studies. It provokes new ways of looking at social work practices as interpretative and interactive processes. In addition to this theoretical and methodological contribution, the volume provides empirically based material on the practical implications of an alliance between social work and social constructionism.
Social construction addresses the cultural factors and social dynamics that give rise to and maintain values and beliefs. Drawing on postmodern philosophies and critical, social, and literary theories, social construction has become an important and influential framework for practice and research within social work and related fields. Embracing inclusivity and multiplicity, social construction provides a framework for knowledge and practice that is particularly congruent with social work values and aims. In this accessible collection, Stanley L Witkin showcases the innovative ways in which social construction may be understood and expressed in practice. He calls on experienced practitioner-scholars to share their personal accounts of interpreting and applying social constructionist ideas in different settings (such as child welfare agencies, schools, and the courts) and with diverse clientele (such as "resistant" adolescents, disadvantaged families, indigenous populations, teachers, children in protective custody, refugee youth, and adult perpetrators of sexual crimes against children). Eschewing the prescriptive stance of most theoretical frameworks, social construction can seem challenging for students and practitioners. This book responds with rich, illustrative descriptions of how social constructionist thinking has inspired practice approaches, illuminating the diversity and creative potential of practices that draw on social constructionist ideas. Writing in a direct, accessible style, contributors translate complex concepts into the language of daily encounter and care, and through a committed transnational focus they demonstrate the global reach and utility of their work. Chapters are provocative and thoughtful, reveal great suffering and courage, share inspiring stories of strength and renewal, and acknowledge the challenges of an approach that complicates evidence-based evaluations and requirements.
This innovative text is the first to introduce practical techniques social workers can use to incorporate social, economic, and environmental justice into their practice. The book emphasizes the role of justice in social work practice across the micro-macro spectrum. By assessing common human needs in relation to human rights, justice, and practice aimed at promoting fairness, students will learn how to incorporate theories and practical perspectives in social work practice with individuals, families, communities, and organizations. With its unique approach, this text focuses on structural oppression and inequities connected to clients' engagement in systems and structures. The impact of disparities on accessing and utilizing resources, and subsequently achieving successful outcomes, is examined through the justice lens. Beginning with an overview of key concepts and theoretical underpinnings that provide foundational knowledge, the text then examines each of the three justice foci --social, economic, and environmental--in detail through specific systems. These systems include criminal justice, education, food security, natural disasters and climate change, health, mental health, housing, and income disparities Throughout the book, readers are asked to reflect on their own perceptions to enhance understanding of the influence of justice on practice. Case studies, diagrams, boxed information, student learning outcomes, chapter summaries, and review questions enhance understanding and application of content. Purchase includes digital access for use on most mobile devices or computers. Key Features: Emphasizes the role of social, economic, and environmental justice in social work practice Examines the science and theory behind justice as it relates to social work Teaches practical methods for implementing justice-oriented social work practice Authored by prominent instructors actively engaged in co-curricular justice-related content Offers student learning outcomes and summaries in each chapter Presents abundant diagrams and boxes to enhance application of content Provides multiple experiential learning opportunities including case examples and reflective and knowledge-based review questions Offers practical examples of justice-informed social work Includes Instructor's Manual with sample syllabus, PowerPoints, exam questions, and media resources
The SAGE Handbook of Social Constructionist Practice is the first major survey of innovations in professional practice emerging from a social constructionist orientation to social science. This key perspective has been unique in its stimulation of pioneering practices over a broad number of professions. This volume offers insights into the latest developments in theory, showcases the range and variations in practical outcomes, while pointing to emerging directions of development. The Handbook focuses on hands-on practices, while offering the theoretical tools for further enriching their application. The authors are leading figures in their fields, including organizational development, therapy, healthcare, education, research, and community building. The volume will be particularly useful for students, scholars, professional practitioners, and change makers from across the globe. PART ONE: Introduction PART TWO: Research Practices PART THREE: Practices in Therapeutic Professions PART FOUR: Practices in Organizational Development PART FIVE: Practices in Education PART SIX: Practices in Healthcare PART SEVEN: Community Practices
This volume explores social work as a series of encounters - between clients and social workers, their colleagues and other professionals, and more widely between citizens and the state.
Social workers regularly make high-risk, high-impact decisions: determining that a child has been abused; that an individual may take their own life; or that someone with a history of violence poses harm to another. In the course of this work, social workers are exposed to acute and prolonged workplace trauma and stress that may result in posttraumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout. These effects not only impact practitioners, but also the decisions that social workers make and ultimately the quality of the services that they provide. In this book, Cheryl Regehr explores the intersection between workplace stress, trauma exposure, and professional decision-making in social workers. She weaves together practice experience, research on the impact of stress and trauma on performance and decision-making in other high-risk professions including paramedics and police officers, and the empirical study of competence and decision-making in social work practice. Covering a wide range of research and theory, she surveys practical approaches to reducing stress and trauma exposure, mitigating their effects in social work practice, and improving decision-making. This book is critical reading for all social workers who engage in high-stakes decision-making, from those newly embarking on a career to expert practitioners.
This primary social work practice text, built around the nine core 2015 CSWE competencies, is the only book available that provides students with the benefits of a fully integrated competency-based approach. Social Work Practice: A Competency-Based Approach immediately immerses students in the competencies required for social work practice at the micro, mezzo and macro levels. Designed for use in both upper level BSW and foundation level MSW social work practice courses, the book is uniquely structured to deliver the knowledge and skills students need to develop mastery of the professional social work competencies. Chapters provide a comprehensive overview of the theories, concepts, and practice components related to each competency. Engaging vignettes, chapter objectives that outline key concepts, abundant case examples, critical-thinking questions, and a detailed case summary with discussion questions in each chapter, help students deepen their understanding of practical applications of the nine core competencies. Each chapter uses the same case to perfectly illustrate the complexity of social work practice and the interconnections among the professional competencies. A robust supplementary instructor package includes PowerPoints, competency-based class assignments with grading rubrics, and sample syllabi. Print version of book includes free, searchable, digital access to entire contents. Key Features: Uniquely organized with a fully integrated competency-based approach Devotes one or more chapters to each of the nine CSWE professional competencies Delivers abundant case studies that facilitate in-depth understanding and integration of competencies Provides case vignettes, critical thinking and discussion questions, and chapter summaries Includes supplementary instructor resources such as PowerPoints, group discussion questions, and competency-based written assignments with grading rubrics Offers sample syllabi for two separate one-semester courses and a seven-week online course Includes Student Resources, featuring online forms, templates, exercises, plans, and more to provide students with ample practice opportunities
Bringing together international case studies, this book offers theoretical and empirical insights into the interaction between social work and social policy. Moving beyond existing studies on policy practice, the book employs the policy cycle as a core analytical frame and focuses on the influence of social work(ers) in the problem definition, agenda setting, policy formulation and implementation of social policy. Twenty-three contributors offer examples of policy making from seven different countries and demonstrate how social work practitioners can become political actors, while also encouraging policy makers to become aware of the potential of social work for the social policy-making process.
This classic text introduces students to the structural approach of social work practice, which assumes that many clients' problems arise from harmful social forces. By focusing on the construction of such realities as poverty, racism, and domestic violence, the structural approach counters the focus on individual change that is so common in our age of managed care and corporatization. For this edition Gale Goldberg Wood and Carol T. Tully have recast the text from the perspective of contemporary social constructionism without altering its main message and organization. They have added six new chapters, covering ethics, the role of the social worker as therapist and community organizer, learning and working within the organization, and the paradigm dilemma. In addition, case studies now include greater detail about the client's social context. Though much has changed since the first edition of this book was published, the need for well-trained, compassionate social workers remains. The Structural Approach to Direct Practice in Social Work continues to be an essential resource for practitioners who wish to help their clients confront oppressive social realities and affect system change through political action.
