Principles of Social Work Practice

A Generic Practice Approach

Principles of Social Work Practice is the first textbook to deal exclusively and thoroughly with the significant principles of social work practice and methods that integrate these principles into the common base of practice. You will learn from case examples how to apply crucial ethical, personal, and methodological principles to different practice areas. As you increase your understanding of the nature of professional social work and the essence of its value base and Code of Ethics, you also learn to develop approaches to social work practice that are sensitive to a multicultural clientele. You will leave this book with useful skills and a flexibility that allow you to work not only with individuals but also with families, couples, groups, organizations, and communities.

As you read Principles of Social Work Practice, you will heighten your sensitivity to the professional worker-client relationship and its role as a primary instrument of positive change. Using this book as a guide, you can develop your own strategies for facilitating change and growth that will result in the satisfaction of long-term personal and social goals. Simultaneously, you will build a framework for social work practice that has at its foundation a strong sense of individual worth and dignity. A unique combination of theory and practice, readers gain insight into:

• confidentiality

• the nonjudgmental attitude

• controlled emotional involvement

• self-determination

• respect for the individual

• empowerment

  Principles of Social Work Practice illustrates for advanced undergraduates and graduate students how to effectively intervene in the conflicts that evolve between clients’ needs for well-being and development and the demands or restrictions of public attitudes or social policy. You will sharpen your skills and construct indispensable methods for helping individuals establish vital links with their communities.