Social Work Practice: A Critical Thinker's Guide Book

Prologue: Social Workers at Work

Part I. Getting Oriented
1. Social Work: An Introduction
2. Clients and Services
3. Values, Ethics, and Obligations

Part II. Thinking about Knowledge and How to Get it

4. Different Views of Knowledge
5. Critical Thinking: Integral to Evidence-Based Practice

Part III. Thinking about Problems and Causes
6. Competing Views of Personal and Social Problems and Their Causes
7. Taking Advantage of Research Findings about Behavior and How it is Influenced by the Environment

Part IV. A Decision-Focused Practice Model
8. Problem Solving and Decision Making: Integral to Helping Clients
9. Evidence-Based Practice: A Decision-Making Process and Philosophy
10. Posing Questions and Searching for Answers
11. Critically Appraising Research: Thinking for Yourself

Part V. Getting Started
12. A Contextual Assessment Framework
13. Beginning: A Practice Guide
14. Engaging Clients

Part VI. Relationship Skills
15. Interpersonal Helping Skills
16. Creating and Handling Challenging Social Situations

Part VII. Gathering and Organizing Information
17. Where to Look: Deciding How to Gather Needed Information
18. Observation: Learning to See
19. Reviewing Resources and Obstacles
20. Putting it All Together

Part VIII. Selecting Plans and Assessing Progress
21. Selecting and Implementing Service Plans
22. Evaluating Outcomes as Integral to Problem Solving
23. Planning for Endings

Part IX. Intervention Options
24. Empowering Clients: Providing Information and Skill Building
25. Helping Clients Learn Positive Behavior Change Skills
26. Working with Groups and Families
27. Organizations and Communities

Part X. The Long Run
28. Maintaining Skills and Staying Happy in Your Work

References Index