Best Practices for Social Work with Refugees and Immigrants / Edition 1

by Miriam Potocky

Overview

Social work practice with refugees and immigrants requires specialized knowledge of these populations, and specialized adaptations and applications of mainstream services and interventions. Because they are often confronted with cultural, linguistic, political, and socioeconomic barriers, these groups are especially vulnerable to psychological problems. Among these problems are anxiety, depression, alienation, grief, even post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as biological concerns stemming from inadequate or underutilized medical services. Best Practices for Social Work with Refugees and Immigrants is the first book to offer a comprehensive guide to social work with foreign-born clients that evaluates many different strategies in light of their methodological strengths and weaknesses.

Part I sets forth the context for empirically based service approaches to such clients by describing the nature of these populations, relevant policies designed to assist them, and service delivery systems. Part II addresses specific problem areas common to refugees and immigrants and evaluates a variety of assessment and intervention techniques for each area. Maintaining a rigorous empirical and broadly pan-cultural approach throughout, Miriam Potocky-Tripodi seeks to identify the most practical, "best practices" to meet the various and pressing needs of uprooted peoples.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231115834
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	04/24/2002
Edition description:	Older Edition
Pages:	504
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Miriam Potocky-Tripodi is assistant professor and acting coordinator of the doctoral program at Florida International University. She is co-editor of Social Work Research with Minority and Oppressed Populations.

Table of Contents

List of Tables
Preface
Acknowledgments
Part 1: Context for Social Work with Refugees and Immigrants
1. Introduction
2. Immigration and Refugee Policies
3. Service Delivery Systems
Part 2: Best Practices
4. Culturally Competent Social Work Practice
5. Health
6. Mental Health
7. Family Dynamics
8. Language, Education, and Economic Well-Being
9. Interethnic Relations
10. Summary and Conclusions
References
Index

What People are Saying About This

Frederick L. Ahearn

A milestone in social work literature. This is the best book available for practitioners and students who have an interest in or work with refugees and immigrants.... This comprehensive volume should be a reference text for every social work practitioner and student who is or will work with these populations.

— Frederick L. Ahearn, Jr., The Catholic University of America

Editorial Reviews

A very comprehensive text... written from the heart... It represents a milestone in social work literature.

Social Work Review

Read this book, assign it to your students, buy copies for practitioners in your community-based-organizations... It is an excellent guidebook.

Journal of Community Practice

This book is a solid contribution to the social work literature...Best Practices is a complete reference on the subject...

Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Services - Willie Tolliver

I recommend this book...a succint and accessible style

Journal of International Migration and Integration - Douglas Durgast

I recommend this book...a succint and accessible style

Journal of International Migration and Integration - Douglas Durst

This book is a solid contribution to the social work literature... Best Practices is a complete reference on the subject...

— Willie Tolliver

Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Services

I recommend this book...a succint and accessible style

— Douglas Durgast

Journal of International Migration and Integration

Adopting a pancultural perspective that focuses on the common experiences of working with immigrants and refugees, this work provides advice on the best ways to conduct social work. The author focuses primarily on practice in the United States but draws on literature from around the world. After looking at contextual issues such as government policy and service delivery systems, chapters address specific problems from a psychosocial perspective. Problems addressed include health, mental health, family dynamics, education and economic well-being, and interethnic relations. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

Best Practices for Social Work with Refugees and Immigrants presents the context and complexity of migration along with guidelines for practical, systematic, and socially just intervention approaches. This essential and comprehensive resource for social workers provides information, identifies issues in the journey from entry to integration, and recommends best practices for service provision.

Uma A. Segal

Bringing together new research findings from a wide range of sources, this book provides the tools needed for effective and compassionate social work with refugees and immigrants—in the areas of health care, mental health, family services, economic self-sufficiency, advocacy, and policy—in support of their full integration into their new communities.

Yolanda C. Padilla

Best Practices for Social Work with Refugees and Immigrants is a valuable primer for human service professionals. The authors thoughtfully consider the best ways to intervene while accounting for the clients’ cultural factors and life histories. Moreover, the authors attend to meso- and macro-level issues, which are essential for improving programs and policies. I can’t think of a better time for this much-needed second edition.

Edward J. Alessi

Substantive, well-organized, reader-friendly, and comprehensive, a timely pancultural overview of policy issues that serve as the context for social work practice with immigrants.

Jessica Rosenberg