Decision Cases for Advanced Social Work Practice: Confronting Complexity

by Terry Wolfer , Ph.D., Lori Franklin, Karen Gray

Overview

These fifteen cases take place in child welfare, mental health, hospital, hospice, domestic violence, refugee resettlement, veterans' administration, and school settings and reflect individual, family, group, and supervised social work practice. They confront common ethical and treatment issues and raise issues regarding practice interventions, programs, policies, and laws. Cases represent open-ended situations, encouraging students to apply knowledge from across the social work curriculum to develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.

An instructor's manual with teaching notes is available by emailing: [e-mail].

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231159852
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	11/19/2013
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	981,659
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Terry Wolfer is professor of social work at the University of South Carolina. He is the author of Decision Cases for Generalist Social Work Practice (Cengage, 2005), Death, Dying, and Bereavement in Social Work Practice (CUP, 2008), and Decision Cases for Advanced Social Work Practice (CUP, 2013).

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments
To Instructors, by Terry A. Wolfer
To Students, by Terry A. Wolfer, Lori D. Franklin, and Karen A. Gray
Introduction to the Cases, by Terry A. Wolfer and Vicki M. Runnion
1. No Place Like Home, by Lori D. Franklin
2. Gay-for-Pay, by Lori D. Franklin
3. But Someone Could Die!, by Karen A. Gray and Anna Woodham
4. Believing Women, by Gecole Harley and Terry A. Wolfer
5. I Knew This Internship Thing Would Blow Up!, by Gecole Harley and Terry A. Wolfer
6. Child Collectors?, by Lori D. Franklin
7. I'm a Social Worker!, by Karen A. Gray and Julie Sprinkle
8. Flying Flags in Alabama, by Noël Busch-Armendariz, Dawnovise N. Fowler, and Terry A. Wolfer
9. Private, Dismissed, by Michelle Hovis and Lori D. Franklin
10. Wandering, by Lori D. Franklin and Danielle R. Snyder
11. A Matter of Life and Death?, by Susy Villegas, Mónica M. Alzate, and Karen A. Gray
12. Exposed, by David Pooler and Terry A. Wolfer
13. Nowhere to Skate, by Laura B. Poindexter and Terry A. Wolfer
14. Driven to Drink, by Terry A. Wolfer
15. "Don't Tell Her," by Sean Siberio and Terry A. Wolfer
Index

Editorial Reviews

An excellent tool for developing skills of critical reflection and analysis, alongside recognition of the impact of social work on self.

Journal of Social Work Practice - Kay Wall

These cases involve complex life circumstances that blend clinical, organizational, administrative, and cultural issues where the facts are sometimes obscure, contradictory, and emotional. They help students expand the critical-thinking skills required to make collaborative decisions in practice and increase their competence, confidence, and understanding of how decisions are made and supported.

King Davis

This book is a more sophisticated, complex presentation of clinical social work cases. It contributes to advanced clinical training or with continuing education of professionals by providing an update on current clinical social work case issues.

Mary Ortega

This is a must-have book for social work educators, students and practitioners who strive to integrate and sharpen their advanced knowledge and skills! Professors Wolfer, Franklin, Gray and their esteemed group of contributing authors have captured the complexity and nuance of social work practice through this collection of cases from professional social workers in real-world settings.

David W. Springer

One of the great challenges in teaching social work practice is helping students move beyond tidy, textbook formulations to wrestle with the messiness of true practice. This book provides a range of honest, nuanced decision cases that can be used in classes to help students identify, articulate, and sort through the ethical, practice, and personal issues they will face in their careers. Each case focuses on a thematic area (e.g. client autonomy, supervisory conflict) with a depth and complexity that precludes easy answers. An immensely helpful tool for any educator seeking to sharpen students' critical thinking and ability to 'think like a social worker.'

Anna Sheyett