Decision Cases for Advanced Social Work Practice - by Terry Wolfer & Lori Franklin & Karen Gray (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

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: coursematerials@columbiauniversitypress.com.

Review Quotes

An excellent tool for developing skills of critical reflection and analysis, alongside recognition of the impact of social work on self.--Kay Wall "Journal of Social Work Practice "

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, University of South Carolina

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, University of Texas, Austin

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, University of Michigan

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, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, The University of Texas at Austin

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).