The Social Work Interview - 5th Edition by Alfred Kadushin (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The only textbook to outline the skills social workers need to conduct effective client interviews, this volume synthesizes recent research on interviewing and demonstrates its value in unique settings and with a variety of clients and issues. Connecting evidence-based approaches to the quality of practitioner-client relationships and the achievement of different objectives at each phase of the interview, the text shows students how to apply their learning systematically and develop specialized techniques for culturally competent interviewing and challenging client situations.

For this fifth edition, the authors have updated the text's research throughout and have adopted a more coherent chapter organization for teaching. The volume also includes new sections on breaking bad news and interviewing with aged, racial/ethnic, and sexual minority populations. Revised vignettes reflect the challenges practitioners now face in the field and represent the interests of diverse students and scholars.

Review Quotes

The Kadushins have managed to convey both the science and art of interviewing without diminishing either aspect. Their book is a very practical tool for social workers and any human service worker.--Julie Hughens, Mary Baldwin College

This book is timeless! The authors have updated and enriched their newest edition and have added perceptive insights on crosscultural interviewing and new problem-solving interventions. They provide a dynamic examination of the helping process and present ideas and illustrations with eloquence and clarity. This seminal book is a gift to the profession.--Alex Gitterman, University of Connecticut School of Social Work

This fifth edition updates content, examples, and supporting research for well-developed principles. Practical dialogues representing a range of social work practice are a particular strength. The book also emphasizes culturally competent practice and guides social workers in difficult situations such as sharing bad news.--Ronald Rooney, University of Minnesota

Too often students underestimate the complexity of interviewing, having seen televised talk show interviews or having engaged in problem-solving with friends. This book explicitly describes the skills and knowledge social workers must use in their professional roles.--Kim Strom-Gottfried, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill School of Social Work

About the Author

Alfred Kadushin was the Julia C. Lathrop Distinguished Professor of Social Work Emeritus at the School of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He was the author of Consultation in Social Work, The Social Work Interview, Adopting Older Children, and, with Judith A. Martin, Child Abuse: An Interactional Event, all published by Columbia University Press. Dr. Kadushin passed away in February of 2014.

Goldie Kadushin is a professor of social work in the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is the coauthor of Gerontological Home Health Care: A Guide for the Social Work Practitioner and Social Work Practice in Community-Based Health Care.