Informed by a social justice approach, this user-friendly text for social work students provides a comprehensive introduction to contemporary school social work practice structured around the 2022 CSWE EPAS Competencies. With a focus on skills development, this innovative text is competency-based and encompasses professionalism, cross-disciplinary collaboration, research applications, theoretical foundations, policies, engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation. Following a brief historical overview and introduction to the discipline, the book delves into school social work practice and delivers timely content regarding professional identity, supervision, anti-racism, diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice. Practice knowledge is examined through social work theory, evidence-informed practice, use of data, and policies regarding school, children, and families. The text addresses the full range of client engagement, service provision, the multi-tiered system of supports, trauma-based practices, social emotional learning, termination, and transition-planning.

The social work role in nursing facilities is a valuable resource in the lives of residents, families, and staff. Whether the nursing facility is called a nursing home, a long-term care center, or a subacute or a rehabilitation center, the social worker is an essential, vital member of the healthcare team. As in other settings, social workers in nursing home settings use professional casework skills to help people in particular times of crisis and stress. As a contributing member of the interdisciplinary team, the social worker provides an opportunity for residents and families to examine problems, mobilize existing resources and/or refer to resources that are more appropriate, and develop positive resolutions. This third revised edition of A Guide for Nursing Home Social Workers provides the knowledge and information that social workers, regardless of their education and experience, need in the performance of their role in nursing home settings. The book is divided into six parts to help categorize the content: Social Work in Nursing Facilities; The Interdisciplinary Team; Nursing Facilities and Governing Oversights; Diagnosis, Treatment, and Care Issues; Ethics; and Community Liaisons. The first part presents key informational topics that social workers may utilize in their day-to-day work, such as assessments, care planning, and documentation. The second part contains information about team meetings, room changes, staff training and in-services, and social work consultation. The third part addresses a range of topics including Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) and the Minimum Data Set 3.0, as well as state surveys and facility policies. The fourth part provides current information about care topics such as neurocognitive disorders, mood disorders, medication, and pain in older adults, as well as groups, families, and diversity within the nursing facility. The fifth part contains chapters on social work ethics, legal representation, abuse, neglect, mistreatment, and confidentiality. The final part includes chapters on resident finances, transfer and discharge, community resources, funeral arrangements, pandemics and disaster planning, and trauma-informed care and adverse childhood experiences. The goal of this guide is to provide some of the necessary supports and assistance needed by social workers in this field as they pursue their profession of helping residents, families, and others involved in long-term care.

The chapters in this book represent an effort to create a foundational textbook for social workers that introduces the student to justice informed social work practice and is an initial step — a starting point – for considering how to center oneself in justice oriented practice across systems and structures. Within the social work profession, justice is conceptualized as a constellation of social, economic, and environmental justice. Although population based books are common in social work scholarship, the authors have intentionally opted for a different approach. This text focuses on structural oppression and inequities connected to our clients' engagement in systems and structures that, although often purported to support them, frequently are broken and inflict harm. It starts with an overview of key concepts and theoretical underpinnings that provide foundational knowledge and then moves into chapters that focus on human rights, and varying systems related to education, criminal justice, housing, the environment, poverty, finances and wealth, and food insecurity. One will learn about the ways that injustice presents itself in the various systems in which social workers practice. Structural discrimination has systemic implications and systemic consequences as well. The book offers us foundational knowledge and tangible recommendations that one can apply and transfer to best fit the work we are doing in the multiple of practice settings, and with the diverse client populations with/in which one work. This book should also leave us with more questions than when one began reading and the authors hope will solidify our commitment to our life-long education, unlearning, and discovery around just practice. Within each chapter, context for understanding oppression and injustice today is interwoven with an understanding of how policies and programs, over time, have created and perpetuated inequity.

This book provides an integrated perspective on disabilities of the various disciplines of human services for counselors, social workers, and allied health professions in training. It provides an interdisciplinary and intersectional perspective on disability and psychosocial adjustment to disability in rehabilitation counseling, social work, and allied health professions. It also includes foundations of disability studies, advocacy, the disability rights movement and disability legislation, policy, and law. There is a focus on select persistent and emerging population trends in disability studies, which are supported in the literature as populations that are anticipated to represent a growing and greater proportion of individuals in need of disability and integrated services. The attention to psychosocial adaptation to disability along with the inclusion of case studies and field-based experiential exercises related to specific topics make this book an invaluable resource for students and professionals alike. The human services professions contain a wide variety of disciplines that assist individuals, families, and populations to improve their capacity to function as individuals and in society. These professionals possess specific competencies and credentials, but operate from an interdisciplinary knowledge base that requires coordination among professionals, programs, and agencies in service delivery. The disciplines typically included in responding to disability-related issues are rehabilitation counseling, counseling, mental health, social work, rehabilitation sciences, psychology, and allied and health sciences. A key feature of each chapter is application from an intersectional perspective of issues related to addressing the service needs of persons with disabilities. Based on the foundations of understanding services providers’ scope of practice, the text discusses the roles and functions of human services providers, ethics in service delivery, professional credentials, cultural competency, and family and life span perspectives of disability.

The decision to become licensed is significant, and passing the licensing examination demonstrates that one have the basic knowledge necessary to safely practice. Social workers are employed in all kinds of settings including hospitals, correctional facilities, mental health and addictions agencies, government offices, and private practices. It is essential that those served have some assurance that these practitioners are competent to provide the services that they are charged with delivering. Regulation through certification and licensure helps to assure that social workers will interact in an ethical and safe manner. This edition of the guide has greatly expanded content on study and test-taking strategies, including effective ways to prepare for and pass the licensing examination. Material on methods for analysing questions correctly has been added, along with examples to illustrate the strategies presented. Often social workers find this information most helpful when preparing for and taking the licensing test. The guide has been carefully constructed to provide social workers with information on the licensure examination and how to properly prepare in order to pass it; test-taking strategies and methods for analysing the questions correctly; and the content areas which comprise the test. The first section of the guide contains essential material to understand the best way to study, the logistics associated with taking the examination, and help with identifying what is being asked in test questions so that correct answers can be selected. Understanding how the licensing exam is constructed is valuable as it helps to identify priority areas for study. The second section of the guide has summary material on all the content areas, competencies, and Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities statements which are used by test developers to formulate actual questions. This section ends with a full-length practice test that can be used to simulate the actual examination experience.

The decision to become licensed is significant, and passing the licensing examination demonstrates that you have the basic knowledge necessary to safely practice. Social workers are employed in all kinds of settings including hospitals, correctional facilities, mental health and addictions agencies, government offices, and private practices. It is essential that those served have some assurance that these practitioners are competent to provide the services that they are charged with delivering. This guide has been carefully constructed to provide social workers with information on the licensure examination and how to properly prepare in order to pass it; test-taking strategies and methods for analysing the questions correctly; and the content areas which comprise the test. The first section of the guide contains essential material to understand the best way to study, the logistics associated with taking the examination, and help with identifying what is being asked in test questions so that correct answers can be selected. Understanding how the licensing exam is constructed is valuable as it helps to identify priority areas for study. The second section of the guide has summary material on all the content areas, competencies, and Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities statements (KSAs) which are used by test developers to formulate actual questions. Some test takers have referred to this section as a “MSW Program in a Box”, as it contains a summary of relevant concepts learned in an undergraduate social work program which may be assessed on the test. The format of this section is identical to the outline or “blueprint” for the examination with all four content areas covered. Each chapter within a content area represents a competency which has been identified as essential for testing. Lastly, within each chapter is summary information on each of the KSAs that can be tested on the exam.

This second edition of the bestselling acclaimed full-length practice test for the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Social Work Advanced Generalist Exam has been thoroughly updated to include additional test-taking strategies and diagnostic tests. Consisting of 170-questions that mirror the ASWB exam in length, structure, and content, this practice test is an indispensable tool for promoting exam success and includes strategies for every question along with in-depth rationales for correct answers, helping readers to discover gaps in their knowledge, identify strengths, and target weak areas. Despite social workers’ best efforts to study for and pass the ASWB examinations for licensure, they can encounter difficulties answering questions correctly that can ultimately lead to challenges in passing. On the ASWB examinations, social workers often struggle with application and reasoning questions which require them to take what has been learned and use it to identify correct answers given hypothetical contexts. Becoming more familiar with the construction of multiple-choice tests, as well as remembering concepts which are hallmarks within the social work profession, can greatly assist. In an effort to make this practice test as similar to the examination as possible, it contains 170 questions proportionately distributed within the four domains—Human Development, Diversity, and Behavior in the Environment (39 questions); Intervention Processes and Techniques for Use Across Systems (54 questions); Intervention Processes and Techniques for Use With Larger Systems (31 questions); and Professional Relationships, Values, and Ethics (46 questions). These proportions mirror the distribution of questions across these domains on the actual ASWB examination. This practice test is to be used as a diagnostic tool, so social workers should not worry about getting incorrect answers, but should view them as learning opportunities to avoid common pitfalls and pinpoint learning needs.

This book differs greatly from earlier versions because of two main changes. The first is the adoption of an intersectional approach in working with families. It underlines the importance of an intersectional approach to working with families that, in addition to culture and ethnicity, also considers socioeconomic class, gender, age, religion, immigration status, and sexual orientation as important factors. Additionally, the text expands its direct-practice view with the addition of four new chapters written by psychologists, plus a new chapter on health issues in multicultural families and access to health services. The book is updated with the latest knowledge and research, along with new and revised case vignettes demonstrating culturally competent practice. It provides a new intersectional approach to assessment and treatment and adds the perspectives of psychologists in four completely new chapters. The book includes a new chapter on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition from a multicultural perspective, plus new chapters on health and access to health services and offer the most up-to-date knowledge and research. It provides new and updated case vignettes and reflects changes in the family unit over the last quarter century and how it impacts treatment. The book addresses distinct sociopolitical issues affecting immigrants and undocumented families and focuses on the most important emerging issues of multicultural families. It covers multicultural mental health across the lifespan and encompasses the distinct perspectives of different ethnic and racial groups, and those of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender families. The book also discusses domestic violence and substance abuse in regard to multicultural families and delineates the most effective treatment methods. It examines the culturagram as a useful assessment and treatment planning modality and addresses ethical issues including the National Association of Social Workers code of ethics.

This second edition have kept all the essential components of the first edition as recommended by practitioners but also added a number of additional features. It provides content on mindfulness interventions, acceptance and commitment therapy, habit reversal training, and behavioral activation. It also includes more detailed descriptions of step-by-step cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) applications (e.g., planning sessions, targeted session activity examples, therapy closure, exposure therapy), as well as two additional case studies. Essentially, the second edition goes more in-depth into translating current clinical practices for the school-based practitioner audience. Additionally, the book has enhanced coverage of culturally responsive CBT research, scholarship, and applied practice tips. Consistent with the first edition, the second edition provide practitioners with an easily accessible and practical guide for implementing basic CBT counseling strategies in applied school settings. Because of the unmet mental health needs displayed by millions of students in these settings, and the advancements in the training and provision of school mental health services during the past couple of decades, school-based mental health professionals, such as counselors, school psychologists, undefined, and others, are increasingly being asked to provide evidence-based counseling and intervention services such as CBT. Therefore, to address this need, this text provides an overview of methods used to conduct effective CBT interventions in school settings. Whether the reader is a graduate student in training, beginning a career in counseling, or a seasoned practitioner, this workbook can serve as an easy how-to guide because it offers numerous counseling activities and examples as well as over 50 forms to use when planning, structuring, and conducting therapy. This book differs from many extant CBT guides and workbooks in that it is designed for the busy practitioner who primarily works in K-12 school settings and must balance a range of different roles and responsibilities.

This book is designed and structured around the nine professional social work competencies as defined by the Council on Social Work Education's 2015 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS), with one or two chapters devoted to each professional competency. The book's coverage of the professional social work competencies helps students develop the knowledge and skills needed to become effective social workers. Each chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the theories, concepts, and practice components of a competency. The book focuses on mastering the professional competencies rather than just presenting content on social work practice. This approach helps students expand their competency knowledge, application, and integration by creating a purposeful approach to the development of their professional competencies that must be mastered by today's social work students. The book is designed for use in undergraduate and graduate social work practice courses. It uses the professional competencies as the structure. The chapters cover all components of the professional competencies described in EPAS 2015, which includes demonstrate ethical and professional behavior; advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice; engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice; and engage in policy practice. This approach ensures that the professional competencies are covered in the social practice course(s) and that students experience the relationships among the competencies and social work practice better, preparing them for their field education and future practice as social work professionals. Each chapter begins with opening vignettes to help engage students in the chapter content, followed by chapter objectives that outline the key concepts. In addition, each chapter has multiple case examples, critical thinking questions, and a detailed case summary with discussion questions. The book covers topics that students need for competency-based social work practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and community clients and constituents.