This is a new edition of the wildly successful everyday reference for social workers. Like the first edition, it has been crafted with the help of an extensive needs assessment survey of educators and front-line practitioners, ensuring that it speaks directly to the daily realities of the profession. It features 40% new material and a more explicit focus on evidence-based practice.

"What makes the profession of social work distinctive and exciting? How do social workers differ from sociologists, psychologists, and other counselors, advocates, and helping professionals? Which degrees, licenses, and credentials can social workers obtain? And in what kinds of work, or fields of practice, can social workers specialize? All these questions are worth considering when one feels led to become a professional social worker"--

"What makes the profession of social work distinctive and exciting? How do social workers differ from sociologists, psychologists, and other counselors, advocates, and helping professionals? Which degrees, licenses, and credentials can social workers obtain? And in what kinds of work, or fields of practice, can social workers specialize? All these questions are worth considering when one feels led to become a professional social worker"--

People all over the world are confronted by issues such as poverty, a lack of access to quality education, unaffordable and or inadequate housing, and a lack of needed health and mental services on a daily basis. Due to these issues, there is a need for social workers who have access to relevant and timely scholarly materials in order to meet the needs of those facing these issues. The social, psychological, and biological factors resulting from these issues determine the level of a person's mental health at any given point in time and it is necessary for social workers to continue to evolve and develop to the new faces and challenges of the times in order to adequately understand the effects of these issues. In the first and second editions of the Social Workers' Desk Reference, the changes that were occurring in social work practice, education, and research were highlighted and focused upon. This third edition continues in the same tradition and continues to respond to the changes occurring in society and how they are impacting the education, research, and practice of social work as a whole. With 159 chapters collaboratively written by luminaries in the profession, this third edition serves as a comprehensive guide to social work practice by providing the most recent conceptual knowledge and empirical evidence to aid in the understanding of the rapidly changing field of social work. Each chapter is short and contains practical information in addition to websites and updated references. Social work practitioners, educators, students, and other allied professionals can utilize the Social Workers' Desk Reference to gain interdisciplinary and interprofessional education, practice, and research.

Desk copy for professors who use The Writer's Handbook: A Guide for Social Workers, 2e.

This text provides graduate students going into the social work field with real world and practical information about what it is really like to work as a social worker. Each chapter presents a true picture of what to expect as a front-line social worker in the given practice setting.

An essential desk reference for all helping professionals Social Work in Mental Health: An Evidence-Based Approach is a comprehensive and contemporary guide to the delivery of evidence-based care. Covering a wide spectrum of mental health disorders, editors Thyer and Wodarski have brought together noted experts to provide the most current, empirically supported techniques in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders as classified by the DSM-IV-TR. Coverage ranges from disorders seen in early infancy and childhood through the adolescent and adult years. Disorders covered include: * Autism * ADHD * Substance abuse * Schizophrenia * Mood disorders * Anxiety disorders * Eating disorders * Sexual disorders * Personality disorders * Mental Retardation Written and organized in an accessible style, Social Work in Mental Health: An Evidence-Based Approach provides helping professionals with an engaging and easy-to-follow guide to learning how to deliver the most up-to-date mental health care. Examples of evidence-based interventions guide the reader through the process and provide insight into the philosophy as well as the scientific basis underlying each technique and intervention presented. Chapters begin with learning objectives that alert you to the main ideas covered and conclude with provocative study questions that are designed to test your understanding while providing an opportunity for review and reinforcement of the key concepts covered. Ideal for all helping professionals--from those just starting out to the most seasoned clinician--this guide is a vital reference for anyone looking to stay abreast of contemporary techniques in the delivery of mental health services.

There are certain questions that all students considering social work ask. Who are social workers? What is it that social workers do? How is the social work profession changing? What does it take to become a social worker? Ira Colby and Sophia Dziegielewski bring their decades of experience in social work practice and education to answer these questions. This engaging text gives readers a practical guide to the many ways in which social workers effect change in their communities and the world. The authors offer an overview and history of the profession; introduce readers to the practice of social work at the micro, mezzo, and macro level; and finally look closely at the many settings and populations that social workers work with. While realistically portraying the pressures and obstacles that social workers face, Colby and Dziegielewski communicate their own passion for social work.

Why do social workers need to know about mental health medications? How can social workers best assist clients who are taking medications? What is the social worker's role as part of the interdisciplinary health care team? Answering these questions and more, this comprehensive text discusses the major medications used to treat common mental health conditions and offers guidelines on how to best serve clients who are using them. This new edition provides guidance on many issues that social workers will encounter in practice, including identifying potentially dangerous drug interactions and adverse side effects; improving medication compliance; recognizing the warning signs of drug dependence; and understanding how psychopharmacology can work in conjunction with psychosocial interventions. Complete with case examples, assessment tools, and treatment plans, this book offers practical insight for social work students and social workers serving clients with mental health conditions. New to this edition are expanded discussions of child and adolescent disorders, engaging discussions of how new drugs are created, approved, and marketed, and a new glossary describing over 150 common medications and herbal remedies. Important Topics Discussed: Treatment of common mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and dementia Taking a comprehensive medication history Understanding medical terminology Avoiding drug misuse, dependence, and overdose