101 Careers in Social Work - Jessica Ritter, Halaevalu F. Vakalahi, Mary Kiernan-Stern

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101 Careers in Social Work

Authors: Jessica Ritter, PhD; Halaevalu F. Vakalahi, PhD; Mary Kiernan-Stern, MSW, LCSW

Pub Date: 12/2008
304 pp Paperback
ISBN13: 9780826154057

List: $25.00

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Description | Table of Contents | Sample Chapter | Author Biographies

Description

"This is a vital and necessary guide to the social work profession.This book clarifies the social work mission, goals, and objectives, and strengthens and promotes them as well."
--Carmen Ortiz Hendricks, MSW, DSW, ACSW, LCSW
Associate Dean, Wurzweiler School of Social Work,
Yeshiva University

"The authors do an excellent job of illustrating the uniqueness, diversity, and richness of the profession. I strongly recommend this book for use in social work orientation, advising and education."
--Saundra Starks, EdD, LCSW
Western Kentucky University

101 Careers in Social Work serves as both a catalog of social work job descriptions as well as a guide to career planning. The authors highlight the interdisciplinary nature of social work, and include unconventional, cutting-edge career options such as forensic social work, entrepreneurship, working in political systems, international careers, community planning, and more.

Written in a user-friendly style, each chapter focuses on a specific social work career, and outlines the challenges, core competencies and skills, and educational requirements needed to succeed. This book also includes questionnaires and checklists to help readers choose a career tailored to their unique talents, interests, and passions.

Key Features:

A catalog of 101 social work careers, including careers in emerging fields
Helpful career development tools, including self-assessment checklists, interviews with practicing social workers, and questionnaires
Guidance on educational requirements, licensure, and continuing education
An entire chapter dedicated to job-hunting tips and career planning advice

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Table of Contents

PART ONE: THE PROFESSION OF SOCIAL WORK
Chapter 1: Why Social Work?
Chapter 2: Is Social Work for you?
Chapter 3: Education and Licensure for Social Workers
PART TWO: CAREERS IN SOCIAL WORK
Chapter 4: Children & Families
Chapter 5: School-Based & School-Linked Services
Chapter 6: Older Adults
Chapter 7: Health Care & Disabilities
Chapter 8: Mental Health & Addiction
Chapter 9: Crisis Intervention
Chapter 10: Criminal Justice & the Legal Arena
Chapter 11: International Social Work & Human Rights
Chapter 12: Policy Practice & Political Advocacy
Chapter 13: Community Practice
Chapter 14: Human Services Management
Chapter 15: Beyond Social Work
PART THREE: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
Chapter 16: Job-Hunting Tips
Chapter 17: Discussion and Conclusions
Appendix: Listing of Helpful Websites and other resources
Glossary & Index

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Author Biographies

Jessica Ritter, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor, Social Work Department, George Mason University (GMU). Professor Ritter completed her MSSW and doctorate at the University of Texas at Austin. Her social work career has been dedicated to the field of child welfare and work on behalf of vulnerable children and families. Her current research is focused on evaluating the political participation and political advocacy efforts of social workers. Other research interests include children's rights policies and social work education. She teaches a range of direct practice and policy focused courses in both the undergraduate and graduate programs in GMU's Social Work Department including social policy, child welfare, and generalist social work practice.

Halaevalu F. Vakalahi, Ph.D.is the MSW Program Director and an Associate Professor in the Social Work Department, George Mason University. Her areas of teaching interests include social policy, human behavior and the social work environment, and cultural diversity. Her research interests include juvenile delinquency, adolescent substance use/abuse, women's issues, and Pacific Islander communities. She is co-editor of Women of Color as Social Work Educators: Strengths and Survival with Saundra Hardin Starks and Carmen Ortiz Hendrick (CSWE Press, 2007). Formerly she was Accreditation Specialist for CSWE.

Mary Kiernan-Stern, MSW, LCSW is the Director of the MSW Field Education Program, Social Work Department, George Mason University. Mary teaches the direct practice courses in the social work department, as well as Communication and Technology for Social Work Practice in the MSW program. Her recent publications include Managing resistance to change: The social worker's role in case management (Case Management, 2005); The multicultural counseling inventory: A measure for evaluating social work students' and practitioners' perceptions of their multicultural competencies (The Journal of Social Work Education, 2005); and White social workers' attitudes about people of color and racial diversity (Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 2005).

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