Navigating Human Service Organizations

Social workers switch jobs frequently at the beginning of their careers. This trend, Gibelman believes, may be partially caused by the gap between what practitioners learn in their professional education and what they experience on the job. The vast majority of social workers are employed in organizations, yet they have not been prepared for the realities of the workplace, for the challenges and frustrations of working within a structured environment. Drawing on her experience as a clinician, supervisor, educator, and manager, the author describes strategies to help practitioners improve their ability to work effectively within human service organizations. Navigating Human Service Organizations provides a whole new dimension to their understanding of their chosen career.