Social Workers' Desk Reference

This comprehensive resource is the first of its kind in the field of social work. Written by leading scholars and practitioners in the field, it covers the full spectrum of social work practice. Each chapter includes up-to-date information, practice guidelines, and treatment plans necessary for success in today's managed-care environment. Social work practitioners and agency administrators are increasingly confronted with having to do more with less, and to make decisions and provide services as quickly as possible. There is a widespread need for ready access to essential information about effective services and treatment approaches--information that is both reliable and highly accessible. The Social Workers' Desk Reference meets this need for an authoritative sourcebook for social work practitioners. This compelling volume focuses on the needs of frontline practitioners in private, non-profit, and public settings--including case managers, clinical social workers, supervisors, and administrators. Each of the 146 chapters provides key tools and resources, such as best practices, program evaluations, step-by-step treatment plans, and validated assessment scales. It addresses the needs of social workers working in a variety of areas--including assessment and diagnosis, clinical social work, marital and family therapy, community practice, case management, helping vulnerable populations and populations at risk, forensic social work, research, and practice evaluation. Written by expert contributors and guided by a prestigious editorial board, the Social Workers' Desk Reference is not only relevant to, but also a vital resource for practitioners. Just as every medical professional must own a Physicians' Desk Reference, this volume is an indispensable reference for every social worker.