Empowerment Series: Direct Social Work Practice

Highly respected social work educators, Dean H. Hepworth and Jo Ann Larsen originally defined how direct practice should be taught. Ronald Rooney is a professor emeritus in the School of Social Work at the University of Minnesota. As a former social worker in child welfare, community mental health and school social work, Dr. Rooney is also the author of Strategies for Work with Involuntary Clients. Glenda Dewberry Rooney is a professor emeritus in the Department of Social Work at Augsburg University in Minneapolis. She taught undergraduate and graduate practice courses in ethics, and research and courses in organizations and administration. Her practice experience includes child welfare, mental health and work with families and children. In addition, she was involved in community-based research and worked with agencies concerned with children, youth and families as a trainer and as a clinical, program and management consultant. Kim Strom is the Smith P. Theimann Jr. Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Professional Practice in the School of Social Work and director of the university’s Office of Ethics and Policy. She also serves as the principal investigator of the UNC School of Social Work state behavioral healthcare contract. Dr. Strom has been an educator for over 30 years and has authored over 80 books, articles and chapters on ethics and practice. She is an internationally recognized scholar on moral courage, ethics and social work education. In addition, she served on the NASW committee responsible for revising the Code of Ethics and represents North America on the Ethics Commission of the International Federation of Social Work.

• Part I: INTRODUCTION.1. The Challenges of Social Work.2. Direct Practice: Domain, Philosophy, and Roles.3. Overview of the Helping Process.4. Operationalizing the Cardinal Social Work Values.Part II: EXPLORING, ASSESSING, AND PLANNING.5. Building Blocks of Communication: Conveying Empathy and Authenticity.6. Verbal Following, Exploring, and Focusing Skills.7. Eliminating Counterproductive Communication Patterns.8. Assessment: Exploring and Understanding Problems and Strengths.9. Assessment: Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Environmental Factors.10. Assessing Family Functioning in Diverse Family and Cultural Contexts.11. Forming and Assessing Social Work Groups.12. Developing Goals and Formulating a Contract.Part III: THE CHANGE-ORIENTED PHASE.13. Planning and Implementing Change-Oriented Strategies.14. Developing Resources, Organizing, Planning, and Advocacy as Intervention Strategies.15. Enhancing Family Functioning and Relationships.16. Intervening in Social Work Groups.17. Additive Empathy, Interpretation, and Confrontation.18. Managing Barriers to Change.Part IV: THE TERMINATION PHASE.19. The Final Phase: Evaluation and Termination.