Karen Healy – författare

Teorier i socialt arbete – ramverk i aktuell praktik utforskar nutida sociala teorier och perspektiv på ett systematiskt sätt med hjälp av ett integrerat och flexibelt ramverk för att koppla samman kontext, teori och praktik. Boken ger en grund att stå på i de mångskiftande och ofta svårförståeliga sammanhang där praktisk verksamhet, och även teoribildning, äger rum.

Karen Healy introducerar en dynamisk praktikmodell för socialt arbete som bidrar till att utveckla en förståelse av socialarbetarens professionella uppdrag som en mångsidig aktivitet som är formad av professionellt syfte, politik och verksamhetsområden.

Boken

visar hur kontexten påverkar det sociala uppdraget och hur socialarbetaren kan förändra dessa praktikmiljöer ger en översikt över nutida teorier som är viktiga för det sociala arbetets praktik innehåller avsnitt om posthumanism och ekosocialt arbete påvisar utbudet av kritiska tillvägagångssätt, inklusive feministiskt och antirasistiskt socialt arbete innehåller övningar hämtade från realistiska fallstudier.

Boken är en grundbok i socialt arbete och vänder sig till studenter på alla utbildningsnivåer, yrkesverksamma inom socialt arbete och andra personer som är intresserade av området.

”Genom att förstå idéerna som ligger till grund för våra institutionella kontexter och formella teoribas, kan vi använda dem kritiskt, och när det är nödvändigt, förändra dem för att uppnå de värden och målsättningar vi är förbundna till.”

Karen Healy

Sagt om boken"Författaren lyckas utomordentligt väl att göra komplexiteten i det sociala arbetet begriplig. De som får förmånen att läsa boken kommer att ha stor nytta av den och fröjdas av dess kunskapsförmedling och aktualitet."

Maria Fridstjerna, lektör. BTJ-häftet, nr 18, 2024.

Om författarenKaren Healy är professor i socialt arbete vid University of Queensland, Australien. Hon forskar om socialt arbete och samhällsservice med särskilt fokus på utsatta barns och familjers hälsa och välbefinnande. Hennes mål är ett vård- och omsorgssystem som möjliggör hälsa och social inkludering för alla.

Översättare: Maria Elliot

This brilliantly systematic and comprehensive textbook provides an integrated approach to social work theory, methods and skills as the bedrock of all social work practice. Recognizing social work as a diverse activity that is rooted in common foundations, it explains how practice both shapes and is shaped by professional purpose. The text also explores the diverse range of social work practice methods available and aims to equip the reader with a foundation in the history and application of these varied approaches.Offering a step-by-step discussion that will empower readers to critically develop and refine their professional toolkit for purposeful and innovative intervention, this original rationale is an essential resource for any social work student or practitioner looking to build, or consolidate, their understanding of the range of methods and skills available for effective professional practice.

`Karen Healy has written a very interesting and worthwhile book that explores the relevance and significance of postmodern theory to social work. It provides a well-argued account of recent developments in social work theory… However, it is not simply an account of theory, as considerable effort goes into making links between the theory and its implications for practice. …[I]t offers a sound foundation for exploring issues of theory and practice.

A major strength of the book is that it shows that some of the significant flaws in earlier attempts to develop critical approaches to practice should not lead us to assume that radical approaches are necessarily oppressive in themselves, or doomed to failure…

It should serve its purpose well in prompting educators, policy-makers and practitioners to begin to take on board the critique of dominant approaches to social work theory and to help us guard against the dangers of dogmatism and orthodoxy' - European Journal of Social Work

`Karen Healy profoundly challenges, in the context of the postmodernity of late capitalism, many of the assumptions upon which the critical tradition in social work has been founded. This is a book which interrogates not only the emancipatory metanarratives of left perspectives from her position within the left, but also questions many of the received ideas about her professional power and identity, and about the kinds of social work practices necessary in order to continue to pursue welfare as an emancipatory project under transformed ideological and material circumstances. This is a most significant contribution to the debates which confront social work, worldwide, at the present time' - Peter Leonard, McGill University, Canada

How should social workers be responding to the crises which beset the welfare states of the 21st century? Could postmodern theory provide some of the answers?

This original and stimulating book provides a critical review of contemporary social work theory and considers its relevance for professional practice. Karen Healy outlines critical theoretical perspectives - including feminist, Marxist and radical social work - and indicates their implications for social work practice. She explains contemporary debates on post-structuralism and postmodernism and shows how their application to everyday social work practice would point to a new pragmatism focused on local, contextual and incremental proposals for change. By referring to actual examples, she invites the reader to consider the potential for relevant and diverse forms of social work practice informed by postmodern theory.

This accessible and engaging book makes an important contribution to contemporary debates on social work theory and practice. It will be important reading for students and academics in social work and social policy.

`Karen Healy has written a very interesting and worthwhile book that explores the relevance and significance of postmodern theory to social work. It provides a well-argued account of recent developments in social work theory… However, it is not simply an account of theory, as considerable effort goes into making links between the theory and its implications for practice. …[I]t offers a sound foundation for exploring issues of theory and practice.

A major strength of the book is that it shows that some of the significant flaws in earlier attempts to develop critical approaches to practice should not lead us to assume that radical approaches are necessarily oppressive in themselves, or doomed to failure…

It should serve its purpose well in prompting educators, policy-makers and practitioners to begin to take on board the critique of dominant approaches to social work theory and to help us guard against the dangers of dogmatism and orthodoxy' - European Journal of Social Work

`Karen Healy profoundly challenges, in the context of the postmodernity of late capitalism, many of the assumptions upon which the critical tradition in social work has been founded. This is a book which interrogates not only the emancipatory metanarratives of left perspectives from her position within the left, but also questions many of the received ideas about her professional power and identity, and about the kinds of social work practices necessary in order to continue to pursue welfare as an emancipatory project under transformed ideological and material circumstances. This is a most significant contribution to the debates which confront social work, worldwide, at the present time' - Peter Leonard, McGill University, Canada

How should social workers be responding to the crises which beset the welfare states of the 21st century? Could postmodern theory provide some of the answers?

This original and stimulating book provides a critical review of contemporary social work theory and considers its relevance for professional practice. Karen Healy outlines critical theoretical perspectives - including feminist, Marxist and radical social work - and indicates their implications for social work practice. She explains contemporary debates on post-structuralism and postmodernism and shows how their application to everyday social work practice would point to a new pragmatism focused on local, contextual and incremental proposals for change. By referring to actual examples, she invites the reader to consider the potential for relevant and diverse forms of social work practice informed by postmodern theory.

This accessible and engaging book makes an important contribution to contemporary debates on social work theory and practice. It will be important reading for students and academics in social work and social policy.

A vital part of a social worker’s role is to build strong relationships based on confidence and trust, with people across all stages of the life course and from a broad range of backgrounds, in what can be extremely challenging circumstances. In this, her latest collaboration with Palgrave, bestselling social work author Karen Healy turns her attention to the key topic of communication and the importance of developing into a skilled communicator across all areas of professional practice.Split into two distinct sections, the text provides a thorough exploration of:- The foundations of effective communication in social work practice, focusing on the basic knowledge and skills that are essential to forming working alliances with service users in a broad range of practice situations; and- The specialised communication skills required to work with people with specific capacities and needs – from children, young people and older adults to people from diverse cultures and linguistic groups, those who experience trouble with verbal communication and those with mental health challenges.With helpful learning features such as practice exercises and chapter summary questions to enable you to review and reflect on what you have learned, this is an essential resource for social work students new to this complex area of practice.

This popular and innovative core text book explores contemporary social work theories and perspectives in a systematic way, using an integrated and flexible framework to link context, theory, and practice approaches. Healy expertly provides an applied guide to social work theory across a range of organisational contexts, showing social work as a diverse activity that is profoundly shaped by professional purpose, public policy, and practice locations. This edition has been comprehensively updated to reflect developments in the contexts and theorising of social work practices. This is ideal reading to support and develop undergraduate and postgraduate students taking modules on Social Work Theories and Methods on qualifying professional programmes. Its international breadth and supportive pedagogical features have ensured the book's value to students of social work all over the world.New to this edition:- New sections on post-humanism and eco-social work- Coverage of a broader range of critical approaches including feminist and anti-racial social work- Additional practice exercises drawn from realistic case studies.

This innovative textbook takes an integrated approach to the core theories, methods and skills at the heart of all good social work practice, demonstrating how practice both shapes, and is shaped, by professional purpose. Responding to the latest contemporary debates, advances and emerging social challenges in the field, this five-part book:- Covers a broad and diverse range of social work practice methods, from working with individuals and families through to community work, policy practice and system change. - Underlines the fundamental dimensions shaping the practitioner and their practice context, equipping the reader with how to form effective working relationships and tackle competing inter-agency priorities.- Engages with core theories, including eco social work and de-colonized perspectives. - Provides a dedicated section on communication skills, an important topic integral to all areas of practice.- Emphasizes the importance of self-care, along with professional boundaries in achieving good critically reflective practice.- Includes a range of exercises, examples and review questions to help readers consolidate their learning.This book offers a step-by-step discussion of topics that will empower social work students and practitioners alike to critically develop and refine their professional toolkit for purposeful and innovative intervention, reinforcing an understanding of how to achieve effective professional practice.

This innovative textbook takes an integrated approach to the core theories, methods and skills at the heart of all good social work practice, demonstrating how practice both shapes, and is shaped, by professional purpose. Responding to the latest contemporary debates, advances and emerging social challenges in the field, this five-part book:- Covers a broad and diverse range of social work practice methods, from working with individuals and families through to community work, policy practice and system change. - Underlines the fundamental dimensions shaping the practitioner and their practice context, equipping the reader with how to form effective working relationships and tackle competing inter-agency priorities.- Engages with core theories, including eco social work and de-colonized perspectives. - Provides a dedicated section on communication skills, an important topic integral to all areas of practice.- Emphasizes the importance of self-care, along with professional boundaries in achieving good critically reflective practice.- Includes a range of exercises, examples and review questions to help readers consolidate their learning.This book offers a step-by-step discussion of topics that will empower social work students and practitioners alike to critically develop and refine their professional toolkit for purposeful and innovative intervention, reinforcing an understanding of how to achieve effective professional practice.

As a social worker, you are required to communicate in writing for a wide range of purposes and audiences.This text guides you through all you need to know to develop your social work writing skills:

Essential elements of written communicationWriting skills in daily practiceMacro-practice writing skills: obtaining resources and creating changeInfluencing your professional context

Now with two new chapters on writing for local mass media and writing for social media. Hot tips for effective writing, reflective exercises & further reading are included in every chapter to help you cement your skills and become a confident and effective written communicator.