A window into the life of a social worker The Call to Social Work, Second Edition is a presentation of narrative descriptions about the work and life of a wide variety of contemporary social workers. The book provides an in-depth understanding of why people choose social work, how they garner meaning from their work, and what they struggle with as they provide needed services. Additionally, it presents more information about the everyday practice of social work, both the challenges and the joys. Instructors who use this book in their courses will be able to contrast their ideals of practice with the realities captured in each life story, while students who read the book will be able to think about whether each story represents good practice, or what principles they would adhere to based on their understanding of social work.

This in-depth exploration uses individual portraits to show what parents face as they love and care for their mentally ill children and cope with how the mental health system has failed them. The Surgeon General has identified children's mental illness as a national problem that creates a burden of suffering so serious as to be considered a health crisis. Yet, what it means to be the parent of a mentally ill child has not been adequately considered-until now. Parenting Mentally Ill Children: Faith, Caring, Support, and Survival captures the essence of caring for these youngsters, providing resources and understanding for parents and an instructive lesson for society. Author Craig Winston LeCroy uses in-depth interviews to chronicle the experiences of parents of mentally ill children as they attempt to survive each day, obtain needed help, and reach out for support, and he lets them share their misunderstood emotions of shame, anger, fear, guilt, and powerlessness in the face of stigma from professionals, family, and friends. The book concludes with a critical appraisal of the social policies that must be implemented to help-and the reasons we should feel obligated to initiate them. More than 40 in-depth interviews giving parents the opportunity to tell their stories about caring for a child with a mental disorder An extensive bibliography of relevant material

In Empowering Adolescent Girls, LeCroy and Daley outline the issues, review the research, and offer specific strategies for social workers, psychologists, and educators to use in their work with adolescent girls. Mary Pipher's Reviving Ophelia awakened the social service and education communities to the need for gender-specific programs tailored to the unique issues girls face. LeCroy and Daley provide a systematic approach to addressing those issues. Their framework incorporates new information and research about adolescent girls and conceptualizes gender-specific developmental tasks as part of a Go Girls curriculum. These developmental tasks for girls in early adolescence include: achieving a competent gender role identification, establishing an acceptable body image, developing a positive self-image, developing satisfactory peer relationships, establishing independence through responsible decision making, understanding sexuality, learning to obtain help and access resources, and learning to plan for the future. There is a companion workbook for participants in the Go Girls program, or for therapists, parents, and educators working with girls.

Designed for Go Grrrls participants, therapists, parents and educators, this workbook outlines the issues, reviews the research and offers a gender-specific programme tailored to the issues girls face, helping them navigate the transition to adulthood.