"Like the subject about which she writes, Perlman engages the reader immediately, permitting a view into the author's rich and varied experiences, threaded throughout with profound compassion for all those who seek, suffer, and strive. . . . [This is] a welcome and wise effort, written with grace, sense and deep humanism. Were it in my power I would make it mandatory reading for all those who seek to offer others help."--Shirley Cooper, "American Journal of Orthopsychiatry"

This is a basic book in social casework. Its thesis is that among all the complexities within the subject matter and operations of casework there are certain constant elements, forces, and processes which give coherence and unity to its practice. Mrs. Perlman identifies and analyzes these constants and views them within the logical framework of problem-solving. In turn, problem-solving as a casework process is examined in its likeness to normal human problem-solving efforts. The result is an approach to learning and thinking about casework which is at once organized, synthesized, and imaginative. The book's usefulness is enhanced by the author's lucid and pointed style.