This book provides a comprehensive examination of instructional supervision and introduces the Task-Centered Model for Educational Supervision (TCS). It begins by reviewing the history of educational supervision in social work and principles of effective teaching practices in the field. While theories about the principles and purposes of educational supervision abound, it has proven difficult to translate these ideas into a coherent model of supervisory practice. "Educational Supervision in Social Work" answers that need, presenting in detail TCS, an ordered series of discrete activities that supervisors and supervisees follow during and between supervision meetings. Designed to promote the continuous attainment of learning and practice objectives, TCS accommodates new models of field instruction, addresses common accountability concerns in social work supervision, and teaches practitioners how to be self-initiating and evaluative. Focusing on the practical implementation of TCS, Caspi and Reed have included detailed case vignettes throughout the book that provide concrete examples of putting theory into practice. Both supervisors of interns and staff as well as supervisees will find TCS a helpful tool in the supervisory process.

"Science and Social Work" is a critical appraisal of the strategies and methods that have been used to develop knowledge for social work practice. It identifies the major ways in which social workers have drawn upon scientific knowledge and techniques, placing each one in historical perspective by explaining the nature of the problems it was designed to solve and the philosophical, political, and practical questions it raised. Kirk and Reid offer a balanced appraisal of the promises, accomplishments, and limits of such approaches, demonstrating how the fruits of scientific research can aid clinical practice with individuals, families and groups.

Within the last several years, the issue of quantitative vs. qualitative research methods has become an important and controversial subject of debate within the field of social work. While traditional quantitative studies have predominated in social work research, many scholars and practitioners in the field believe that qualitative studies better capture the context, complexity and change processes inherent in social work practice. In this, the first book of its kind, Sherman and Reid assemble papers from leading scholars of the social work profession, academic, and professional, presenting the debate in all its fascinating complexity. The book is organized into five parts: Qualitative Methods in Contemporary Social Work, Qualitative Approaches to Evaluation, Issues and Exemplars of Qualitative Research, Integration of Qualitative and Quantitative Methods, and the final part dealing with epistemological issues concerning the nature, scope, and reliability of claims to knowledge building and testing in social work.

In this volume, progressive experts survey recent trends in qualitative study, which relies on small sample groups and interview data to better represent the context and complexity of social work practice. Chapters address different approaches to qualitative inquiry, applications to essential areas of research and practice, integration of qualitative and quantitative methods, and epistemological issues.

This second edition brings even greater depth and relevance to social work qualitative research, including new material that tackles traditional research concerns, such as data quality, ethics, and epistemological stances, and updated techniques in data collection and analysis. To increase the usefulness for students and researchers, the editors have reorganized the text to present basic principles first and then their applications, and they have increased their focus on ethics, values, and theory. New and revised illustrative studies highlight more than ever the connection between effective research and improved social functioning among individuals and groups. The collection continues to feature scholars and practitioners who have shaped the social work research practice canon for more than twenty years, while also adding the innovative work of up-and-coming talent.

This eminently practical book applies the task-centered model to gerontological practice across various settings (community based, hospital based, home healthcare, etc.). After an introductory chapter presenting demographic background information and outlining the common problems and needs of an elderly population, the book describes the continuum of care and the principal providers of services.

"Gerontological Social Work" features in-depth coverage of specific client problems, such as physical or mental health, caregiving, home and personal safety, senior living, and long-term care arrangements. A series of task planners offer a menu of possible actions that can resolve or alleviate a designated problem. Rating scales, schedules, and other forms assist the practitioner and client in the intervention process. An appendix classified by topic lists hundreds of Web sites related to work with the elderly.

Now in its third edition, completely revised and updated, "Research in Social Work" remains one of the most popular introductory textbooks on research methods in the field. Distinctive in its emphasis on research as a natural corollary to practice, the book takes readers step-by-step through the process of developing a practical agenda for such projects. Fortune and Reid clearly explain how to formulate questions and hypotheses, conduct group and single-system naturalistic and experimental designs, analyze and compile data, and write research reports. Along the way, they present lucid discussions of the critical theoretical considerations, such as how to gauge reliability and validity, sort out qualitative and quantitative data analysis, and more. Throughout, they furnish specific methodological advice for integrating research agendas into everyday practice.

New to the third edition are a complete glossary of terms, additional diagrams, new examples from real-life studies focusing on cultural diversity and oppression, and increased emphasis on themes relevant to practice. Definitions of key concepts set apart in boxes-along with the increased number of illustrations-make this text one of the most readable in its field. And while other books describe methods drawn from related social science fields like sociology and anthropology, Fortune and Reid's is written by and especially for social workers.

"Research in Social Work" is a peerless companion to coursework in basic research methodology and clinical research at all academic levels-indeed, it is one of the few books broad enough in coverage to serve as a primary text for a wide spectrum of classes.

In this volume, progressive experts survey recent trends in qualitative study, which relies on small sample groups and interview data to better represent the context and complexity of social work practice. Chapters address different approaches to qualitative inquiry, applications to essential areas of research and practice, integration of qualitative and quantitative methods, and epistemological issues.

This second edition brings even greater depth and relevance to social work qualitative research, including new material that tackles traditional research concerns, such as data quality, ethics, and epistemological stances, and updated techniques in data collection and analysis. To increase the usefulness for students and researchers, the editors have reorganized the text to present basic principles first and then their applications, and they have increased their focus on ethics, values, and theory. New and revised illustrative studies highlight more than ever the connection between effective research and improved social functioning among individuals and groups. The collection continues to feature scholars and practitioners who have shaped the social work research practice canon for more than twenty years, while also adding the innovative work of up-and-coming talent.

Sets forth a scientific framework for practicing and examining applications of research concepts and techniques for social workers.

A comprehensive, A-to-Z set of task planners for more than one hundred psychosocial problems from alcoholism and anxiety to domestic violence and sexual abuse.

This invaluable guide and resource includes:

a menu of actions the client can undertake to effect problem resolution,

a clear, step-by-step guide to the practitioner's role in facilitating these actions,

a glossary of procedures for human service professionals, and

a CD-ROM companion resource.

The systematic and streamlined techniques found in "The Task Planner" present clients with specific tasks for helping resolve their problems. With the task-centered approach, clients are actively involved in reaching their own solutions or coping mechanisms -- both on their own and in treatment sessions -- giving them a sense of empowerment.

This study focuses on task-centered intervention strategies in order to attain a variety of goals that regularly arise in short-term clinical work with both individuals and families. These strategies involve problem-solving actions or tasks carried out by clients in the treatment session, at home or in the community. A task consists of acting in a planned way to solve a problem, rather than talking about the problem as a means to develop insight or promote personal growth. The author emphasizes a collaborative effort in which practitioners help clients to design, plan, practice and implement tasks and learn to resolve difficulties through their own problem-solving actions.