The Practice of Generalist Social Work

In its new edition, The Practice of Generalist Social Work provides in-depth understanding of the knowledge, skills, values, and affective and cognitive processes needed for social work practice in the present moment. Grounded in a strengths-based perspective, chapters in the textbook discuss practice with individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations and guide students through all phases of the change process with the aid of case studies, examples, and exercises that highlight and provide connections to real-life practice situations. Theoretical frameworks, important value and ethical considerations, and pivotal communication skills are all included in the text’s comprehensive coverage of different practice settings with clients and communities.

The sixth edition is now guided by the 2022 Council on Social Work Education Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS), with connections to renewed objectives and competencies integrated throughout, and is further updated to reflect and focus on new developments within the discipline. These include anti-racism efforts and movements to address entrenched racial inequities; the practice of cultural humility and cultural responsiveness; and attention to community-based implications of the COVID-19 pandemic. Strengthened and now fully up to date, this edition of The Practice of Generalist Social Work provides a sweeping, in-depth, and lively introduction to social work practice for generalist courses, and is supported by a range of fully updated resources for instructors and their students on www.routledgesw.com/.

Marla Berg-Weger is a Professor Emeritus in the School of Social Work at Saint Louis University, Missouri and Executive Director of the Gateway Geriatric Education Center in the School of Medicine. Dr. Berg-Weger holds social work degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. Her social work practice experience includes gerontological social work practice, public social welfare services, intimate partner violence services, mental health, and health social work. Her research and writing focus on gerontological social work and social work practice. She is the co-author with Vithya Murugan, PhD, of Social Work and Social Welfare: An Invitation (6th edition). With Julie Birkenmaier, she co-authored the textbook, The Practicum Companion for Social Work: Integrating Class and Field Work (4th edition). She is the Past President of the Association of Gerontology in Social Work and Managing Editor of the Journal of Gerontological Social Work, a fellow in the Gerontological Society of America, and Past President of the National Association of Geriatric Education.

Sabrina W. Tyuse is an Associate Professor in Social Work at Saint Louis University. Dr. Tyuse holds social work and sociology degrees at the master’s and doctoral levels. Areas of research are voting rights, social welfare policy, and mental illness and criminal justice system. She serves on the Board of Directors for Influencing Social Policy (ISP), a non-profit organization for social work educators, students and practitioners with a passion and for policy, and Voting is Social Work (VISW), the National Social Work Voter Mobilization Campaign that works to integrate nonpartisan voter engagement into social work.