Decision Cases for Advanced Social Work Practice: Thinking Like a Social Worker (SW 327 Human Behavior and the Social Environment)

Designed for MSW-level social work students, this collection of cases encourages readers to think like practicing professionals. The cases depict actual situations across a variety of practice settings--individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Sure to stimulate in-depth class discussions, these detailed, open-ended cases urge students to decide on the central problem and recommend a course of action. The resulting case analyses and class discussions help students develop important problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, internalize social work values and ethics, and apply theory to practice. Through the "decision case" approach, students adopt attitudes and skills that are considered essential for effective social work practice, yet difficult to teach in the traditional curriculum. As they discuss their perspectives on these cases, students learn to articulate and defend their positions, to listen more effectively, and to develop skills in, and appreciation for, collaborative problem-solving.