The Practice of Generalist Social Work (New Directions in Social Work)

The seventh edition of The Practice of Generalist Social Work expands its foundational and cohesive coverage of social work values, ethics, competencies, and behaviors as they relate to and function within diverse practice settings. Through a strengths-based perspective, students are given a comprehensive overview of the important roles, skills, and practice considerations for professional work with various clients, and the extensive description and examples provided at each stage of the helping process show how these apply to real-life settings.

To engage with ongoing societal and political changes, as well as the realities and complexities of professional practice, chapters in this new edition open with a case vignette that then weaves through rest of the chapter. Through these scenarios, the authors illuminate additional connections between the book’s theoretical and conceptual underpinnings and real-life practice. In the book’s revised discussion and updated exercises, the authors take care to examine the current political landscape seen through the prism of social work practice, the principles of trauma-informed practice, the emerging presence of Artificial Intelligence within social work roles, and lessons from anti-oppressive practice and intersectionality.

Supported by an extensive range of fully-updated companion materials that are available on the book’s companion website, www.routledgesw.com, the seventh edition of The Practice of Generalist Social Work presents students with a dynamic, well-rounded, and experiential introduction to social work practice.

Sabrina W. Tyuse, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Social Work at Saint Louis University. She holds degrees in social work and sociology. Her current research focuses on voting rights and social welfare policy. Dr. Tyuse serves on the boards of Influencing Social Policy, Voting is Social Work, and Dance the Vote, advancing civic engagement and public participation. She is the co-author, with Marla Berg-Weger, Ph.D., of the Practice of Generalist Social Work (6th edition.

Vithya Murugan is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at Saint Louis University and Program Director for the school’s Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSSW) program. Dr. Murugan has over a decade of experience as a social worker and holds degrees in social work at the bachelor, master, and doctoral levels. Her research examines domestic and sexual violence and survivors’ help-seeking barriers and facilitators. Her work includes South Asian Women’s Organizations: An Exploratory Study of Workers’ Perceptions on IPV-Related Help-Seeking (2023). With Marla Berg-Weger and Annah K. Bender, Dr. Murugan co-authored Social Work and Social Welfare: An Invitation (7th edition).

Marla Berg-Weger is a Professor Emeritus in the School of Social Work at Saint Louis University and Executive Director of the Gateway Geriatric Education Center in the School of Medicine. Dr. Berg-Weger holds social work degrees at the bachelor, master, and doctoral levels, and 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, and she is the co-author with Vithya Murugan and Annah K. Bender of Social Work and Social Welfare: An Invitation (7th edition).