The Recovery Philosophy and Direct Social Work Practice - Softcover

Walsh, Joseph

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0190615303 ISBN 13: 9780190615307

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2013

Synopsis

The concept of recovery in mental health represents the radical shift from the reductive ideas of disease and cure to a holistic understanding of the individual. It is an investment in the personal journey toward wellness that involves developing hope, supportive relationships, self-motivation, social inclusion, and a greater sense of life's purpose. The principles behind the recovery movement mirror the NASW core values for the social work profession: emphasizing service and social justice through the empowerment and full engagement of the consumer in defining his or her strengths, needs, and goals. The Recovery Philosophy and Direct Social Work Practice explores the potential of the social work profession to use these core values to help persons with mental illness work toward recovery.

The book addresses the ways social workers can implement and support recovery activities through a consideration of recovery philosophy, the utilization of a social work perspective on recovery, and in-depth examples of recovery practice with individuals who have schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, and autism spectrum. This book is a practical guide for direct practitioners. It emphasizes the cooperative dynamic of the social worker/consumer relationship and addresses the difficult topic of endings in recovery practice. The models presented in this book will enable social workers to expand their existing intervention skills to work more collaboratively with consumers toward their goals of holistic recovery from mental illness.

About this title

About the Author:

Joseph Walsh (PhD, LCSW, Ohio State University) is professor of social work at Virginia Commonwealth University. He has been a direct services practitioner in the field of mental health since 1974, first in a psychiatric hospital and later in community mental health center settings. Walsh was the 1998 recipient of the National Mental Health Association's George Goodman Brudney and Ruth P. Brudney Social Work Award, given annually to recognize significant contributions to the care and treatment of persons with mental illness.

Review:

"This book is a handbook on social work's natural compatibility with recovery perspectives on mental illness. It is timely, packed with the knowledge and practices necessary for clinical social workers to function successfully within the recovery approach and, above all, speaks to students and
practitioners about their role in relation to consumers. I think this book is excellent."
--Daniel Salhani, University of British Columbia, Okanagan

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0190615303
• ISBN 13: 9780190615307
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 257