The Call to Social Work: Life Stories

A window into the life of a social worker

The Call to Social Work, Second Edition is a presentation of narrative descriptions about the work and life of a wide variety of contemporary social workers. The book provides an in-depth understanding of why people choose social work, how they garner meaning from their work, and what they struggle with as they provide needed services. Additionally, it presents more information about the everyday practice of social work, both the challenges and the joys. Instructors who use this book in their courses will be able to contrast their ideals of practice with the realities captured in each life story, while students who read the book will be able to think about whether each story represents good practice, or what principles they would adhere to based on their understanding of social work.

Craig Winston LeCroy, Ph.D. is a professor of social work at Arizona State University in the Tucson Component, and has been teaching social work practice for 25 years. He has been published widely in the area of children′s mental health, prevention, social skills training, adolescent treatment, and program evaluation. He is a well-known textbook author, and has co-authored one of the leading HBSE texts―Human Behavior in the Social Environment, Fourth Edition, published by Cengage. He has written nine other books and over 100 journal articles and book chapters.