Decision Cases for Generalist Social Work Practice: Thinking Like a Social Worker

This collection of cases provides social work students with opportunities to practice thinking like social work professionals. These accounts, referred to as decision cases, depict actual situations encountered by BSW-level generalist social workers across a variety of practice settings in their work with individuals, families, groups, organizations, or 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.

T. Laine Scales is Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Professional Development and Professor of Higher Education at Baylor University, Waco, Texas. She served for 12 years as a faculty member in social work at Baylor University and Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas, where she taught human behavior with individuals, groups, communities, and organizations. Dr. Scales has published in the areas of social welfare history, spirituality and religion in social work, and rural social work. She has authored, edited, or co-edited seven books, including ALL THAT FITS A WOMAN: TRAINING SOUTHERN BAPTIST WOMEN FOR CHARITY AND MISSION, 1907-1926 (Mercer University Press, 2000), SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGION IN SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE: DECISION CASES WITH TEACHING NOTES (Council on Social Work Education, 2002), RURAL SOCIAL WORK: ASSET-BUILDING TO SUSTAIN RURAL COMMUNITIES (Brooks/Cole, 2004), and DECISION CASES FOR GENERALIST PRACTICE: THINKING LIKE A SOCIAL WORKER (Thomson, 2006). Dr. Scales earned her BA at the University of North Carolina, her MSW at the Carver School of Church Social Work, Louisville, KY, and her PhD at the University of Kentucky.

Dr. Terry A. Wolfer is an Associate Professor of Social Work at the University of South Carolina. His research interests include faith-based social services, case method teaching, and violence and trauma. He has written numerous articles and has co-edited DECISION CASES FOR GENERALIST SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE and DECISION CASES FOR ADVANCED SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE published by Thomson Brooks/Cole.