Social Work Practice with Latinos : Key Issues and Emerging Themes

Latinos are now the largest ethnic minority population in the United States and still they encounter a great deal of misunderstanding, prejudice, and discrimination. Utilizing a strengths-based perspective, Social Work Practice with Latinos addresses the unique needs of this diverse population.

Written by practitioners and scholars from many disciplines, this book discusses social issues of consequence to Latinos and specific strengths and risk factors of the Latino community. They then offer methods that utilize these strengths to ensure a culturally-competent approach to practice with Latino populations. Each chapter is accompanied by key questions for personal and group reflection to facilitate discussion and understanding of these vital themes.

The editors have nearly three decades of combined experience working with Latino populations inside and outside the United States. Drawing on this experience, they integrate these varied perspectives to prepare students and practitioners for practice with this richly diverse community.

Rich Furman (PhD, Yeshiva University; MSW, University of Pennsylvania) is associate professor and director of social work at the University of Washington, Tacoma. He has published numerous books and articles, most recently Practical Tips for Publishing Scholarly Articles (2007), Navigating Human Service Organizations (2008), and An Experiential Approach to Group Work (2009). He specializes in social work practice with Latinos and expressive qualitative research.

Nalini Negi (PhD, University of Texas at Austin; MSW, University of Southern California) is assistant professor of social work at the University of Maryland. Her research interests include migration, substance abuse, and mental health among Latino immigrants and culturally competent social work practice.