101 Careers in Social Work [Paperback]

Dr. Jessica Ritter PhD (Author), Dr. Halaevalu F. Vakalahi PhD (Author), Ms. Mary Kiernan-Stern MSW LCSW (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0826154050 | ISBN-13: 978-0826154057 | Publication Date: December 8, 2008 | Edition: 1

This book is an essential career guide for those pursuing a career in social work. The guide is both a catalog of social work job descriptions and a guide to career planning.

Careers in Social Work also highlights unconventional and cutting-edge career options such as forensic social work, social entrepreneurship, working in political systems, community planning, and meditation. Written in a user-friendly style, the book allows readers to create social work careers tailored to their unique talents, interests, and passions.

Key Features:

• A catalog of over 50 social work careers, including careers in emerging fields
• Helpful career development tools such as checklists and questionnaires
• Useful guidance on educational requirements, licensure, and continuing education

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jessica Ritter, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor, Social Work Department, George Mason University (GMU). Professor Ritter completed her MSSW and doctorate at the University of Texas at Austin. Her social work career has been dedicated to the field of child welfare and work on behalf of vulnerable children and families. Her current research is focused on evaluating the political participation and political advocacy efforts of social workers. Other research interests include children's rights policies and social work education. She teaches a range of direct practice and policy focused courses in both the undergraduate and graduate programs in GMU's Social Work Department including social policy, child welfare, and generalist social work practice.

Halaevalu F. Vakalahi, Ph.D.is the MSW Program Director and an Associate Professor in the Social Work Department, George Mason University. Her areas of teaching interests include social policy, human behavior and the social work environment, and cultural diversity. Her research interests include juvenile delinquency, adolescent substance use/abuse, women's issues, and Pacific Islander communities. She is co-editor of Women of Color as Social Work Educators: Strengths and Survival with Saundra Hardin Starks and Carmen Ortiz Hendrick (CSWE Press, 2007). Formerly she was Accreditation Specialist for CSWE.

Mary Kiernan-Stern, MSW, LCSW is the Director of the MSW Field Education Program, Social Work Department, George Mason University. Mary teaches the direct practice courses in the social work department, as well as Communication and Technology for Social Work Practice in the MSW program. Her recent publications include Managing resistance to change: The social worker's role in case management (Case Management, 2005); The multicultural counseling inventory: A measure for evaluating social work students' and practitioners' perceptions of their multicultural competencies (The Journal of Social Work Education, 2005); and White social workers' attitudes about people of color and racial diversity (Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 2005).

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Springer Publishing Company; 1 edition (December 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826154050
• ISBN-13: 978-0826154057
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,041 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for someone who has no idea what a social worker does, February 21, 2009

By 

Laurie A. Hayes "LaurieAnne" (Missouri) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 101 Careers in Social Work (Paperback)

This book was not too bad but was not exceptionally good either. It gave some pretty basic information that is readily available(for free!) elsewhere.

The most frustrating part of reading the book was that it gave very little in depth information. Just a quick overview of working in a school setting or working in foster care or in whatever setting. There were interviews with someone who worked in that particular area and I liked the first few interviews okay but started skipping reading any of them after awhile as they all seemed to say about the same things or they were in areas I had zero interest in working myself. Those interviews gave little insight into anything other than those people's specific experiences and those particular experiences would not really apply to anyone else.

There were some helpful websites given but honestly, I was already aware of many of them so that was not new information for me. Anyone who knows how to do any basic research could have found them easily enough without buying the book. A quick google search would probably have brought most of them up.

I guess I was just hoping for more than this book was able to deliver.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beginning MSW, a sigh of relief!, August 19, 2011

By 

Natalie Would - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 101 Careers in Social Work (Paperback)

I really love having this book on my shelf!

Being an MSW student during a recession is rough. Your clients are struggling, clients are struggling, and colleagues are struggling. Sometimes you need a little guidance outside of student advising.

I am about to begin my 2nd year as a clinical MSW student. I was trying to open myself up to other positions in social work field, but also found a great deal of information not only for my clinical work, but saw what other MSW, LCSW, BSWs do. I am now interning in the criminal justice system, after previously only focused on the one-track-mindset of clinical work in more medically-based settings.

A great beginner's survey book, and probably a decent book to keep on shelves at MSW school libraries.