Social Work Practice in the Military [Hardcover]

Carlton Munson (Author), James G Daley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 13, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0789006251 | ISBN-13: 978-0789006257 | Edition: 1

Social Work Practice in the Military provides military social workers, military scholars, and civilian social workers with an overview of diverse practice settings as well as the history and future of military social work practice to give you an understanding of the military persona as an ethnic identity. This unique book provides in-depth coverage of issues such as family violence, substance abuse, medical social work, combat settings, ethical dilemmas, managed care's impact on the military, and much more. Social Work Practice in the Military is an essential guide for anyone working with military clients, families of military personnel, or near a military installation. This valuable book contains input from top current and past leaders within the ranks of military social workers to bring you a wide spectrum of firsthand ideas and input to help you better assist your military clients.

Social Work Practice in the Military will help you better understand the diversity of social work practice within the military and the many unique situations a military social worker must face. This informative book will provide you with specific ways of improving the lives of your military clients and their families, such as:

• understanding how the most rapidly expanding arena of practice, family advocacy, which includes a broad array of family violence prevention and intervention services, can help military clients
• learning how TRICARE, the military managed health care program, impacts military families and social workers in order to provide your clients with the best care while working within the limited budget of a managed care program
• analyzing the historical discussions of the changing view of substance abuse treatment within the military and how you can best provide effective, multilevel services to your clients
• examining the extensive involvement of military social workers in a myriad of medical social work programs serving patients and families to help you offer the best patient care in situations involving domestic violence and drug abuse
• discovering essential skills for military social workers, such as, effective involvement in combat or deployed situations

Through Social Work Practice in the Military, you will better understand the importance of your many roles as clinician, advocate, policymaker, resource liaison, and organizational consultant and learn how to successfully accomplish every one of these roles. Containing insight into the future directions of practice, this valuable book will help you effectively assist military clients and their families with the various challenges they face.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Provides a long awaited bridge between civilian and military social work practice. This resource serves as a comprehensive, scholarly and yet practical guide for those working with military families and communities. . . . This unique text translates the active duty life style, culture, and resources into a language that is practice friendly." -- N.G. Cindy Jones, BCD, CCSW, Commander, US Navy

"Provides a long-awaited bridge between civilian and military social work practice. This resource serves as A COMPREHENSIVE, SCHOLARLY, AND YET PRACTICAL GUIDE for those working with military families and communities. . . . This unique text translates the active duty life style, culture, and resources into a language that is practice friendly." -- N.G. Cindy Jones, BCD, CCSW, Commander, U.S. Navy

"Provides the most comprehensive and in-depth examination of the practice of military social work to date. . . . This volume is INVALUABLE TO CAREER MILITARY SOCIAL WORKERS and contract civilian social workers serving the military. . . . Daley should be commended for undertaking this outstanding volume. . . . This thoughtful and thorough compilation will serve as AN IMPORTANT WORK FOR YEARS TO COME." -- Karen M. Sowers, Dean, College of Social Work, University of Tennessee

From the Publisher

Gain a better understanding of servicemen and women to help you provide more relevant services to these clients!

Product Details

• Hardcover: 396 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (August 13, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789006251
• ISBN-13: 978-0789006257
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,267,956 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended especially for federal civil service and military social workers., March 19, 2010

By 

Cynthia Danute Cekauskas, LCSW "Lithuanian Am... (Savannah, Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Social Work Practice in the Military (Paperback)

Although this book was published as far back as 1999, it is still an outstanding resource today. I acquired an autographed copy of it while I was working as a Department of Army social worker for the Army Community Service in Wiesbaden, Germany. It is autographed by the editor, James G. Daley, PhD who at least in 1999 was an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. Dr Daley is a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the Council on Social Work Education and the Academy of Social Workers (ACSW).

PART I:HISTORICAL CONTEXTS OF PRACTICE consists of Chapter 1: History of Army Social Work, Chapter 2: History of Navy Social Work and Chapter 3:History of Air Force Social Work. Chapter 2 was particularly meaningful to me for in 1980, as a young Navy Hospital Corpsman, I had the privilege of working with the very first commissioned Navy social worker, now retired, David Kennedy.

PART II:PRACTICE ARENAS addresses the various areas both military and civil service social workers can find themselves working in. From Chapter 4.Development and Evolution of the Family Advocacy Program in the Department of Defense, Chapter 6. Military Social Work Practice in Substance Abuse Programs, Chapter 7. Medical Social Work in the U.S. Armed Forces, Chapter 8. Military Social Work in Mental Health Programs to Chapter 9 The Role of the Social Work Officer in Support of Combat and Noncombat Operations the reader can learn of the various areas where military social work officers and Department of Defense federal social workers can make a contribution.

Social workers who have had little to no exposure to the military as far as a practice area might find PART III:UNIQUE ASPECTS OF MILITARY SOCIAL WORK particularly interesting. Chapter 11, for instance, looks at the Common and Unique Ethical Dilemmas Encountered by Military Social Workers. PART III also lends itself to such extremely relevant chapters as Chapter 13:Understanding Life in the Army:Military Life from a Service Member and Family Member Perspective, Chapter 14: Understanding LIfe in the Navy and Chapter 15:Understanding Life in the Air Force.

The final part of the book PART IV:FUTURE DIRECTIONS OF PRACTICE discusses the ever relevant issues of licensing/credentialing, "rightsizing" and "better understanding of international military social work". Chapter 19 was written about the Future of Army Social Work and Chapter 21, The Future of Air Force Social Work. Chapter 20, The Future of Navy Social Work. of course, was my favorite as it was written by David Kennedy.

This is a valuable book I only wish someone would write an updated version of as applicable to the most recent social work issues coming out our latest wars, notably in Iraq and Aghanistan.

3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat disappointed in this book, October 30, 2011

By 

Patty of Mass - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Social Work Practice in the Military (Paperback)

Social Work Practice in the Military has a copyright of 1999. I am using this book for a graduate social work electve class. I find it to be somewhat outdated. It does not cover the Iraq and Afghanistan wars which I feel are really important in order to gain the best knowledge of our soldiers. Perhaps the authors will publish a more updated version.