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.