Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare - Hardcover

Charles Zastrow, MSW, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus in Social Work at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he chaired the Social Work Department for six years. He has also been the Assistant Director and Professor in the Social Work Program at George Williams College in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, where he currently teaches. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Wisconsin, Dr. Zastrow has worked as a practitioner for various agencies, chaired social work accreditation site visit teams for the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), and served on the Commission on Accreditation of CSWE. He also is a member of the BPD board. A leader in social work education and a bestselling author, Dr. Zastrow has written more than 45 articles in professional journals as well as nine books, including four textbooks: THE PRACTICE OF SOCIAL WORK, SOCIAL WORK WITH GROUPS, SOCIAL PROBLEMS: ISSUES AND SOLUTIONS, and UNDERSTANDING HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT (with Dr. Karen Kirst-Ashman).

I would describe this book as THE best intro to social work on the market. Zastrow has made important changes in this edition and has retained the excellent structure and writing style seen in earlier editions.

I continue to be amazed at, and impressed with, the volume of the material that Dr. Zastrow addresses and competently presents. Certainly one of the benefits of this text is that students view the impressive range of concerns that social workers address and the variety of roles in which they engage. Another strength... is that it provides content on both theory and practice skills which are finely interwoven with the social problem perspective. the author provides interesting, often realistic case material to illustrate his points.