Introduction to Social Work: United States Edition

A comprehensive and historical introduction to social work.

This book is part of the Connecting Core Competencies Series. This series helps students understand and master CSWE’s core competencies with a variety of pedagogy highlighted competency content and critical thinking questions for the competencies throughout.

With its balanced presentation of social work and social welfare, this text answers students' questions about social work and their social work education.

Introduction to Social Work, 12/e, helps students understand the importance of history and how it has shaped the social work profession. Cases help students apply theory to practice and provide a glimpse of what social workers do and the versatility of the profession.

Teaching & Learning Experience

• Improve Critical Thinking – Includes critical thinking questions in margins.
• Engage Students – Extensive case studies help students apply theory to practice. 
• Explore Current Issues – Updated statistics include current data. Major areas updated throughout including school violence, mental illness, and other challenging issues.
• Apply CSWE Core Competencies – Integrates the 2008 CSWE EPAS throughout – highlights competencies and practice behaviors and includes expensive pedagogy.
• Support Instructors – An Instructor’s Manual and Test Bank, Computerized Test Bank (MyTest), BlackBoard Test Item File, and PowerPoint presentations are included in the outstanding supplements package.

O. William Farley received his B.S, M.S.W., and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Utah. Following his graduation from the M.S.W. program, Dr. Farley served for three years in the United States Air Force as a Captain in the Medical Services. AT his last assignment, Dr. Farley was the Chief Psychiatric Social Worker at the USAF Hospital at Travis Air Force Base in California. In 1962, Dr. Farley became a full-time faculty member at the University of Utah College of Social Work.

Dr. Farley has held many different positions at the College of Social Work, including the Director of Master's Program, the Director of the Doctoral Program, and Associate Dean for Research and Director of the Social Research Institute. Dr. Farley retired from the College of Social Work in spring of 2010. Dr. Farley is also a licensed clinical social worker and marriage and family therapist.

Dr. Farley has published extensively in the fields of health, mental health, and clinical practice and co-authored a book on rural social work and another on direct social work practice. He has been the principle investigator on many research grants including an NIMH grant on Case Management Strategies. Dr. Farley has served on many university and community committees and boards and received the University of Utah Faculty Community Service Award in 1998.

Larry L. Smith received his B.S., M.S.W., and D.S.W. degrees from the University of Utah. After completing his doctoral education, Dr. Smith worked for three years as a clinical social worker at the University of Utah Medical Center. He has been a full-time faculty member at the University of Utah College of Social Work since 1974.

For ten years, Dr. Smith was the Director of the Part-Time and Rural M.S.W. programs at the College of Social Work. He was the Director of Admissions for the M.S.W. program for twenty-one years and the director of the M.S.W Program for ten years. Along with his administrative duties, Dr. Smith teaches courses in clinical practice, human behavior, and research. Dr. Smith is also a licensed clinical social worker and marriage and family therapist.

Dr. Smith has published articles on crisis intervention, health, mental health, and corrections along with an earlier book on crisis intervention. His current research interests also include alcohol and drug prevention and treatment programs.

Scott W. Boyle received his B.S. degree in Recreation from Brigham Young University, his M.S.W. from the University of Southern Mississippi, and his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Brigham Young University. For the first ten years of his professional career, Dr. Boyle worked as a clinical social worker in a number of mental health and hospital settings.

Dr. Boyle's first academic position was at Grambling State University where he was the Chairperson of the Health and Mental Health Concentration. He continued in that position for eight years before becoming a full-time faculty member at the University of Utah College of Social Work in 1996. Dr. Boyle previously served as the coordinator of the Evening M.S.W. Program at the College of Social Work and as the chairperson of the Human Behavior and Social Environment Committee.

 In 2001, he joined two other faculty in developing the BSW Program within the college and continues in this position Associate Professor.

Dr. Boyle teaches courses in direct/clinical practice and human behavior. He is also a licensed clinical social worker and psychologist and maintains a private practice in Farmington, Utah. His research focus has been in the area of anger and substance abuse.