Empowerment Series: An Introduction to the Profession of Social Work

Elizabeth A. Segal is a professor emerita of Arizona State University's School of Social Work. Along with this text, Dr. Segal has multiple publications, including an introduction to social work text, two books on empathy and numerous journal articles. She is a co-founder and an editor emeritus of the Journal of Poverty. Her areas of research and interest include inequality, social justice and social empathy. Karen Gerdes is Professor Emeritus at the Arizona State University School of Social Work. Her research interests include empathy, empathy measurement and conation. Many of Dr. Gerdes' 36 publications focus on how students learn and process information. She was recognized with a university-wide Faculty Achievement Award as an Outstanding Professor in Undergraduate Education in 2010. Sue Steiner is Professor at California State University, Chico School of Social Work. Her areas of interest include macro practice/community organizing, social welfare policy and teaching effectiveness. She is a coauthor of a book on self-care in social work and has published articles in numerous journals.

• 1. What Is Social Work?2. The History of the Social Welfare System and the Social Work Profession.3. Poverty and Economic Disparity.4. Human Rights and Social and Economic Justice.5. Dimensions of Diversity.6. Generalist Social Work Practice.7. Child Welfare: Working with Children and Their Families.8. Gerontology: Working with People Who Are Older.9. Health Care Services.10. Mental Health Services.11. School Social Work.12. Substance Abuse.13. Violence, Victims, and Criminal Justice.14. Crisis, Trauma, and Disasters.Appendix A: NASW Code of Ethics.Glossary.