Working with People, 2nd Edition

Social workers are committed to making a difference at individual and structural levels. We listen and respond to the unique stories of each person, family, group or community. For this reason, good communication skills are fundamental to engaging and working with others about their needs and rights. Working with People explores the place and challenges of communication, interviewing and counselling skills within the context of social work and human service practice. This book focuses particularly on the following areas of social work practice: Applying a multidimensional approach, which not only acknowledges all the dimensions of an individual’s experiences, but also suggests that any responses by practitioners need to be multidimensional, addressing both cause and consequence. Drawing on practitioner experiences this book looks at diverse and uncontrollable settings as expected components of practice, rather than as surprises that interrupt a more controlled counselling approach.Thinking beyond the first point of contact, this book identifies skills across a range of human service work encounters so that you can move beyond the first interview or the first contact point to your assessment formulations and intervention planning.Practising in a critical, reflective way, scenarios and exercises encourage you to think about your own communication style and your approaches to practice with people: how it has developed over your life course, the ways in which it impacts on communication with others. NEW TO THIS EDITION New chapter exploring mindfulness skills for social work practice which are relevant not only to our direct work with clients, but also to ourselves for our own self-care Integrated case scenarios across many chapters so that you can see the development of skills and interventions, and the diversity of approaches that our practice theories provide us withDiscussion of ethical decision-making as part of our everyday practiceExploration of confidentiality, particularly in relation to situations when it may need to be breachedCulturally safe practice is given more emphasis throughout the textLinks with the application of skills in group work and family practice

Louise Harms is an Associate Professor and Director at University of Melbourne

Working with People explores the place and challenges of communication, interviewing and counselling skills within the context of social work and human service practice. In so doing it encourages the reader to reflect upon their own communication style and to develop good communication skills in order to work constructively with others about their needs and rights. Now in its second edition the text is updated to include recent developments in social work practice. New to the edition is the chapter on mindfulness, which reflects direct work with clients as well as recognition of a growing need to focus on self-care. Other topics of relevance to current social work practice and covered in the text include ethical decision-making as part of everyday practice, exploration of confidentiality, particularly in relation to situations when it may need to bebreached, more emphasis on culturally safe practice, links with the application of skills in group work and family practice. Working with People successfully Integrates practice theories with case scenarios so that readers can see the development of skills and interventions, as well as the diversity of approaches available for social workers and human service workers to use in their everyday practice.

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