Social workers regularly make high-risk, high-impact decisions: determining that a child has been abused; that an individual may take their own life; or that someone with a history of violence poses harm to another. In the course of this work, social workers are exposed to acute and prolonged workplace trauma and stress that may result in posttraumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout. These effects not only impact practitioners, but also the decisions that social workers make and ultimately the quality of the services that they provide. In this book, Cheryl Regehr explores the intersection between workplace stress, trauma exposure, and professional decision-making in social workers. She weaves together practice experience, research on the impact of stress and trauma on performance and decision-making in other high-risk professions including paramedics and police officers, and the empirical study of competence and decision-making in social work practice. Covering a wide range of research and theory, she surveys practical approaches to reducing stress and trauma exposure, mitigating their effects in social work practice, and improving decision-making. This book is critical reading for all social workers who engage in high-stakes decision-making, from those newly embarking on a career to expert practitioners.

Discover the challenges and pitfalls awaiting occupational social workers in the coming years!Social Services in the Workplace: Repositioning Occupational Social Work in the New Millennium will help you meet the challenges that the rapidly changing world of work today presents. These challenges offer new opportunities for you as a social work professional in general and for the field of occupational social work in particular. Globalizing economies, downsizing, rightsizing, mergers, and corporate acquisitions continue to challenge work organizations and impact the lives of workers and their families. These trends have led to an increased need for the provision of social work services to employed, unemployed, and transitional workers and their families, and to businesses of all types and sizes. To meet the challenges facing the world of work in the 21st century, the social work profession must put special emphasis on the diverse roles that social workers can take in the workplace--from the micro to the macro--both within workplace settings and in the context of more traditional local, national and global agencies.Social Services in the Workplace proposes an expanded paradigm for social work practice in the context of the workplace, spanning the gamut from corporate and union settings to 'workfare’or welfare-to-work programs. It provides a wide array of theoretical, conceptual, and empirical examinations of evolving and innovative roles that the social work profession can fulfill in the world of work. Given today's volatile global market conditions, which dictate rapid changes in the organization and conditions of work, Social Services in the Workplace examines opportunities and dilemmas for the social work profession and points to the paths that the profession must take in the near future to remain viable.Social Services in the Workplace focuses on: defining domains for practice techniques that work and aspects to emphasize in various workplace environments provision of social work services to workers and their families welfare-to-work programs formulating organizational policies and procedures Social Services in the Workplace: Repositioning Occupational Social Work in the New Millennium brings into focus the practice of social work in the workplace. With this book, social work students and practitioners can gain a new perspective on the field and learn of new opportunities for employment and practice in the world of work. Academicians can use the book in their Social Work Practice classes, and researchers will discover ideas that will spark innovative research in this field. Corporate executives and human resource managers will gain a new understanding of how the social work profession can benefit their employees, their families, and the work organization. No matter which of these categories you fit into, Social Services in the Workplace will shed light on this expanding field.

Help your students make the best starts in their careers as a Social Worker. Covering everything they need to know in their first year and beyond, this very practical book will guide them through their degree and into practice. Packed full of case studies, activities and tools for real-life practice, it will: Help students get to grips with and build the essential knowledge and skills base Support them to develop a range of tools for practice with different service user groups Develop their critical thinking and help them to apply their learning in practice Provide them with a springboard for further learning and development.

Bullying is a rising point of concern in our culture, but a less-recognized aspect of this issue is workplace bullying. Nearly 50 percent of the United States workforce has experienced or witnessed instances of bullying, according to the Workplace Bullying Institute. This sobering statistic includes social service workers whose careers focus on helping others. Kathryn Brohl's Social Service Workplace Bullying: A Betrayal of Good Intentions pulls back the curtain on an unhealthy trend within the helping profession. This book, the first of its kind, is a practical guide for students and practitioners to help close the gap between social service workers and their professional ideals. It examines the ways social service organizations structurally perpetuate inappropriate behavior in the workplace and provides strategies to recognize, address, and resolve these behaviors. Brohl clearly defines workplace bullying, identifies its contributing factors, reveals common misperceptions about suitable behavior, and describes how these factors play into the organizational social service structure. This book informs readers about the dynamics of workplace bullying with the goal of helping to improve morale, increase productivity, and provide a safe workplace environment for all employees.

Discover the challenges and pitfalls awaiting occupational social workers in the coming years! Social Services in the Workplace: Repositioning Occupational Social Work in the New Millennium will help you meet the challenges that the rapidly changing world of work today presents. These challenges offer new opportunities for you as a social work professional in general and for the field of occupational social work in particular. Globalizing economies, downsizing, rightsizing, mergers, and corporate acquisitions continue to challenge work organizations and impact the lives of workers and their families. These trends have led to an increased need for the provision of social work services to employed, unemployed, and transitional workers and their families, and to businesses of all types and sizes. To meet the challenges facing the world of work in the 21st century, the social work profession must put special emphasis on the diverse roles that social workers can take in the workplace--from the micro to the macro--both within workplace settings and in the context of more traditional local, national and global agencies. Social Services in the Workplace proposes an expanded paradigm for social work practice in the context of the workplace, spanning the gamut from corporate and union settings to 'workfare’or welfare-to-work programs. It provides a wide array of theoretical, conceptual, and empirical examinations of evolving and innovative roles that the social work profession can fulfill in the world of work. Given today's volatile global market conditions, which dictate rapid changes in the organization and conditions of work, Social Services in the Workplace examines opportunities and dilemmas for the social work profession and points to the paths that the profession must take in the near future to remain viable. Social Services in the Workplace focuses on: defining domains for practice techniques that work and aspects to emphasize in various workplace environments provision of social work services to workers and their families welfare-to-work programs formulating organizational policies and procedures Social Services in the Workplace: Repositioning Occupational Social Work in the New Millennium brings into focus the practice of social work in the workplace. With this book, social work students and practitioners can gain a new perspective on the field and learn of new opportunities for employment and practice in the world of work. Academicians can use the book in their Social Work Practice classes, and researchers will discover ideas that will spark innovative research in this field. Corporate executives and human resource managers will gain a new understanding of how the social work profession can benefit their employees, their families, and the work organization. No matter which of these categories you fit into, Social Services in the Workplace will shed light on this expanding field.

Tara Stewart has arrived at the family mansion for her father’s funeral in the midst of a catastrophic hailstorm that shows no signs of stopping. But the storm is hardly her only fear. She will very son discover that the house itself seems intent on her death. It is filled with ghosts, spirits from her past who whisper threats and warn the end is drawing closer. But there is no escape. The storm has transformed the mansion into a prison. Trapped in a house of horrors while the world outside slowly freezes, Tara is surrounded by dangers both natural and supernatural-dangers that will push her to the very brink of madness.

"Burnout, one of the primary reasons why committed social workers leave the profession, is a grave and pervasive problem with glaring impact. Those entering social work and all related fields, as well as those already deeply involved, must be educated about its toll and prepared to address and prevent the depletion it causes. This book provides valuable insights for all who carry complex and divergent responsibilities. The author addresses burnout and self-care from the perspective of five arenas: the professional, personal, relational, societal, and physical. She integrates research, case studies, questionnaire responses, and her seasoned experience to identify four major root causes of burnout-compassion fatigue, countertransference, vicarious trauma, and moral distress and injury-and defines creative strategies for individual self-care opportunities. This resourceful guide offers clarification, direction, and opportunity for reflection to help students and professionals in social work, related fields, and beyond find balance in their personal and professional lives as well as ease work-related stress to better serve clients-and, in this way, achieve professional equilibrium, success, and personal fulfillment. This is the second, updated edition of the 2015 original"--