Columbia University Press:
New and Recent Books in Social Work
The Life Model of Social Work Practice:
Advances in Theory and Practice, Second Edition
Carel B. Germain, Professor Emerita, University of Connecticut School of Social Work; and Alex Gitterman, Professor, Columbia University School of Social Work
When originally published in 1980, The Life Model of Social Work Practice was the first basic textbook to fully present the ecological approach, a major innovation that focused practitioners on the continuous exchanges between people and their environments.
Carel Germain and Alex Gitterman have now extensively updated and expanded this classic text, adopting a new "life course" model of human development, incorporating an understanding of the diversity of people and their environments into the ecological framework. This model addresses such issues as AIDS, homelessness, substance abuse, unemployment, child abuse, and family and community violence.
The authors employ a life stressor--stress coping paradigm which offers hope for handling difficult life transitions and traumatic events; harsh social and physical environments; and dysfunctional interpersonal relationships at home, in the workplace, and in the community.
This new edition includes material on community and neighborhood practice, an increasingly common specialty for social workers and one which is suited to the life model approach.
Arguing that social workers should have an integrated knowledge base in order to address an individual or group's needs and preferences, the book provides students and practitioners with necessary understanding and guidelines to move beyond direct practice to influencing communities, organizations, and legislation.
1996 / 448 pages / 0-231-06416-0 / $39.00 cloth
Instructor's Manual: 0-231-10555-X / FREE
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Human Behavior in the Social Environment
An Ecological View
Carel B. Germain, Professor Emerita, University of Connecticut School of Social Work
Designed to help students build a theoretical foundation for their professional practice, Human Behavior in the Social Environment highlights human and environmental diversity, and discusses the relationships among biological, psychological, social, and cultural systems that shape human behavior.
Reflecting the new Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) requirements, Germain discusses African Americans, Asians, native Americans, women, Hispanics, people with disabilities, gay men and lesbians, and others consistently affected by bias and oppression. The book considers all aspects of human functioning, including individuals, varied family forms, households, social groups, organizations, and communities, emphasizing life course development rather than the traditional stage models.
"An exceptionally well-written book that presents in great depth an integral knowledge base for social workers and other helping professionals. . . . A major contribution to the social work literature."
--Martin Bloom, Rutgers University
1991 / 543 pages / 0-231-05404-1 / $39.50 cloth
Instructor's Manual, 61 pages: HBSE-EV-GERM / FREE
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Mutual Aid Groups, Vulnerable Populations, and the Life Cycle, Second Edition
Edited by Alex Gitterman, Columbia University School of Social Work, and Lawrence Shulman, Boston University School of Social Work
Using the life cycle as a framework, this revised edition inquires into the healing and empowering process of mutual aid groups. The authors cover topics including the fundamentals of the mutual aid process, suggestions for overcoming obstacles in the process, the institutional benefits of group service, and specific clinical examples of mutual aid groups.
New chapters in this second edition include discussions of HIV-positive and AIDS patients, the homeless, and perpetrators and victims of sexual abuse and family violence. Mutual Aid Groups is replete with group practice illustrations that students and professionals will find essential.
1994 / 448 pages / 0-231-08288-6 / $39.50 cloth
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