About the Book
Self-help has always been a major activity involving people sharing experiences and problems with a view to mutual benefit. In recent years it has become increasingly popular, in both developed and developing countries, as a means of empowering people. This book is designed to examine the much-neglected relationship between social work and self-help by bringing together a range of important writing – books, research reports, journal articles – and a number of significant illustrations of current practice.
The book sets out a systematic framework in terms of which the variety of relationships between social workers and self-helpers can be explored. It includes chapters on the concept of self-help, the factors influencing the use of self-help by social workers and the development of the three major forms of self-help: that which is integral to social work, that which is facilitated by social workers, and that which is autonomous of social work. Other chapters deal with the factors influencing the effective initiation and maintenance of self-help activities, a step-by-step guide to their critical appraisal and an examination of the often problematic relationship between social workers and self-helpers, itemising pointers to making this more effective. The concluding chapter recommends a fourfold strategy for the furtherance of self-help and the empowerment of both social workers and self-helpers.
Self-help, Social Work and Empowerment will be of interest to a wide range of students and practitioners in social work and related professions.
Contents
1. Self-Help: A Case of Unfair Dismissal
2. How Social Workers Relate to Self-Help
3. How Social Workers may Develop Integral Self-Help
4. How to Facilitate Self-Help
5. Social Workers and Autonomous Self-Help
6. Initiating and Maintaining a Self-Help Group
7. How to Appraise Self-Help
8. Self-Helpers and Social Workers
9. Furthering Self-Help
About the Author / Editor
Robert Adams is Head of the Division of Social Work and Professional Studies at Humberside College of Higher Education.
