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Books Related to Understanding Social Work Neil Thompson - ISBN: 1403942021
The word according to Mr T - Rated
Mr Thompson will effortlessly guide you from the point of first considering social work as a career right through your first year of the degree. I would strongly recommend this book to any potential social workers out there. I read this book before my interview at Uni and I am not sure I would have performed so well on the day without its invaluable knowledge. It is extremely reader friendly as well as interesting and informative. It will most likley be on the 1st year reading list for most Universities and probably quoted in lectures and assignments too.
Easy read - Rated
Neil Thompson has a style of writing that I find is much more reader friendly than many texts. In this book he covers the basic (but yet overarching principles) of Social Work, this text would be useful for anyone in the Social Work field who wants to refocus on their practice but is particularly relevant for students.
Essential for all prospective and practicing social work students - Rated
This book was recommended to me by a 2nd year social work student who said that I would need it when I start the course next september, but it would be really helpful to read before hand for the interview and background reading etc. However I was put off by the price.
I have 'Critical Issues', 'law and social work' and some other introduction-style books and I have become either worryingly confused or bored as I couldnt understand what they were saying! They used a lot of difficult language, esp 'critical issues', and i eventually get frustrated and throw it at the bookshelf.
This one couldnt be more different. Neil Thompson is wonderful at explaining the role of a social worker and things they must understand to practice effectively, eg social policy, values, etc.
Saying this, it probably might be a bit beginner level for trained social workers or maybe 3rd year students, but those like me who are interested in the basics of the practice, without all the showey buzz words, will really appreciate this guide, esp the chapters 'making sense of social work', 'skills base' and 'achieving good practice', well theyre all good but these have really cleared up a lot of things to me.
I would also recommend the latest edition of collins social work dictionary. I have also found this to be a great resource. Its great because if you are reading a more difficult social work book or come across a word or topic that you dont know you can look it up within seconds. I'd imagine this would prove v useful in a lecture too as a quick reference so you can understand what the lecturer is on about for the rest of the hour.
Back to Thompson, if you're interested in social work it is a must book to have. Its has helped me so much and, despite the initial cost, will be invaluable in a uni interview situation. In your first couple of years in uni too, it has some great condensed tips for theory and practice.
