Written by a former social work admissions director at a top-ranking school of social work, this book helps master of social work (MSW) applicants improve their graduate school applications and decide which school of social work is right for them. With examples of tracking sheets, interviews, and biographical statements, this resource reveals the qualities admissions committees look for in applicants. A listing of schools accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and the Canadian Association of Schools of Social Work is included with a checklist of questions to ask when visiting schools. Candid answers from surveys of the admissions staff at social work graduate programs throughout the United States also point out the most common mistakes applicants make. This new edition has been updated to reflect current trends in social work education.

This is a conversational and user-friendly guide for persons pursuing a master’s degree in social work. The authors guide the reader through a process of decisions and deliberations facing MSW students including choosing a graduate social work programme, navigating social work internships, beginning a career as a social worker, and the benefits of joining social work professional organisations.

“Dawn gave us the tools we needed to take the exam, and let me tell you - she was on point! Not only did she cover the content areas we needed to focus in on, but she also showed us how to read and interpret the questions on the exam.” —Ammu D. Kowolik, LMSW, McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research Students and social workers preparing for the social work masters licensure exam will find an invaluable study resource in the Social Work ASWB® Masters Exam Guide. Written by a prominent social work leader and trainer for social work licensing exams in the United States, this guide is based on years of time-tested exam prep workshops conducted by the author. It mirrors the ASWB Masters “Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities” upon which the exam is based and incorporates information from the DSM-5®. The guide is comprehensive yet focuses on the material most likely to be included on the exam, so readers can prioritize information as they study. A self-assessment section helps identify strengths and weaknesses before tackling the material. The author shares her extensive knowledge of the exam by providing useful test-taking strategies and tips for overcoming test anxiety. The 170-question practice test at the end of the guide (with explanations of the correct answers) mirrors the actual exam in both length and structure. Content includes human development, diversity, abuse and neglect, assessment and intervention planning, direct and indirect (micro and macro) practice, and professional values and ethics. This book will be a valuable asset for social workers throughout the United States and Canada. Key Features: Developed by a highly respected educator of social work licensure candidates Covers all the content areas on the masters examination, including new content added in 2015 Begins with a self-assessment section to help identify areas of strength and weakness Offers a wealth of test-taking tips and strategies to foster exam confidence Includes a practice test (with explanations of the correct answers) that mirrors the exam ASWB® is a registered service mark of the Association of Social Work Boards, which neither sponsors nor endorses this product.

Decolonizing Wealth is a provocative analysis of the dysfunctional colonial dynamics at play in philanthropy and finance. Award-winning philanthropy executive Edgar Villanueva draws from the traditions from the Native way to prescribe the medicine for restoring balance and healing our divides. Though it seems counterintuitive, the philanthropic industry has evolved to mirror colonial structures and reproduces hierarchy, ultimately doing more harm than good. After 14 years in philanthropy, Edgar Villanueva has seen past the field's glamorous, altruistic façade, and into its shadows: the old boy networks, the savior complexes, and the internalized oppression among the “house slaves,” and those select few people of color who gain access. All these funders reflect and perpetuate the same underlying dynamics that divide Us from Them and the haves from have-nots. In equal measure, he denounces the reproduction of systems of oppression while also advocating for an orientation towards justice to open the floodgates for a rising tide that lifts all boats. In the third and final section, Villanueva offers radical provocations to funders and outlines his Seven Steps for Healing. With great compassion—because the Native way is to bring the oppressor into the circle of healing—Villanueva is able to both diagnose the fatal flaws in philanthropy and provide thoughtful solutions to these systemic imbalances. Decolonizing Wealth is a timely and critical book that preaches for mutually assured liberation in which we are all inter-connected.

Praise for the first edition: ""This is a vital and necessary guide to the social work profession. This book clarifies the social work mission, goals, and objectives, and strengthens and promotes them as well."". - Carmen Ortiz Hendricks, MSW, DSW, ACSW, LCSW. Associate Dean, Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University. ""The authors do an excellent job of illustrating the uniqueness, diversity, and richness of the profession. I strongly recommend this book for use in social work orientation, advising and education."". -Saundra Starks, EdD, LCSW. Western Kentucky University. What do.

Social work graduate school is only the beginning of your preparation for professional life in the real world as a clinical social worker. Dr. Danna Bodenheimer serves as a mentor or a supportive supervisor as she shares practice wisdom on topics such as thinking clinically, developing a theoretical orientation, considering practice settings, and coping with money issues. She addresses the importance of supervision and how to use it wisely. A frank discussion on the important and rarely-talked-about issue of loving one's client is followed by a practical look at next steps-post-graduate options and finding your life's work in clinical social work. Altogether, Real World Clinical Social Work will serve to empower you as you find your own voice, your own way, and your own professional identity. What People Are Saying Reading Danna Bodenheimer's Real World Clinical Social Work: Find Your Voice and Find Your Way is like spending a weekend in a wonderful candid conversation with many of our favorite theorists! ....In language that is accessible, oftentimes metaphoric, and yet not at all simplistic, this book also introduces us to some of the clinical experiences of clients and therapists through an interweaving of their stories and theories. Just prior to presenting us with a thoughtful array of "post graduate options" for further learning and development, Bodenheimer explores the dimensions and dilemmas associated with still-controversial subjects like clients' transference and clinicians' countertransference, including feelings of love. Whether just entering the world of a master's-prepared social worker or having spent decades as an agency-based or private practitioner, an educator, or an administrator in the social services, spending time with Real World Clinical Social Work is a real gift to yourself and everyone you serve. Darlyne Bailey, Ph.D, ACSW, LISW Dean, Professor, and MSS Program Director Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, Bryn Mawr College As students graduate from our MSW program, they often express a mix of excitement and anticipation about beginning social work practice. They almost always wonder, "Am I ready to do this work?" Dr. Bodenheimer's book is a wonderful bridge for new graduates as they move from the support of graduate education and agency supervision to independent practitioners. Using years of teaching and astute practice experience, she provides continued education, support, and clinical insight. While grounded solidly in practice theory, Dr. Bodenheimer guides practitioners to find their own practice wisdom and style that is so essential to the social work profession. No doubt, new social workers will find this an accessible, practical primer...and a life raft for embarking on the profession! Anne Marcus Weiss, LSW, MSW Director of Field Education University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice Danna Bodenheimer's book is the clinical supervisor you always wanted to have: brilliant yet approachable, professional yet personal, grounded and practical, yet steeped in theory, and challenging you to dig deeper. Jonathan B. Singer, Ph.D., LCSW Associate Professor of Social Work Loyola University Chicago Founder and Host, Social Work Podcast It is nearly impossible to begin a career as a budding clinical social worker without the accompaniment of a variably loud inner voice that says, "You have no idea what you are doing." Dr. Bodenheimer befriends the beginning clinician with this incredibly personable and accessible book and says, "Sure, you do." Dr. Bodenheimer uses herself as a vehicle for connection with the reader, and she speaks directly to that inner voice with compassion, understanding, and guidance. Cara Segal, Ph.D. Smith College School for Social Work, faculty Private Practitioner, Northampton, MA