Review: Days in the Lives of Social Workers (1996)

Did you ever wish you could tag along with a professional in your chosen field, just for a day, observing his or her life? Join them on their journeys, and learn about the rewards and challenges they face.

Days in the Lives of Social Workers: 41 Professional Tell "Real-Life" Stories from Social Work Practice, edited by Linda May Grobman, LSW, ACSW. She is the founder, publisher, and editor of The New Social Worker, a quarterly news magazine and forum for social work students and recent graduates. Her book is a great resource for prospective and current social work students who are researching their niche and who are exploring real-life stories from the field. Each chapter contains narratives from real-life practitioners in different areas of social work.

Social work is a flexible and broad field, and this book clears up any misconceptions you may have about the profession. It also contains a list of organizations and recommended journal articles by specialty. My favorite chapters were employee assistance programs, management, and community practice. I have a better understanding of the working conditions and competencies in those areas.

However, I was very disappointed at the lack of macro-level topics. Most of the chapters focus on clinical-level and direct practice experiences. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this edition to clinical and interpersonal practice students.

It covers the following twelve settings and roles:

• health care
• school social work
• children and families at home and at work
• disabilities
• mental health
• private practice
• criminal justice
• older adults and the end of life



• management
• higher education
• working in communities

Check out the latest fourth edition of this book which covers 58 professionals in a myriad of practice settings, an appendix on social media and mobile apps, and a foreward by the Elizabeth Clark, (former) president of the National Association of Social Workers.