Communication Skills For Your Social Work Degree

A step-by-step guide to developing effective communication skills with a diverse range of service users and professionals.

Communication Skills for your Social Work Degree will help you to: improve your oral and written communication skills in a range of academic and professional settings improve your public speaking, including academic presentations improve your practical writing and speaking skills If you are embarking on a university social work degree, the books in this series will help you acquire and develop the knowledge, skills and strategies you need to achieve your goals. Tasks and activities are designed to foster aspects of learning which are valued in higher education, including learner autonomy and critical thinking, and to guide you towards reflective practice in your study and work life.

Good communication skills are at the heart of effective social work practice. This Third Edition enables students to develop a flexible and responsive approach to communicating with the most vulnerable people in society. Building on the success of the previous book, Juliet Koprowska looks in detail at all approaches to communication, paying particular attention to young people, adults and families. The emphasis of this book is not on any particular 'right way' to communicate, but more the ability of the student to be pro-active and aware in different situations.

Communication and Interpersonal Skills in Social Work are at the heart of effective social work practice. This book offers students a solid grounding in the core knowledge and skills of communication needed for effective practice. The book takes the key theories in communication and explains them in a systematic and practice-related way, essential for both undergraduate and postgraduate students to develop a critical understanding of the subject. This crucial fifth edition supports students with core communication skills by providing in-depth coverage closely interwoven with learning features that engage, stimulate and challenge. Working with children, adults and those with learning difficulties are all fundamental aspects of the book making it useful to students of all disciplines.

This book supports and develops the communication and interviewing skills of professional practitioners and student practitioners in social work, counselling, and the health professions. Combining work on personal and social constructs, the search for meaning, and ecological theory, this book both provides an integrated discussion of practice and presents a balanced approach when discussing psychological, biological, and social influences on individual well-being. Furthermore, it emphasises the influence of social contexts on behaviour and well-being, as well as valuing and encouraging the application of practitioners’ prior experience and learning (APEL) to new knowledge and understanding. Containing a range of practice examples to stimulate learning, this book promotes a collaboration between the professions, and welcomes the contributions of people who use services, patients, and clients. Communication and Interviewing Skills for Practice in Social Work, Counselling and the Health Professions will be of interest to all undergraduate and postgraduate social work students, as well as new and experienced professional health care practitioners.

Critical Thinking Skills for your Social Work Degree provides you with a sound knowledge and understanding of: the nature of critical thinking, and of its relevance and importance in HE how to adopt a critical approach to all aspects of your social work studies the importance of active, critical reading, and how it allows you an efficient, principled, effective assessment of the literature in your field the need to adopt a critical approach to writing, characterised by analytical and evaluative use of sources and the development of your own ‘voice’ If you are embarking on a university social work degree, the books in this series will help you acquire and develop the knowledge, skills and strategies you need to achieve your goals. They provide support in all areas important for university study, including institutional and disciplinary policy and practice, self-management, and research and communication. Tasks and activities are designed to foster aspects of learning which are valued in higher education, including learner autonomy and critical thinking, and to guide you towards reflective practice in your study and work life.

′The book is completely student focused. I envisage students having the text on their desks when they attempt their written work, and this is very much how a study guide should be used′ - Professor Keith Popple, London South Bank University Study Skills for Social Workers offers an accessible insight into the practical use of skills for study in a professional social work context. Engaging with students on their journey through the undergraduate or postgraduate qualifying course, it uses relevant case material from academic and social work perspectives to demonstrate the connection between study and practice. The book is comprehensive in its coverage of the core study skills, including guidance on: Effective writing Successful communication Reflective study E-learning Learning in the workplace Understanding feedback. Written in a student-friendly style, Study Skills for Social Workers is interspersed with activities and exercises to enable students to practice and improve their skills as they move through the text. Also included is a glossary, and model answers to sample questions. SAGE Study Skills are essential study guides for students of all levels. From how to write great essays and succeeding at university, to writing your undergraduate dissertation and doing postgraduate research, SAGE Study Skills help you get the best from your time at university. Visit the SAGE Study Skills hub for tips, quizzes and videos on study success!

This book gives students a solid understanding of the key issues involved in effective communication within social work settings. Now going into its second edition, it combines practical examples with a clear theoretical approach and demonstrates the subtleties of communication with specific and diverse service users and carers.