A Field Guide for Social Workers An Integrated Approach

Watch Shelagh Larkin talk about what’s new and notable in the second edition of A Field Guide for Social Workers here.

A Field Guide for Social Workers grounds readers in a conceptualization of field that considers the history and evolution of the profession with a specific emphasis on social work education and field education. Throughout this thoroughly updated text, author Shelagh Larkin emphasizes context, “doing,” mentorship with faculty and field instructors, professional development of self, critical thinking, and the conscious and deliberate integration of field experiences and classroom learning.

This book’s pedagogy includes guided reflection questions and integrative activities (IAs) as well as suggested field tasks connected to each chapter. Many of the chapters also contain a frequently experienced situation (FES) feature that present common experiences that students have year after year.

Among the updates from the previous edition, Larkin incorporates the new Council on Social Work Education, Educational Policies and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) 2022 throughout, integrates anti-racist practice, and strengthens the human rights component.

A valuable resource on how to navigate the world of the classroom and the world of practice simultaneously, this book is geared toward Bachelor in Social Work (BSW) students who are in their junior or senior field courses and Master of Social Work (MSW) foundation students.