This book contains a wealth of examples to illustrate the skills which Middleman and Wood have identified and described. It provides practical and direct guidelines, and is written in a clear and engaging manner. -- Maeda Galinsky, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Middleman and Wood contribute a valuable text in their Skills for Direct Practice in Social Work. This is a fine culmination of their concern with the basic tasks and procedures through which practitioners accomplish helping objectives. They provide an expanded and comprehensive repertoire of practical skills, which are well identified and illustrated, with clear conditions and principles given for their use. The conception of skills in terms of inner (perceptual and cognitive), interactional, group, and strategic categories, as well as their theoretical and practical exposition, constitute a substantial advance for social work theory and practice. -- Max Siporin, SUNY Albany, School of Social Welfare

Thoroughly examines sixty-three fundamental skills needed by social workers dealing with individuals and groups. Middleman and Wood define the skills, illustrate them in vignettes, and relate them to pertinent literature.