Social workers are tasked with helping survivors of childhood abuse, domestic violence, violent crime, disaster, war, and terrorism (Bride, 2007).
Although this list of missions seems overwhelming, social workers accomplish it every day.
You are reading: Best social work books
It is critical that caseworkers stay up-to-date on current best practices in order to be most effective.
Here’s a comprehensive list of books that would benefit every professional’s career and the clients they work with. Some of these books will reaffirm the basics and others will go right to the heart of the matter. some will bring positivity to your practice, while others will present a blunt and honest perspective. enjoy!
Before we continue, we thought you might like to download our three positive psychology exercises for free. These science-based exercises explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology, including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to improve the well-being of your clients, students, or employees.
1. the body keeps score: brain, mind, and body in trauma healing – bessel van der kolk
children face unprecedented burdens in today’s society, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), resulting in negative long-term effects, are a serious threat to our youth (finkelhor, 2020).
As a social worker, working with clients who have experienced identified aces is unavoidable.
This book will help you understand the impact of trauma on the developing brain and attachment systems using powerful case histories. van der kolk, an expert in the field of trauma, explains the physical and emotional effects of trauma and the plasticity of the brain.
Treatments for the effects of trauma explored by van der Kolk include neurofeedback, meditation, sports, theater, and yoga. this book is as enriching as it is informative and will inspire healing.
look for the book on amazon.
2. The Boy Who Was Raised Like a Dog: And Other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist’s Notebook – Bruce Perry and Maia Szalavitz
About half of the world’s children, or more than a billion, are exposed to violence each year, and three out of four children between the ages of 2 and 4 regularly experience physical punishment and/or psychological violence at the hands of their parents. parents and caregivers (world health organization, 2020a, 2020b).
the world health organization (2020b) reports that 1 in 5 women and 1 in 13 men report surviving sexual abuse as children. How are children’s minds affected by trauma and how can they recover?
an esteemed psychiatrist explains the malleable capacities of the brain and how children can cope with trauma. Perry incorporates fascinating real-life experiences of children who have experienced extreme stress and the practices that enabled them to overcome it.
Children are not too young to remember, nor are they too young to understand. This book is a must for any professional working with children who have experienced trauma.
look for the book on amazon.
3. growing strong: how the ability to reset transforms the way we live, love, raise, and lead – brené brown
brené brown is one of the most recognized authors in consulting with practicing social workers; You’ll see two of his many books on this list.
brené brown is not only a licensed social worker, but she also has a doctorate. As a social scientist, Brown has studied anger, vulnerability, shame, and empathy for more than a decade.
As a self-improvement book, Rising Strong highlights the importance of vulnerability and authenticity.
brown considers the experiences of leaders at fortune 500 companies, military personnel, artists, couples in long-term relationships, teachers, and parents to form research-based theories involving accepting emotions and being comfortable with discomfort.
This book is ideal for anyone, including social workers and their clients, who may be struggling and need a little encouragement to push themselves and become even better.
look for the book on amazon.
4. daring greatly: how the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, raise and lead – brené brown
Like Growing Strong, Boldly Daring is also a #1 New York Times bestseller.
brown argues that vulnerability is not a weakness; instead, it is a measure of courage. the practice of daring greatly encourages people to take risks, make themselves vulnerable, and “come out into the open.”
By creating a feeling of vulnerability, developing courage will ultimately transform your life.
this book is just a sample of the training and certification program designed to help professionals and offered by brené brown’s the darely. reading this book would improve the self-help and leadership skills of any professional.
look for the book on amazon.
5. fish in a tree – hunting by lynda mullaly
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“everyone is a genius. but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
Aesop, Jr., 1899, p. 235
Ideal for any school social worker or social worker who works with school-age children, this powerful and thought-provoking book chronicles the struggles of an elementary school student who can distract teachers and classmates from her academic struggles.
The student, who has dyslexia, is positively impacted by a teacher who can see past his playful behavior and teach him that not everyone thinks the same. hunt also offers a website where interested readers can preview the book or read the first chapter.
look for the book on amazon.
6. act made simple: an easy to read primer on acceptance and commitment therapy – russ harris
acceptance and commitment therapy (act) is a state-of-the-art psychological therapy that promotes psychological flexibility through six processes: acceptance, contact with the present moment, self as context, cognitive defusion, committed action and values (bai , luo, zhang, wu and chi, 2020).
This type of therapy is ideal when working with clients in the field of social work. To become familiar with act, practitioners will want to refer to this resource.
act advocates mindfulness, client values, and a commitment to change to treat depression, anxiety, stress, addiction, eating disorders, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, and other psychological problems.
act made simple presents the processes of the six acts in an easy to understand way and includes innovative tools, techniques and strategies to promote change. This book also includes scripts, exercises, metaphors, and worksheets to use with clients; a session-by-session guide to the act of execution; and transcripts of therapy sessions.
Also included are guidelines for creating your own therapeutic techniques and exercises, and tips for overcoming barriers to therapy. This functional resource is suggested both for professionals who are just beginning to implement the act and for experienced act therapists. After reading this book, a practitioner new to acting will be able to successfully implement the processes with their clients.
look for the book on amazon.
7. The Whole-Brained Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies for Nurturing Your Child’s Developing Mind – Daniel J. siegel and tina payne bryson
Also a New York Times bestseller, The Kid with the Whole Brain is written by a neuropsychiatrist and parenting expert.
This evidence-based book presents 12 approaches to fostering healthy brain development, leading to calmer, happier children.
The book explains the parts and functions of the brain, day-to-day difficulties, and effective strategies that could help mitigate the struggles.
Ultimately, the goal of this resource is to promote a child’s healthy emotional and intellectual development.
look for the book on amazon.
8. It Didn’t Start With You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle – Mark Wolynn
While many people experience anxiety, obsessive thoughts, depression, chronic pain, and phobias, do we really understand where these challenges originate?
wolynn states that these difficulties may not be the result of our immediate life experiences or current chemical imbalances in our brain. instead, these traumatic legacies can be passed down from parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents who have experienced trauma.
This is known as hereditary family trauma or secondary post-traumatic stress disorder. Though seemingly obscure, people who experience intense trauma have the potential to pass on the effects of that trauma to those around them, including future generations (Beckerman & Sarracco, 2019).
wolynn shares methods to reveal and identify these emotional legacies, as well as to resolve this secondary trauma by creating new neural pathways.
look for the book on amazon.
9. motivational interviewing in social work practice – melinda hohman
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a research-based counseling technique that involves a non-judgmental partnership between client and practitioner. It is based on the foundations of Carl Rogers’ person-centered approach to counseling (Bell & Roomaney, 2020).
mi has profound practical and effective applications in the field of social work. By detailing case scenarios and presenting sample dialogue, this text helps social workers build motivational interviewing skills to help them develop their practice.
Other highlights of this book include content that is explicitly linked to the educational policy and accreditation standards of the Council for Social Work Education and the Grand Challenges for Social Work. the “voices from the field” boxes are a pedagogical feature written by social workers in a variety of roles that demonstrate the application of motivational interviewing in social work.
look for the book on amazon.
10. wellness recovery action plan – human potential press
Wellness Recovery Action Planning (Wrap) is a self-management recovery approach that aims to monitor, reduce, and eliminate uncomfortable symptoms and emotional distress by providing individuals with a tool to identify strengths and coping strategies. coping (afzal, ahmed, & perveen, 2020).
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As a research-based practice, wrapping has been shown to increase hope, improve quality of life, increase people’s ability to advocate for themselves, increase feelings of empowerment, reduce the need to use services care over time and improves recovery outcomes for clients.
This resource is an update to the “red book” that professionals may be familiar with. Updates to this helpful text include the addition of two new chapters, changes to the wellness toolbox and daily plan, use of trauma-informed language, updates to stressors (formerly “triggers”), and a expansion of the information of the crisis plan. This helpful guide also features new appendices and an improved design and layout.
find the book on the wellness recovery action plan website.
11. the four agreements: a practical guide to personal freedom – don miguel ruiz
happiness is an aspect of subjective well-being that is often a life goal for many (medvedev & landhuis, 2018).
Be impeccable with your word. don’t take anything personally. don’t make assumptions. always do your best.
These are the four deals that Ruiz says will dramatically increase the amount of happiness people experience. Based on the spiritual beliefs held by the ancient Toltecs, the author asserts that individuals act on the agreements they make.
sometimes these agreements are made with oneself, with others, with their god, or with life itself. sometimes these agreements are beneficial, while other times they originate from a place of fear and are detrimental to happiness. The code of conduct presented in this book will help people refrain from holding self-limiting beliefs.
look for the book on amazon.
12. managing my addiction: what i wish i had learned in school about substance use disorder and addiction recovery – kenneth martz
It is not surprising that the covid-19 pandemic has resulted in limited access to mutual self-help groups for people with substance use disorders (liese & monley, 2021).
with decades of experience in the field of addictions, dr. Kenneth Martz uses takeaway messages and inspirational quotes to inform and guide the reader to make the necessary life changes for a healthier, addiction-free life.
martz describes how the brain works and how to control it; the stages of addiction and the implications of each; understand our “why” and how to use it; and the five key approaches to achieving lasting change in our perspective, vision, emotions, beliefs, and values.
The book also includes special sections on trauma, goal setting, and cross addictions, as well as guidance on finding a counselor who is right for you. drkenmartz.com contains free resources on addictions, emotions, and meditation, as well as training videos.
look for the book on amazon.
helpful resources from positivepsychology.com
If you’re reading this and think social work is a career you’d be interested in, or if you’d like to pursue a graduate degree in social work, check out our Social Work Training: 25+ Courses, Degrees & More; online options for more information on requirements and major educational institutions.
over 35 essential skills & Values of Good Social Workers would be an excellent resource for reviewing the various qualities that effective social workers possess. this article also includes 10 clinical skills to put into practice. Similarly, 13 Social Work Methods and Interventions to Help Others encompasses various social work methods and interventions beneficial to practice.
If you’re interested in some of the theories driving social work practices, you can check out our 10 Fascinating Social Work Theories & models The article explains topics such as motivational theory, anti-oppressive practice, attachment theory, the narrative model, and solution-focused therapy.
As a social worker, you no doubt experience stress, especially secondary trauma. he must first take care of himself before taking care of others to be more effective. 10 Self-Care Tips for Psychologists, Therapists, and Counselors is an excellent resource for preventing job stress and burnout.
Using the Self-Care Verification Worksheet in conjunction with the My Self-Care Promise Worksheet could help a busy social worker cope with career demands.
If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others improve their wellness, this exclusive collection contains 17 validated positive psychology tools for professionals. use them to help others flourish and prosper.
a message to take home
service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, the importance of human relations, integrity and competence (National Association of Social Workers, 2017): these are the values of social work that drive the profession.
Social workers are charged with helping individuals, families, and groups improve their ability to meet their personal and social needs.
These society helpers may work in mental health clinics, schools, child welfare and human service agencies, hospitals, settlement houses, community development corporations, and private practices (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021). it is imperative to stay current in this important and challenging career.
In one of my consultations, a social worker explained that what helps her the most to be the best practitioner she can be is to use her own personal growth and development. She transmits her personal experiences to her clients in her practices. As I’m sure this is the case for many professionals in this field, the books included in this list will fill any social worker’s tool belt.
This same social worker pointed out that many of these books are written as a healing process and are also derived from first-hand experience. the authors are not just scholars in their field; they often have real understanding that benefits the reader.
While these books can be beneficial to your personal and professional growth as a social worker, many of these books can be shared with the clients you serve or other service providers.
We really hope that one or more of these books will help you improve your social work practice or at least motivate you to be the best professional you can be for your clients.
don’t forget to download our three free positive psychology exercises.
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