Case Management from an Empowerment Perspective, Fourth Edition

Book excerpt: Written for case managers working in health and human services, this practical guide addresses the need for more progressive and compassionate ways of working with others. Introducing innovative strategies for working with people that challenge the status quo, the book reconsiders old forms of social casework in favour of empowerment approaches that incorporate individual systemic advocacy. Patricia Spindel covers the history of case management, traditional approaches and their critiques, barriers to an empowerment approach, the ethical issues of labelling, stereotyping, stigmatization and pathologizing, and key empowerment philosophies and the research that supports them. This guide provides concrete methods that will help readers put principles of empowerment philosophy into practice. With practical case studies and questions for reflection featured throughout the chapters, it is well suited for human services, social services, and social work programs in colleges and universities in Canada. FEATURES: - Offers a practical "how to" for developing an empowerment plan and deals with common issues in practice, such as projection, countertransference, and transference - Includes core concepts of empowerment and methodology for building individual and community capacity and competence - Provides students with case studies from the field and questions to encourage reflection