Book Strives to Empower School Social Workers

Publications

By Paul R. Pace

The NASW Press has published School Social Work Toolkit, 2nd Edition. The authors are Julie Anne Laser, Orion Antonio Laser Castro, and Alison Varianides. Laser answers questions about the text.

What Is New in This Edition? 

The second edition features new hands-on activities that are easily reproducible, templates and forms to reduce paperwork time, and thoughtful advice to help school social workers excel at their job.

The book provides detailed instruction on how to conduct individual counseling, run small groups, and implement schoolwide programs that meet students where they are and address crises head on.

The new edition explains school social workers’ role in IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) and the evaluations and paperwork the school social worker will likely complete.

Issue-specific groups are also discussed, including those for grief and loss, anger management, and bullying intervention. This edition also considers student trauma when working with children and youth, whether created from experiences in or outside school.

Interventions like affective education, experiential therapy and peer mediation are detailed, and we also make recommendations for establishing healthy boundaries, creating work–life balance, avoiding burnout, and building a self-care routine so that school social workers remain in the profession.

How Is Your Book Essential in Today’s Environment? 

We offer guidance on defining the role of the school social worker for all constituents, so that the school community is aware of the abilities and boundaries of our profession. We also help the reader to envision the role of the school social worker as a bridge to students and the systems that serve students.

Fundamentally, the book strives to empower school social workers to create a safe and healthy environment for everyone at school.

This book and other NASW Press products are available at NASWPress.org