In the second edition of the celebrated Specialist Communication Skills for Social Workers, Senior Lecturer in Social Work Johanna Woodcock Ross revisits the complex toolkit of specialist skills required to work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.

Retaining the clarity and readability that made the first edition so popular, the book examines both the general communication techniques applicable to all social work practice, and the specialist methods to be employed when working with specific service user groups. Incorporating detailed transcripts, the book dissects the professional communication skills that lie at the heart of social work with people with particular needs; including children, parents, young people who engage in offending behaviours, adults with disabilities, refugees and asylum seekers, those with problematic substance use, those experiencing and recovering from mental health difficulties and older people.

Based on the author’s innovative teaching and award-winning research, this new edition of Specialist Communication Skills for Social Workers will support readers in developing their skills within both classroom and placement settings, and is a key resource for professional development. It is essential reading for all social work students and professionals, from training through to professional practice.
Specialist Communication Skills for Social Workers is available from Palgrave.

Johanna is Senior Lecturer and Programme Lead for BA (Hons) Social Work at the University of Kent based at our Medway campus.

Social Work at Kent was ranked 9th in The Complete University Guide 2017. In the National Student Survey 2016, 90% of our Social Work students were satisfied with the overall quality of their course.

Social Work students who graduated from Kent in 2015 were the most successful in the UK at finding professional jobs (DLHE).

Sent in by Harriet Armstrong Viner