This book is the first to utilize the empowerment approach of social work practice with substance-abusing clients, bridging clinical, community, and social policy approaches in order to place individual addiction in its sociopolitical context. As Lorraine Gutierrez points out in her foreword, the book "challenges us to transform our thinking about substance abuse and move beyond our existing focus on individual deficits." Arguing that pathology-focused definitions of substance abuse tend to transform people into their problems, Freeman instead advocates for strengths-centered policies and...

The most comprehensive resource to date on the methods of empowerment with lesbian and gay clients, this book explores the history and politics of gay identity and explains the basis and development of the empowerment approach in social work practice in the United States. After analyzing the different types of homophobia (individual, institutional, and internalized) and how these are manifested in real life situations, Tully addresses the special needs and issues particular to three age groups: gay and lesbian youth, adults, and older clients.

The author offers practical applications for...

For more than 150 years, empowering practices have been used by social workers in their work with families, but the techniques of today differ significantly from those of the pioneers or even from those of a few years ago. Today's practitioners recognize that empowering others is impossible; social workers can, however, assist others as they empower themselves. This book integrates time-honored approaches with today's more modest goals, mindful of what empowerment can and cannot do. Synthesizing several theoretical supports--the strengths perspective, system theory, theories of family...

This invaluable text on community organizing is designed to help those who want to build powerful community organizations, empower ordinary citizens to become strong leaders, and bring about change in the major social and economic issues of our day.