Pardeck demonstrates that the ecological approach to social work practice stresses effective intervention, and that effective intervention occurs through not only working with individuals, but also with the familial, social, and cultural factors that impact their social functioning. The power of the ecological approach, through focusing on multiple factors for assessment and intervention, is that it integrates empirically based theories from various fields including social work, psychology, sociology, and anthropology.

Pardeck provides an orientation to the role of social work...

The profession of social work has, since its inception, stressed the importance of the family system in practice and policy development. Even though the family has always been central to effective social work practice, the framing of the family system from a holistic health perspective is new to the field. This collection develops a family health perspective that will facilitate effective social work practice and policy development.

Family health is an emerging practice orientation within the field of social work. A family health orientation practice utilizes a holistic approach that...

The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) is grounded in the human rights perspective. Like other civil rights legislation, the ADA is aimed at an oppressed group, persons with disabilities, who have been denied equal opportunities to participate in the larger society. As Pardeck makes clear, the goal of ADA, ending discrimination against people with disabilities in all facets of American life, is aligned with the philosophies and traditions of the social work profession.

Pardeck provides a detailed overview and analysis of the ADA that will help professional social workers as well as...

Pardeck and his contributors approach the topic of family health from a macro perspective. Family health is a holistic approach to treatment embracing aspects of family functioning not typically considered in other more traditional approaches to assessment and treatment. They place particular emphasis on the ecological context in which the family functions, including the neighborhood, community, and other larger social systems.

Family health is defined as the development of, and continuous interaction among, the physical, mental, emotional, social, economic, cultural, and spiritual...

The editors have assembled a collection of original essays offering a holistic view of how technology shapes the modern world. Consideration is given to several major issues, such as the dehumanizing effects of technology, which tends to objectify social life; the emphasis on productivity and the accumulation of material goods; and the intricacies involved in creating a responsible technology that would establish more socially sensitive principles, values, and beliefs. Technology is examined not simply as machinery, but as a procedure that can be used to define every aspect of social...