SP2 Professor Publishes First Case-Based Textbook on Social Work with Groups

Case-Based Learning for Group Intervention in Social Work, a new textbook written by Jacqueline Corcoran, PhD, LCSW, a professor at Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2), offers the first case-based learning text for students who are seeking to practice social work with groups.

A Masters level social worker for over 25 years, Dr. Corcoran has written 16 books, 58 journal articles, and 38 book chapters. Her latest book, Case-Based Learning for Group Intervention in Social Work, published by Oxford University Press, provides instructive material and strategies around planning and facilitating groups and delves into current practice challenges, such as open-ended groups and working with individuals who are mandated to group services. Chapters also include in-depth discussion pertaining to ethics and cultural diversity, group work with adolescents, and cultivating group participation.

Through utilizing case-based learning as a teaching tool, the volume enables students to consider the wide range of populations that can be served by social work group intervention. The text is accompanied by Teaching Notes to aid instructors in assessing and engaging with student responses, whether as part of a classroom discussion or as an individual assignment.

“Case-Based Learning for Group Intervention in Social Work provides a comprehensive introduction to social work practice with groups. Better than other textbooks, it includes abundant case material throughout to help students anticipate and wrestle with the challenges of practice with groups. This approach also helps students ‘dip a toe in the water,’ i.e., to gain vicarious experience with groups as they look in on social worker interactions with clients in diverse group settings.” – Terry A. Wolfer, PhD, MSW, Professor, College of Social Work, University of South Carolina