Social Work Skills for Beginning Direct Practice: Text, Workbook, and Interactive Web Based Case Studies (3rd Edition) (Connecting Core Competencies)
Linda Cumminsearned her MSW and PhD from the Ohio State University, College of Social Work and has been a social work educator for 21 years. She has served as Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida; and Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Indiana University, and Illinois State University. Currently. She is a part-time faculty member for School of Public Service Leadership at Capella University.   Active in promoting the use of technology in social work education, Linda served as the chair of many technology committees during her career, an advisor to university deans and presidents, and consultant to universities.  She presents at national conferences on the Ethic of Care policy analysis approach; diversity in social work practice; teaching diversity in social work; and the use of technology in social work education. Linda is co-author of the book and interactive website,Policy practice for social workers: New strategies for a new era(Allyn & Bacon, 2011); and major contributor to Diana DiNitto’s 6thed. ofSocial welfare: Politics and public policy(Allyn & Bacon, 2005). Her research background includes various homeless populations, community partnerships among social service agencies, and technology in social work education. She currently lives on a 22 acre farm on the South Coast of Oregon where she engages in organic and sustainable living, education, and community development, and maintains a spiritual coaching private practice.Judith Sevelis a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh (BASW) and Howard University (MSW) and has been a social work practitioner and educator since 1986. She has practice experience in the fields of mental health, domestic violence, family and children services, incarcerated juveniles and people with developmental disabilities. Currently, she is the Director of Field Education Illinois State University in Normal. IL. Judith is the chair of the Field Sequence Committee and serves on the Practice Sequence Committee.  Judith has been a disaster mental health volunteer for the American Red Cross since 2001.  She is a small claims court mediator and trainer for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in McLean County, IL.Laura Pedrickis the Special Assistant to the Provost at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, where she oversees the University’s online and blended programs. She serves as co-chair of the University’s Online Program Council, directs the seed funding program for new online programs, and is project manager of UWM’s Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Next Generation Learning Challenge grant. She is also a co-principal investigator on a large-scale Institute of Education Sciences-funded study of self-paced online learning. Laura is a co-author ofPolicy Practice for Social Workers: New Strategies for a New Erapublished by Pearson/Allyn & Bacon. Her background is in mass communication, and she holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Minnesota.