This is one of the few texts that addresses work with families from a social worker's perspective. The text assesses families by their level of need, from the most basic level (needs for food, clothing, and shelter) to more advanced levels (needs for intimacy and self-actualization), and provides students with models for assessment and interventions at each level. The text takes an overall integrative ecological systems approach, and discusses the orientation of the practitioner as well as the type of interventive approach. Other family practice texts present many different models of family work, often focused on middle-class, private practice clients. Students complain that they feel undecided about which model to use and when. This text provides an integrative model with guidelines for when and how to use different practice methods. The text discusses the ethical and spiritual dimensions of practice (Ch. 4), and issues of multiculturalism, diversity, and gender differences (Ch. 3).