Generalist Social Work provides a foundation for understanding empowerment-oriented generalist social work and frames a progressive approach that is grounded in social work research, reflective of social work values, sensitive to client diversity, and applicable to micro-, mezzo-, and macro-levels of practice.
About the Author: About our authors Karla Krogsrud Miley earned her AM degree in social work from the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration. Professor Miley taught in higher education for over 30 years. Her full-time appointment was at Black Hawk College where she taught introductory and lifespan psychology and had responsibility for coordinating the social work transfer program. Over the course of her teaching career, she also held adjunct appointments in the accredited social work degree programs at Marycrest College and St. Ambrose University, Graduate School of Social Work. In addition to Generalist Social Work Practice: An Empowering Approach, authored with Michael O'Melia and Brenda DuBois, she has collaborated with Brenda DuBois in writing Social Work: An Empowering Profession, now in its 9th edition. Ms. Miley's work has also been published in edited collections, such as Education and Research for Empowerment Practice by Gutierrez and Nurius, Empowerment Practice in Social Work by Shera and Wells, and Social Work, Health, and International Development: Compassion in Social Policy and Practice by Dumont and St-Onge. She was co-editor with Michael O'Melia and the author of a chapter on empowerment and aging in Pathways to Power: Readings in Contextual Social Work. She has extensive experience in facilitating workshops, staff development training, and conference sessions on empowerment-oriented generalist social work, social justice and social work ethics.
Michael O'Melia earned his MSW from the University of Iowa. He has extensive practice experience as a clinical social worker with individuals, couples, families and groups. He also spent 25 years as an educator in social work programs at both the baccalaureate and master's levels. Now, a professor emeritus in the MSW Program at St. Ambrose University, Mr. O'Melia taught social work practice specializing in strengths-based, generalist, collaborative and anti-oppressive methods. Throughout his career, Mr. O'Melia has functioned as a community trainer and consultant in child welfare, family therapy, delinquency prevention and resistance-based practice. In addition to his work as co-author of Generalist Social Work Practice: An Empowering Approach, he was co-editor with Karla Miley of Pathways to Power: Readings in Contextual Social Work Practice. Mr. O'Melia continues to contribute as a board member on various community service agencies and as a consulting editor for the Journal of Progressive Human Services: Radical Thought & Praxis.
Brenda DuBois, MSW, PhD, received a baccalaureate degree from Western Illinois University, a master's degree in social work from the University of Iowa, and a doctoral degree in educational administration from Illinois State University. She taught social work for 20 years at Marycrest College and 15 years at St. Ambrose University, where she served as Director of the School of Social Work prior to her retirement. In addition to writing Generalist Social Work Practice: An Empowering Approach with Karla Miley and Michael O'Melia, she co-authored 9 editions of Social Work: An Empowering Profession with Karla Miley and has been published in several edited collections and social work journals. Dr. DuBois presented at numerous conferences across the United States and Canada on topics of empowerment, social work ethics and social justice. She also served on many community agency boards and social services committees throughout her lifelong career in social work.
