This is a book to help social work, psychology, counseling and other human service students and professionals improve their writing. It is written without the use of complicated grammatical terms or complex rules that often confuse and discourage writers. Because it is written specifically for the human services, it contains chapters with examples on writing student papers, client reports, psychosocial histories, evaluations, professional papers, research reports, papers for mass audiences, requests for funding, letters to the editor, the use of the Internet in helping clients, the privacy rules of HIPAA, and the many other uses of writing by professionals. The book contains an easy-to-use chapter on the rules and application of APA Style and explains, in simple terms, when certain punctuation marks are needed and why the choice of certain words may give incorrect or vague meaning.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 Writing is Just Talking with a Few Rules Chapter 2 Getting Started Chapter 3 Punctuation and Grammar Chapter 4 Using the Correct Word Chapter 5 The APA Style Crib Sheet Chapter 6 Plagiarism, Proper Credit to Original Sources, and the Role of Human Subjects Protection Chapter 7 Making Diagnosis Objective: Writing a Client Assessment Chapter 8 Business Letters, Referrals, Complaints, Committee Minutes, and Reference Letters Chapter 9 Resumes and Cover Letters Chapter 10 Locating Relevant Information for Reports and Research Proposals Chapter 11 Writing the Research Report Chapter 12 Requesting Money Chapter 13 Writing for the Popular Press Chapter 14 Writing Course Outlines, Professional Workshops, and Brochures Chapter 15 Using the Internet and the Laws Governing Privacy (HIPAA) Chapter 16 How Writing Can Change Our Lives