Originally published in 1980, this was the first textbook to apply the ecological approach to practice. Germain and Gitterman have extensively updated and expanded this classic text. In this edition, they have adopted a useful new "life course" model of human development, which incorporates into the ecological framework an understanding of the unique experience of each individual within its historical, societal, and cultural context. The new edition also provides practitioners with an innovative schema for assessment and intervention with respect to difficult life transitions and traumatic events, environmental pressures, and dysfunctional interpersonal processes. Practice illustrations have been updated to reflect today's major social issues, including AIDS, homelessness, and violence.