Behavioral Social Work: Where has It been and Where is It Going‪?‬

Many people outside of social work are surprised to learn that social workers have been employing behavioral methods for nearly 40 years to address individual, couple, family, community, and social issues, and that social workers have been important contributors in the field. In 1987, Jon Bailey wrote in an editorial comment: Today the contributions and efforts of behavioral social workers are still not widely recognized. The purpose of this review is to describe the history of behavioral social work, its current status, and future directions.