CSWE Full Circle May 2012

Volume 2012, Issue 5

CSWE Press to Publish Guide for Social Worker Expert Testimony

Recent interdisciplinary discoveries in neuroscience, law, and psychology have shown that jurors use narrative—stories—to organize facts and help make decisions. Lawyers, judges, and juries have come to value how narrative compellingly communicates facts in the courtroom. Ronald K. Bullis, PhD, JD, LPC, draws on his expertise in social work and the law in the forthcoming book The Narrative Edge in Expert Testimony: A Guide for Social Workers (available September 2012). Specifically designed for social workers, this example-packed and insightful guide marries narrative theory to the context of expert testimony and shows social workers how to make their testimony accurate, persuasive, and effective through the use of narrative structures and dynamics.