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Specific Pioneering Contributions
Charles “Chuck” Zastrow, PhD, made pioneering contributions in social work education. He has been a social work educator for over 45 years. He started college level social work educational programs, engaged in community research, has received grants aimed at improving social work education, and has authored/co-authored social work textbooks implemented in social work programs across the country to this day. He continues to develop new editions of his textbooks, ensuring that information is current and relevant to the changing social work environment. His Introduction to Social Work textbook has convinced many students to change their major to social work and his Human Behavior in the Social Environment textbook has made a significant contribution to social work education by providing social workers the foundational knowledge required to be strong, generalist social workers Dr. Zastrow was a pioneer in creating social work textbook, writing textbooks before many of his peers. He continues to mentor peers and colleagues in regards to social work education and teaching them to document their social work experiences. Dr. Zastrow has also written over 50 social work related articles, book reviews, and has presented at numerous state, regional, and national social work conferences.
Career Highlights
Dr. Zastrow’s strength lies in teaching and pedagogy. Dr. Zastrow started his career around the same time CSWE was beginning to accredit programs. He started one of the first undergraduate programs in the state of Wisconsin at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He chaired the program from 1971-1977. He was also the field director from 1997-2006. During that time he developed curriculum, taught courses, engaged in advising, and assisted in growing the social work program and exceeding accreditation requirements. He also participated in many campus and university committees. Following his retirement from UW-Whitewater, he went on to become the Assistant Director of a masters in social work program at George Williams College of Aurora University where he also assisted in revising curriculum and updating material for accreditation. He was granted Professor Emeritus of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2007. He remains active supporting students by being a member of dissertation committees. He remains a valued role model and mentor to many of his alumni students and faculty. Lastly, he is a strong supporter of rational emotive and cognitive behavior therapies, practicing what he teaches by always demonstrating a positive attitude and reframing difficult situations faced by clients, students, and colleagues.
Dr. Zastrow’s leadership in social work education is evident in his chair, field director, and assistant director roles, but is expanded on by his commitment to the National Council of Social Work Education (CSWE). Dr. Zastrow has chaired committees for CSWE, provided consultation and support to the CSWE staff, and has participated in over 40 program accreditation site visits. He exemplifies what it means to embrace CSWE’s values and goals.
Dr. Zastrow has been a leader on the state level. He was a founding member of the Wisconsin Council on Social Work Education (WCSWE) which was founded in 1973. The Wisconsin Council on Social Work Education (WCSWE) began in the early 1970s in response to the growing number of social work undergraduate programs needing help in the development and implementation of curriculum that would meet the Council on Social Work (CSWE) guidelines.
WCSWE is a statewide association of social work faculty and others committed to the purposes of social work education for the preparation of baccalaureate and masters level practitioners and for future social work educators and scholars. WCSWE membership represents all 15 accredited social work programs in the state. Programs consist of both graduate and undergraduate, large and small, private and public. From its beginning WCSWE has been an advocate for addressing state issues affecting social work education and nationally has been an active voice in shaping CSWE’s educational policy accreditation standards.
Another pioneering contribution is in regards to his work on a state level in support of social work issues. He is a tireless advocate for social work issues at the state and national level. Dr. Zastrow has presented testimony to numerous state legislative committees who have been proposing policy changes impacting social work licensing and certification. Dr. Zastrow provides expert and passionate testimony in defense of the social work profession. He has truly impressed the committee members with his knowledge as such, resulting in the committee reconsidering their proposed changes.
Also, from 1995 to the present time, Dr. Zastrow has provided feedback to the social work section of the State of Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services which oversees social work licensing issues in the state. Again, his extensive knowledge regarding social work curriculum has provided section members information that has greatly helped in their decision making.
Biographic Data
Dr. Zastrow was born in Wausau, Wisconsin. He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1964. He went on to receive both his master’s degree in social work from Madison in 1966 and his doctorate in social work in 1971. His early experiences were in direct practice working with clients with mental health issues. Since 1971, his main commitment has been in the field of social work education.
Significant Achievements and Awards
Dr. Zastrow’s significant achievements are his textbooks, four of which are updated regularly (see below). Due to his involvement in advocacy at the state level, in 2016, Dr. Zastrow received the Wisconsin NASW South Central Branch Distinguished Social Worker Award. Dr. Zastrow also received the UW-Whitewater for the Campus’ Research Award in spring 1993 and the UW System Joyce M. Erdman Teaching Excellence Award in spring, 1994.
Significant Publications
Some of his most widely used books include:
- Zastrow, C., Kirst-Ashman, K., & Hessenauer, S. (2019). Understanding human behavior and the social environment, 11th ed. Cengage Learning.
- Zastrow, C., & Hessenauer, S. (2019). Social Work with Groups, 10th ed., Cengage Learning.
- Zastrow, C. (2017). Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare, 12th ed., Boston, MA; Cengage.
- Zastrow, C. (2016). Generalist Social Work Practice, 11th ed., New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
- Zastrow, C. (2013).The Practice of Social Work, 10th ed., Belmont, CA: Cengage.
Many of these were first published in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with updates throughout the many years he has been publishing.
A sample of some of his publications over his lifetime include:
- Hessenauer, S. & Zastrow, C. (2013). “Becoming a Social Worker: BSW Social Workers’ Educational Experiences”, Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work, Jan. 2013, pp.19-35.
- Zastrow, C., & Weeden, M. (2007). Compressed social work education: An innovative approach to continuing education. Professional Development-Philadelphia, 10(1), 37.
- Zastrow, C. & Reutebuch, T. (2003). “United States” in Idit Weiss, John Gal, and John Dixon, Professional Ideologies and Preference (pp.179-200). Westport, CT: Praeger.
- Weiss, I., Gal, J., & Dixon, J. (Eds.). (2003). Professional ideologies and preferences in social work: A global study. Greenwood Publishing Group.
- Zastrow, C., & Reutebuch, T. (2004). Sequencing tasks in developing an accredited social work program and assessing program outcomes. Advances in Social Work, 5(1), 1-17.
- Zastrow, C., & Bremner, J. (2004). Social work education responds to the shortage of persons with both a doctorate and a professional social work degree. Journal of Social Work Education, 40(2), 351-358.
- Zastrow, C. (1997). Should Social Workers Support the Use of Neurolinguistics Programming? Yes, in Bruce A. Thyer, Controversial Issues in Social Work Practice. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
- Zastrow, C., Dotson, V., & Koch, M. (1987). The neuro-linguistic programming treatment approach. Journal of Independent Social Work, 1(1), 29-38.
- Zastrow, C. (1993). The Social Work Approach to Juvenile Delinquency in the United States. International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice, 17(1-2), 251-259.
- Zastrow, C. (1991). Safeguarding Rights in NASW Adjudication of Grievances. Journal of Independent Social Work, 5(2), 31-42.
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