As a co-author of "Direct Social Work Practice," I am compelled to respond to George Will's critique of my profession and my book in his Oct. 14 column "The tenets of social work ed."

Admittedly and proudly, social work is a value-based profession. In claiming as its niche advocacy for equity, social change and the disenfranchised, it addresses an array of disturbing and persistent social problems, and at times it incurs the wrath of those, like Will, who benefit from the status quo.

Social workers, like all U.S. citizens maintain their constitutional right to the freedoms of belief and expression: The field reflects this diversity, despite Will's selective claims of orthodoxy. The work is hard, and the stakes are high. People who choose to be social workers do so because of their passion and compassion, not because of passage of a political litmus test.

Kim Strom-Gottfried, Ph.D.

Smith P. Theimann Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Professional Practice, UNC-Chapel Hill School of Social Work

Durham