Anticipating the social consequences of AIDS: A position paper

Even conservative estimates of the future course of AIDS epidemic make clear that only a small fraction of people who ultimately will experience AIDS symptoms now have them and that the spread of the virus will continue for some time to come. This article focuses on the social consequences of the AIDS epidemic, some of which are beginning to be felt. I argue that sociologists have an important contribution to make anticipating the long range social consequences of AIDS. Intelligent planning is impossible without a reduction of uncertainty in what the future might hold. He currently is chair of the Methodology section of the American Sociological Association and vice-chair of the Board of the Directors of the Social Science Research Council. with research interests in gender, kinship, and biosocial science. Her concern for the AIDS epidemic flows from its being a major focus in an interdisciplinary course on human sexuality that she teaches. For the past two years at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, she has coordinated AIDS prevention programs for women and supervised the development of educational materials. For the past three years she has been actively involved in AIDS-related research.     

A cognitive-sociobehavioral model of clinical social work practice and evaluation

Clinical Social Work Journal - In this article the author draws from the empirical work done in clinical psychology, counseling, social work, social psychology, and behavior modification to...     

Personality theory and clinical social work practice

This paper investigates the relevance of personality theories for clinical social work practice. Writings in comparative personality theory and the epistemology of clinical psychology and social work are sources. Clinical action, the time with a client, and clinical reflection, the thinking about or presenting of the client, are seen as importantly different moments in practice. Clinical action is characterized by humanistic, narrative forms of thought more than scientific, paradigmatic ones. Formal theory informs action indirectly through its shaping of the clinician's philosophy, attention, and priorities. Clinical reflection is shaped more directly by formal theories and benefits from the holding of multiple theories.     

Current social work perspectives on clinical practice

Several forms of progress in the development of clinical practice theory and method are identified. There is a renewed positive valuation of psychodynamic approaches, a general acceptance of a systems framework, and a greater operationalization of procedures. The current controversy between the social work scientists and artists concerning research strategies is discussed. Three promising new perspectives—of morality, spirituality, and hermeneutics-are briefly interpreted.     

Nonverbal communication in clinical social work practice

The value of nonverbal cues in treating clients in reasserted, citing first the need for baseline data as well as an understanding of the context in which behavior occurs. The use of the various sensory channels to observe cues is introduced informally, followed by the three formal approaches to nonverbal data: proxemics, the study of distance and body orientation; kinesics, the study of body motion, posture, ect.; and paralinguistics, the study of the acoustical accompaniment of words. Skill in using nonverbal cues can enhance the therapeutic relationship, e.g., holding can be represented symbolically. A case illustration is presented where crying and weeping are explored in their multiple meanings; a family that used crying as a resistance in the initial stage of treatment was able to continue to cry, but in the service of mourning. It is concluded that the use of nonverbal analysis to break the code of communication with individual clients as well as larger groups is a necessary component of the therapist's approach.     

A quest for form: the tacit dimension of social work practice

This paper presents the findings of a small-scale study of social workers’ tacit understandings. Tacit is conceptualised as, difficult to describe knowledge, taken for granted knowledge or tacitly presupposed and silenced knowledge. The sample comprised 10 social workers employed in a statutory child protection context who participated in three stages of data collection. The research strategy encompassed six techniques: in-depth interviewing, observation, think-aloud, unstructured interviewing, reflective recall, and knowledge mapping. The tacit domain appears to be a rich site for practice understandings, as what practitioners explicitly offer is not a complete account of their knowing in practice. Interpretations suggest that practice may be guided by understandings of which practitioners are frequently unaware. When knowledge remains implicit, its content, level of influence, impact and use remain unconsidered as well. It is crucial, in attempting to gain clarity on any practice activity, that this realm be explored as it contributes to a fuller account of the realities of practice behaviour.     

Theories of narcissism and the practice of clinical social work

This paper presents a synopsis of the current thinking on the metapsychology of narcissism, and narcissistic personality disturbances from a psychoanalytic point of view. This view is contrasted with the traditional concepts from ego psychology. The implications of the newer position for the understanding of psychopathology are discussed and two illustrative vignettes are presented. Applications to the clinical practice of social work are formulated. These applications are quite congenial to techniques used by social workers and help to clarify dynamics not formerly well understood. The new approaches give hope for better results with the wide variety of clients and patients seen in social agencies and clinics.Paper presented to the Illinois Society for Clinical Social Work, February 13, 1975.     

Assessment: A critical component of clinical social work practice with physically Ill adolescents

The establishment of an accurate psychosocial assessment is important in clinical social work with all adolescents. With those who are physically ill the complexities imposed by the illness make it essential to take into account the predictable physical and emotional effects of the illness or disability as well as the developmental tasks, the apparent adequacy and flexibility of the defenses and coping capacities and the availability of personal, cultural and institutional resources. A framework for assessment is proposed which examines these variables and their dynamic relationships.     

Application cards: A classroom technique for teaching social work practice

This paper describes the use and evaluation of application cards as a teaching tool designed to enhance students' abilities to apply knowledge learned in social work practice classes. Strengths and limitations of this tool as a means for enhancing students' application skills are discussed, based on qualitative and quantitative evaluative data.     

Genetic counseling: Implications for social work practice

Considerable advances have been made in recent years in medical genetics. These advances have led to a better understanding of the inheritance of disease. Social workers involved in schools, child welfare, medical, and other institutional settings often work with clients who have genetically inherited disorders. Consequently, there is a growing need for social workers to increase their knowledge of genetics and genetic counseling. In this article, the authors discuss the emerging field of genetic counseling and its implications for social work practice.     

The theories of Heinz Kohut and clinical social work practice

Indicated in this paper is the consonance of Heinz Kohut's psychoanalytic psychology of the self with the principles of clinical social work. The traditional values, precepts, and practices of social work were derived from a research of the literature written since 1889. The consistency of these two sets of ideas is further demonstrated in a case example. Unique contributions of social work are pointed up, and ways in which Kohut's theories add to the understanding of human personality and enrich clinical practice are elucidated.     

A therapeutic social work team in practice

In 1996, as a result of interagency collaboration between social services and health, Leeds Social Services Department brought together three groups of social workers undertaking therapeutic work into a centrally managed team. Continued inter-agency working together has ensured that the Therapeutic Social Work Team has become an established service for children and families. This paper describes the work of the team by focusing on four areas: the context of interagency collaboration, therapeutic work in the child protection process, managing different theoretical approaches in one team, and evaluating practice.     

Clinical social work practice in the private sector: A survey

Although a great deal is known about mental health services provided by the public sector, few systematic data exist on service provision in the private sector. Despite this, the relative roles and merits of private-versus public-sector practice are issues of considerable contention within the social work profession. This survey, based on the responses of 253 social workers providing clinical services in the private sector in Colorado, sheds new light on this debate. Information reported includes the personal characteristics of providers, characteristics of clients seen, and other characteristics of practice.     

Suitability for practice guidelines for students: A survey of Canadian social work programmes

This paper reports on the development of a 'suitability for practice' policy in a large Canadian school of social work. Pertinent gatekeeping issues are reviewed and the results of a survey on suitability polices in Canadian social work schools are presented. The paper concludes with a discussion of the University of Calgary's Faculty of Social Work Suitability Policy. This policy integrates current research on gatekeeping, the results of the Canadian schools survey and input from primary stakeholders: the students, faculty members, the professional association and the community.