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Clinical Social Work Practice Paper

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What is Clinical Social Work Practice?
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) defines clinical social work practice as “the professional application of social work theory and methods to the treatment and prevention of psychosocial dysfunction, disability, or impairment, including emotional and mental disorders” (NASW Standards, 1989). The Middle Peninsula Northern Neck Community Service Board’s (MPNN CSB) mission statement is to serve those who need us by employing “effective treatment, and assemble the necessary resources to ensure that our services are the best they can be” (MPNN CSB, 2006). Both the NASW and MPNN CSB focus on the dignity and worth of the client, a person-in-environment approach, and the constant evaluation of …show more content…
CBT explores negative thought patterns and how they may be leading to self-destructive behaviors and beliefs (Wolitzky-Taylor, Arch, Rosenfield, & Craske, 2012). These inaccurate beliefs and thought processes can cause and maintain anxiety and depression in some patients. Through cognitive restructuring, CBT can help replace non-productive thought patterns with more realistic, positive, and productive thoughts. CBT often has homework between sessions where items such as replacing negative thoughts and assertive communication are practiced and thought journals may be employed. CBT has been shown to be an effective treatment for many mental illnesses, including depression and anxiety and for multiple age groups, genders, and races (Corcoran, 2014; Driessen & Hollon, 2010; Wolitzky-Taylor, et al., …show more content…
CBT defines depression as negative thoughts that may lead to lower self-esteem, misjudgment of the actions attitudes of others, and lower social interaction. This same misjudgment can lead to anxiety in some clients. These clients may lack assertiveness skills and report high levels of anxiety in social situations (Overholser, 1995; Wolitzky-Taylor, et al., 2012). Patient J is a young biracial female in her early 20s who came to us initially with suicidal ideation and high anxiety levels. Through her initial assessment and early sessions the therapists learned that she was having a lot of negative thoughts, experienced very low self-esteem, and that she felt that she did not communicate her needs and wants assertively. She also felt she was not receiving a lot of positive support from others in her environment; which is consistent with a CBT view of depression as well (Ritter & Moore, 2012). She had actually simultaneously considered withdrawing from school and experienced a great deal of stress, anxiety, and internal pressure to succeed in school which is consistent with the social withdrawal and low self-esteem that that CBT views as integral to depression (Overholser,

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