IASSW-Clinical-Definition-June-24_2023

1 IASSW Clinical Definition of Social Work DRAFT Clinical Definition Taskforce Definition of Clinical Social Work For The International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW-AIETS) June 25, 2023 Prepared by the IASSW-AIETS Clinical Definition Taskforce Dixon Sookraj (University of British Columbia, Canada) – Chair Paola Grandon ( Instituto Chileno de Trabajo Social Clínico, Chile) Mariusz Granosik (University of Lodz, Poland) Chaime Marcuello (University of Zaragoza, Spain) Orit Nuttman-Shwartz Sapir College, Israel) Christos Panagiotopoulos (University of Nicosia, Cyprus) David Rose (University of Melbourne, Australia) Adrian van Breda (University of Johannesburg, South Africa) International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW- AIETS)

2 Definition of Clinical Social Work Clinical social work is a specialized area of practice within social work. It aligns with the Global Definition of Social Work as it promotes human functioning and well-being, which are critical for achieving “social change and development, social cohesion, and empowerment and liberation of people.” (IASSW/IFSW, 2014). Clinical social work is practiced primarily at the levels of individuals, couples, and families and may extend to groups, such as therapeutic groups and collectives at the mezzo level. The primary targets of change are the people served. In this regard, clinical social workers engage primarily in direct, face-to- face practice at a micro level rather than practices explicitly aimed at promoting change at organizational, community, societal, and international levels. Clinical social workers conduct diagnoses and/or assessments and deliver therapeutically oriented or social-pedagogical interventions. At its core, their clinical intervention addresses mental health, emotional, and behavioral issues, including issues related to alcohol and other drugs. Depending on factors such as the theoretical orientation of the practitioner and the practice context, they may also provide clinical services to individuals and families experiencing crises and relationship issues and intervene in aspects of environments, including systems affecting the lives of the people they serve. Some practitioners engage in clinical work as part of their social intervention efforts to influence larger economic, political, and social structures and processes. Training and Education Clinical social work preparation emphasizes specialized knowledge and skills to conduct diagnoses or assessments and deliver therapeutically or pedagogically oriented interventions. It requires advanced education and training beyond the baccalaureate degree. In USA and Canada, practitioners obtain master’s degrees in social work, specializing in clinical practice, from social work educational programs providing clinical specializations. In countries like Australia, the Master of Social Work degree is the initial qualifying degree. Additional studies and practice experience must be completed to be credentialed as a clinical social worker. Social work education programs in other countries typically do not provide clinical specializations. However, in some, such as Finland, all social workers must have a Master’s degree to be licensed and practice as social workers. They may be employed in settings addressing mental health and substance abuse issues. A myriad of theoretical perspectives inform clinical practice. At least in the Anglo-American contexts, many of these approaches originated in other professionals and disciplines. They include systems and ecological perspectives, psychodynamic theory, attachment theory (Howe, 2013, p. 417), cognitive- behavioral theory (Teater, 2013a, p.423), EMDR (Bisson et al., 2013), crisis intervention model (Skinner, 2013, p. 428), task-centered model (Marsh, 2013, p. 492), motivational Interviewing (Teater, 2013b), strengths/empowerment perspective, feminist perspective, trauma-informed approaches (Levenson 2020; Bent-Goodley ,2019) as well as structural and critical perspectives, which encompass anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices (Burke, 2013; Payne, 2014). Other approaches, such as narrative therapy (Madigan, 2013, p.455) and solution-focused therapy (Theater (2013c.), originated within social work. In the European context, much of direct social work practice is informed by social pedagogy, which emphasizes educational rather than psychological focus for intervention (Payne, 2014, p. 212).

4 Employment settings. In countries where clinical social work is an established occupation, practitioners find employment in various settings. For instance, they may hold clinical social work positions in hospitals, mental health organizations, and agencies delivering services related to loss, trauma, domestic violence, and substance use. Some clinical social workers are self-employed. Private practitioners deliver services to their “clients” for a fee. Some are also reimbursed through public and private insurance schemes. REFERENCES Bent-Goodley, T. B. (2019). The Necessity of Trauma-Informed Practice in Contemporary Social Work, Social Work , 64(1), pp. 5 – 8. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swy056 Bisson, J., Roberts, N.P., Andrew, M., Cooper, R. & Lewis, C. (2013). Psychological therapies for chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2013, DOI: 10. 1002/14651858.CD003388.pub4 Burke, B. (2013). Anti-oppressive practice. In M. Davies (Ed.), The Blackwell companion to social work (4th ed.) (pp. 415 – 416). Wiley Blackwell. Howe, D. (2013). Attachment theory. In M. Davies (Ed.), The Blackwell companion to social work (4th ed.) (pp. 417 – 419). Wiley Blackwell. IASSW/IFSW (2014). The global definition of social work. https://www.iassw-aiets.org/global-definition- of-social-work-review-of-the-global-definition/ Levenson, J. (2020). Translating Trauma-Informed Principles into Social Work Practice. Social Work , 65 (3), pp. 288 – 298. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swaa020 Teater, B. (2013c). Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT). In M. Davies (Ed.), The Blackwell companion to social work (4th ed.) (pp. 480 – 483). Wiley Blackwell. Marsh, P. (2013). Task-centered practice. In M. Davies (Ed.), The Blackwell companion to social work (4th ed.) (pp. 492 – 495). Wiley Blackwell. Payne, M. (2014). Modern social work theory. (4th ed.). Illinois: Lyceum Skinner, J. (2013). Crisis theory. In M. Davies (Ed.), The Blackwell companion to social work (4th ed.) (pp. 428 – 431). Wiley Blackwell. Springer.com (2023). Journal of Clinical Social Work. https://www.springer.com/journal/10615 Teater, B. (2013a). Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). In M. Davies (Ed.), The Blackwell companion to social work (4th ed.) (pp. 423 – 427). Wiley Blackwell. Teater, B. (2013b). Motivational interviewing (MI). In M. Davies (Ed.), The Blackwell companion to social work (4th ed.) (pp. 451-454). Wiley Blackwell. Teater, B. (2013c). Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT). In M. Davies (Ed.), The Blackwell companion to social work (4th ed.) (pp. 480 – 483). Wiley Blackwell.

5 Electronic resources https://www.socialworkers.org/Practice/Clinical-Social-Work https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/adult-social-care-workforce-data/Workforce- intelligence/publications/Topics/Social-work/Approved-Mental-Health-Professional- workforce.aspx