Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis in Social Work Practice

This user-friendly textbook not only guides social workers in developing competence in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) system of diagnosis, it also assists them in staying attuned during client assessment to social work values and principles: a focus on client strengths, concern for the worth and dignity of individuals, appreciation of environmental influences on behavior, and a reliance on evidence-based approaches.

The authors, seasoned practitioner-scholars, provide an in-depth exploration of fourteen major mental disorders that social workers commonly see in practice, integrating several perspectives in order to meet the challenges social workers face in client assessment. A risk and resilience framework helps social workers understand environmental influences on the emergence of mental disorders and the strengths that clients already possess. Social workers will also learn to apply critical thinking to the DSM when it is inconsistent with social work values and principles. Finally, the authors catalog evidence-based assessment instruments and treatments so that social workers can intervene efficiently and effectively, using the best resources available.

Students and practitioners alike will appreciate the wealth of case examples, evidence-based assessment instruments, and treatment plans that make this an essential guide to the assessment and diagnostic processes in social work practice.