Social work graduate school is only the beginning of your preparation for professional life in the real world as a clinical social worker. Dr. Danna Bodenheimer serves as a mentor or a supportive supervisor as she shares practice wisdom on topics such as thinking clinically, developing a theoretical orientation, considering practice settings, and coping with money issues. She addresses the importance of supervision and how to use it wisely. A frank discussion on the important and rarely-talked-about issue of loving one's client is followed by a practical look at next steps-post-graduate options and finding your life's work in clinical social work. Altogether, Real World Clinical Social Work will serve to empower you as you find your own voice, your own way, and your own professional identity. What People Are Saying Reading Danna Bodenheimer's Real World Clinical Social Work: Find Your Voice and Find Your Way is like spending a weekend in a wonderful candid conversation with many of our favorite theorists! ....In language that is accessible, oftentimes metaphoric, and yet not at all simplistic, this book also introduces us to some of the clinical experiences of clients and therapists through an interweaving of their stories and theories. Just prior to presenting us with a thoughtful array of "post graduate options" for further learning and development, Bodenheimer explores the dimensions and dilemmas associated with still-controversial subjects like clients' transference and clinicians' countertransference, including feelings of love. Whether just entering the world of a master's-prepared social worker or having spent decades as an agency-based or private practitioner, an educator, or an administrator in the social services, spending time with Real World Clinical Social Work is a real gift to yourself and everyone you serve. Darlyne Bailey, Ph.D, ACSW, LISW Dean, Professor, and MSS Program Director Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, Bryn Mawr College As students graduate from our MSW program, they often express a mix of excitement and anticipation about beginning social work practice. They almost always wonder, "Am I ready to do this work?" Dr. Bodenheimer's book is a wonderful bridge for new graduates as they move from the support of graduate education and agency supervision to independent practitioners. Using years of teaching and astute practice experience, she provides continued education, support, and clinical insight. While grounded solidly in practice theory, Dr. Bodenheimer guides practitioners to find their own practice wisdom and style that is so essential to the social work profession. No doubt, new social workers will find this an accessible, practical primer...and a life raft for embarking on the profession! Anne Marcus Weiss, LSW, MSW Director of Field Education University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice Danna Bodenheimer's book is the clinical supervisor you always wanted to have: brilliant yet approachable, professional yet personal, grounded and practical, yet steeped in theory, and challenging you to dig deeper. Jonathan B. Singer, Ph.D., LCSW Associate Professor of Social Work Loyola University Chicago Founder and Host, Social Work Podcast It is nearly impossible to begin a career as a budding clinical social worker without the accompaniment of a variably loud inner voice that says, "You have no idea what you are doing." Dr. Bodenheimer befriends the beginning clinician with this incredibly personable and accessible book and says, "Sure, you do." Dr. Bodenheimer uses herself as a vehicle for connection with the reader, and she speaks directly to that inner voice with compassion, understanding, and guidance. Cara Segal, Ph.D. Smith College School for Social Work, faculty Private Practitioner, Northampton, MA

Helping beginning and experienced therapists cope with the myriad challenges of working in agencies, clinics, hospitals, and private practice, this book distills the leading theories and best practices in the field. The authors provide a clear approach to engaging diverse clients and building rapport; interweaving evidence-based techniques to meet therapeutic goals; and intervening effectively with individuals, families, groups, and larger systems. Practitioners will find tools for addressing the needs of their clients while caring for themselves and avoiding burnout; students will find a clear-headed framework for making use of the variety of approaches available in mental health practice.

"The book is about social work interventions in the different units of the hospital, from the history of social work in the hospital setting to the different units of the hospital, including emergency room, medical intensive care units, and discharge planning. The book is important because it is about the different interventions of the social worker with patients and families."--Amazon.com.

In recent history the practice of medicine and mental health has been increasingly eclectic as more and more practitioners harness seemingly disparate therapies and techniques to arrive at clinical breakthroughs. But while social work professionals have been involved in integrative practice informally and intuitively for years, resources to bring structure to this therapeutic concept have been few and far between. In response, Integrative Social Work Practice offers innovative ways of conceptualizing cases, communicating with clients and making better therapeutic use of client individuality. Rich in research, evidence-based and clinical material from a variety of settings, the book begins with the basic organizing principles behind effective integrative practice. Real-world examples flesh out the theoretical rationales and psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral and developmental methods are shown in practical context. The author also demonstrates how to balance flexibility and boundaries and manage diverse and even conflicting theories, while providing clear guidelines on: Integrating key psychotherapeutic approaches into social work. Using somatic knowledge to enhance therapy. Making assessments and choosing interventions. Applying an integrative approach to therapeutic relationships. Creating manageable goals based on small steps. Building and working with an integrative team. An important step forward in both professional development and the larger therapeutic picture, Integrative Social Work Practice benefits researchers and practitioners as well as supervisors and students in social work and counseling.

A practical approach to understanding social work concepts in action that integrates theory and practice In this updated edition of the classic social work text, students and instructors have access to real-world demonstrations of how social work theories and concepts can be applied in practice. The case studies in this book bridge the gap between the classroom and the field by allowing students to discover the when, why, and how of social work principles. Brief but comprehensive topic overviews are brought to life by case studies that apply general theories to the work of social work. Each of the book's nine sections cover an essential area of social work, encompassing the micro, mezzo, and macro levels Highly readable explanations are followed by 3-5 case studies relating theory to the living practice of real social workers Topics include Generalist Practice; Family Therapy, Treatment of Adults; and Diversity Approaching each topic from a variety of different theoretical bases, this essential text allow students to learn by concrete example, experiencing social work concepts as they are applied in the profession today.

Through words and images, Dr. Danna Bodenheimer brings to life a wide range of realities for clinical social workers. Consider her a master teacher, supportive mentor, or caring friend--this volume of "meditations and truths" is her gift to you and to the social work profession she loves. In her own gentle voice and conversational style, On Clinical Social Work is a collection of Bodenheimer's writings and photographs. She encourages you to think critically about everything from assessment, diagnosis, intervention, and clinical supervision to the social worker's internal world, anxieties, and self-care. She expounds on attachment and trauma in detail. She comments on current events and how they relate to the clinician's work. Through it all, she weaves themes of social justice and an awareness of macro-level influences on clients' lives. Images from Dr. Bodenheimer's daily self-care practice of photography offer a glimpse into her deep exploration into the details of both clients' and clinical social workers' everyday lives through the keen focus of her camera's lens. Building on her first book, Real World Clinical Social Work: Find Your Voice and Find Your Way, this volume shows you that you are not alone. All clinicians are seeking the "truth" about their work, and that is okay.

A sideways story is some moment in life when you thought you were doing one thing, but you ended up learning another. A sideways story can also be a poem, or prose, that, because of the way it is written, may not be all that direct in its meaning. What’s nice about both clouds, and art, is that you can look at them and just resonate. That can be good for both the heart and the mind. Many of the moments of this book have grown from experiences the author has had or stories he used in his lectures with students or told in his office with clients. Some of them have grown from essays written for others, for personal or professional reasons. They are moments on a path through the discovery of social work, a journey of beginnings, middles, and ends. With just the right blend of humor and candor, each of these stories contains nuggets of wisdom that you will not find in a traditional textbook. They capture the essence and the art and soul of social work. In a world rushed with the illusion of technique and rank empiricism, it is the author’s hope that some of the things here might make some moment in your thinking or feeling grow as a social worker. If they provoke a smile, or a tear, or a critical question, it’s worth it. Everyone makes a different journey in a life of social work. These stories are one social worker’s travelogue along the way.