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Those who are not in the field of social work themselves should not be dissuaded by the title from reading this valuable contribution to the mental health practice literature. The authors, all members of the National Study Group of the American Association for Psychoanalysis in
Clinical Social Work from 2005 to 2008, succeed admirably in tracing the history of social work models in the United States, alongside the transformations in psychoanalytic theory over the course of more than a century. They note in the book's epilogue:
We publish this text at a time in the social work profession's history when not only the basics but the nuances of sound clinical practice are only superficially taught in many schools of social work across the country. There is certainly a paucity of psychodynamic theory found in the curriculum of many practice courses in social work schools; there are often practice courses that are increasingly atheoretical at worst and technique-driven at best. Many graduates of schools of social work complete their bachelor's or master's degree training without fully appreciating the complexity of the human condition. Some do not understand how the unconscious world affects the behavior and feelings of their clients. [pp. 205-206]
Substitute “psychology, counseling, or psychiatry” for “social work,” and I have no doubt you will find their observations equally true. Mental health practitioners from every discipline will recognize the wisdom of the position taken by Goldstein, Miehls, and Ringel in their advocacy of “challenging the stronghold of managed care companies that dictate that only the briefest of mental health interventions are necessary for the increasingly complex and difficult circumstances and experiences in which our clients live” (p. 206). They go on to note the decline of clinical supervision in agency settings and stress the importance of supervision and consultation for ongoing professional development. Here, too, their message will reso