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Paradigms of Clinical Social Work, Volume 2, edited by Rachelle A. Dorfman, published by Brunner/Mazel, was produced partly in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the social work profession. The editor writes that her goal is to increase readers” understanding of some of the major paradigms that currently influence social work practice. She hopes that the book will encourage social workers to be open to new ideas and approaches so we might best serve our clients.
The book is a follow-up to Volume 1, which was published in 1988. As in the first volume, the editor asked contributors to follow a standard outline in describing their model. She also asked them to share their assessments and treatment recommendations for the same family. The case, which is described in detail, is the same case that appeared in the first volume. However, most of the paradigms discussed in this volume are different from those that were included in the first volume.
The book includes seven models: ego psychology and object relations theory, self psychology, control mastery theory, solution focused brief therapy, cognitive therapy, Ericksonian approaches, and postmodern family therapy. The editor also selected four “metaparadigms,” which she believes are more complex, abstract, and inclusive than the seven models. The metaparadigms are: the feminist approach, meaning-making, prescriptive eclectic psychotherapy, and managed care. Dorfman acknowledges that viewing managed care as a paradigm is controversial. The last chapter is a summary of the paradigms and long-term trends in the field. There is also an epilogue describing how the family has been doing since the first edition of the book came out. Most, but not all, of the well-qualified chapter authors are social workers.
The book has many strengths. First, it is timely in its inclusion of paradigms that have recently become prominent, such as control-mastery theory and solution-focused approaches, as well as the feminist a