Browsing by Subject "Clinical Social work"

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    An exploratory study into the relative merits of related and unrelated foster care placements
    (1988) Van Emmenes, Melanie; Mackintosh, Ian
    The field of related foster care has to a large extent been neglected. Related foster care is regarded with considerable scepticism and ambivalence by many social workers because of a number of pitfalls which are often associated with such placements. The aim of this study is to explore the relative merits of related and unrelated foster placements, and thus to enhance knowledge in this area and so improve service delivery to foster children, their parents, by foster parents and child and family welfare agencies. A literature survey was undertaken during which it was evident that the field of related foster care has received little attention in both literature and research. The literature studies have highlighted some of the pros and cons of related and unrelated foster placements. A questionnaire was constructed and administered to a sample of related and unrelated foster parents. A descriptive analysis was made of the results with the focus being on the behaviour and academic functioning of the children. The overall findings in this study showed that children fostered by relatives seemed to be doing at least the same as, and in some aspects better than, those children fostered by recruited unrelated foster parents. Over a 11 there appeared to be some significant advantages for those children who were being fostered by relatives.
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    Marriage in the eighties : with particular regard to the prevalence and effect of brief or sustained infidelity and the challenge it poses for the clinical social worker
    (1987) Ress, Evelyn; Theron, Francois
    In the modern western world, infidelity or deviation from the monogamous sexually constrained 'till death do us part' marriage is often judged as unhappy, deviant or placing the marriage on the verge of divorce. Marriage areas for is a highly complex relationship, with multiple potential conflict. Contemporary marriage falls prey to dissatisfaction aAd stress far more than marriages of years gone by, where roles were traditionally more clearly defined and expectations were unchallenged. This paper serves to focus on the institution of marriage in western society and the changing face of marriage in contemporary society. Today there by married are many problems and difficulties experienced couples and not least of all, that of the extramarital affair. Treatment for the problem of infidelity proves an increasing challenge for clincians today. Methods and difficulties in this regard will be discussed. Five case studies from the writer's private practice case load will be presented to augment the preceding theoretical discussion. In describing the nature of the cases, highlights will be made of the salient variations in circumstances, treatment and outcome.
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    A psychodynamic approach to short-term couples therapy in clinical social work : some aspects of the combined conjoint-concurrent technique
    (1987) Leibowitz, Michael S; Orten, James D
    In this dissertation, the writer explores and supports the validity of clinical social wor·k practitioners applying planned therapeutic intervention procedures to couples who are in distress. Written in two parts, this paper is esentially a review of selected literature on the efficacy of social work psychotherapv with couples. Couple therapy, which deals with the two individuals per se and not merely with their interaction, enhances the treatment of both partners. Several intervention strategies are noted by the writer, all of which attempt to alter both individual dynamics and that of the couples relationship. The writer has chosen a "fusion model" comprising of the intra and inter-personal intervention strategies. The therapeutic format of choice proposed by the writer favours a time-limited psychodynamic approach which operates through the medium of a combined concurrent-conjoint technique.