#22 Dr. Frederic Reamer on Technology in Social Work Practice

03/02/20 • 73 min

Dr. Frederic Reamer is a Professor in the School of Social Work at Rhode Island College for over 30 years. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago and has served as a social worker in correctional and mental health settings. Dr. Reamer chaired the national task force that wrote the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics adopted in 1996 and recently participated in drafting new technology standards added to the code in 2017. Dr. Reamer lectures both nationally and internationally on the subjects of professional ethics and professional malpractice and liability. He has conducted extensive research on professional ethics and has been involved in several national research projects sponsored by The Hastings Center, Carnegie Corporation, Haas Foundation, and Center for Bioethics of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Reamer is the author of many books, including: Risk Management in Social Work: Preventing Professional Malpractice, Liability, and Disciplinary Action; Boundary Issues and Dual Relationships in the Human Services; The Social Work Ethics Audit: A Risk Management Tool and his latest, On the Parole Board: Reflections on Crime, Punishment, Redemption, and Justice.

In a recent article in Social Work Today, Dr. Frederic Reamer discussed the recent developments of the New NASW Code of Ethics Standards for the Digital Age (2017). In August 2017, the NASW Delegate Assembly formally approved significant updates to the profession's venerable Code of Ethics. The revisions focus explicitly on ethical challenges pertaining to social workers' and clients' increased use of technology. They reflect a broader shift in social work practice related to technology that has led to very recent and noteworthy changes in regulatory (licensing board) standards, practice standards, and ethical standards. Recognizing the profound impact that technology is having on social work practice, in 2013 the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) board of directors appointed an international task force to develop model regulatory standards for technology and social work practice. ASWB embarked on development of new technology standards in response to demand from regulatory bodies around the globe for guidance concerning social workers' evolving use of technology. The ASWB task force included representatives from prominent social work practice, regulation, and education organizations throughout the world. The task force sought to develop standards for social workers who use digital and other electronic technology to provide information to the public, deliver services to clients, communicate with and about clients, manage confidential information and case records, and store and access information about clients. The group developed model standards addressing the following key concepts: practitioner competence; informed consent; privacy and confidentiality; boundaries, dual relationships, and conflicts of interest; records and documentation; collegial relationships; and social work practice across jurisdictional boundaries.

These model technology standards, formally adopted in 2015, are now influencing the development of licensing and regulatory laws around the world. Following this development, in 2017, with unprecedented collaboration among key social work organizations in the United States—NASW, Council on Social Work Education, ASWB, and Clinical Social Work Association—the profession formally adopted new comprehensive practice standards focused on social workers' and social work educators' use of technology. Approved by these respective organizations' boards of directors,...

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#21 Dr. Doug Behan on What Works in Therapy

Dr. Doug Behan is the Director of Continuing Education and an Assistant Professor of Professional Practice at Rutgers School of Social Work. Dr. Behan has been at Rutgers School of Social Work since 2007 where he enjoys leading the nation’s largest university-based continuing education program for social workers and teaching clinical courses to MSW students. Dr. Behan has over 30 years of experience in a variety of social work settings. He has worked extensively in the mental health field as a clinician, supervisor, and administrator. In his career, he has enjoyed developing many programs including the school’s continuing education program, professional conferences and certificate programs, international training programs in China and India, a domestic violence treatment program, a children's intensive outpatient program and an intensive outpatient detoxification program. Dr. Behan has a deep connection to Rutgers where he has earned his undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees.

What are the Common Factors of Effective Psychotherapy? Meta-analytic studies show that no major treatment approach (e.g. CBT, psychodynamic, family systems) has proven superior to other approaches in treating psychiatric disorders. After decades of devotion and refinement, why has no treatment approach emerged as superior to the others? The answer is that treatment models are effective, not primarily because of their unique qualities, but because of the therapeutic factors they all share. Known as the “common factors”, when these components of psychotherapy are present, positive outcomes are maximized. Learn more about the common factors by visiting Dr. Behan’s website, WhatWorksInTherapy.com, where you can find valuable information on what to look for when seeking psychotherapy.

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Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is not a substitute for getting help from a mental health professional.

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#23 Dr. Lawrence Shulman on Supervision Best Practices

Dr. Lawrence Shulman is Professor Emeritus and former Dean of the University at Buffalo’s School of Social Work. As a social work practitioner-educator for more than 40 years, Dr. Shulman has done extensive research on the core helping skills that are used in social work practice, child welfare, school violence and supervision best practices. Dr. Shulman is the co-founder and co-chair of the International and Interdisciplinary Conference on Clinical Supervision sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the Haworth Press. Recognized for his dedication to excellence in scholarship and research, pedagogy and curriculum development, and organizational leadership, Dr. Shulman is a recipient of the 2014 Significant Lifetime Achievement in Social Work Education A ward, conferred on him by the Council on Social Work Education. Dr. Shulman has published numerous journal articles on the topic of direct practice and is the author of many books including the Enhanced Eighth Edition of the Empowerment Series: The Skills of Helping Individuals, Families, Groups, and Communities, the Dynamics and Skills of Group Counseling and the fourth edition of the seminal book Interactional Supervision.

According to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), supervision is defined as:

[T]he relationship between supervisor and supervisee in which the responsibility and accountability for the development of competence, demeanor, and ethical practice take place. The supervisor is responsible for providing direction to the supervisee, who applies social work theory, standardized knowledge, skills, competency, and applicable ethical content in the practice setting. The supervisor and the supervisee both share responsibility for carrying out their role in this collaborative process. (Best Practice Standards in Social Work Supervision, n.d.)

National Association of Social Workers and the Association of Social Work Boards Best Practice Standards in Social Work Supervision are outlined as follows:

Standard 1. Context in Supervision

Standard 2. Conduct of Supervision

Standard 3. Legal and Regulatory Issues

Standard 4. Ethical Issues

Standard 5. Technology

Click here to review supervision standards.

TherapyShow.com/Podcasts

Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is not a substitute for getting help from a mental health professional.