Annotated Working Draft and Hot Spots - Social Work

Component Assignments:

1. Communication and Persuasion in Clinical Social Work
   In this post, I compare and contrast the perspectives of therapists and patients and how those perspectives build the kairos of a therapy session over an extended period of time.  I also show how the three branches of social work connect with therapy.
   
   
2. Storytelling in Clinical Social Work
   I explain why therapists must become adept at telling people their own stories in ways that help them cope with their problems.  I include a story from a real therapist that explains why people become stuck in specific modes of thinking and how they can begin to change.
   
   
3. Philosophy:  The Bedrock of Civilization...and Modern Therapy
   I delve into Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, one of the most common therapy types, which has its roots in cognitive and behavioral ways of thinking that started as parts of Greek philosophy.  I also share my History of Psychology Teacher's opinion on the moral implications of psychology's philosophical beginnings.
   
   
4. Institutional Authority and Communication in Social Work
   I delineate the function, authority and practices of the National Association of Social Workers.  I describe its mode of communication with practitioners, the standards that it holds the field to, and how the organization handles violations of professionalism.
   
   

1. Hot Spot #1 (Personal/Field): Clinical social work is uniquely focused on the welfare of individuals.  Compared to other fields, Social work is less focused on learning about people and more focused on actually helping them, which is why I picked it as a career.  For me it is about being able to step into another person's life, relieve some of their suffering, and change their lives forever.
   
   
2. Hot Spot #2 (Field): Therapy is involves the perspectives and relationship between the therapist and patient.  As I explain in "Communication and Persuasion in Social Work," understanding the kairos that both perspectives working together build over time is critical to be able to grasp the nature of therapy and the interplay between both parties.
   
   
3. Hot Spot #3 (History): Therapy gets its roots from Greek philosophy, and that heritage has consequences,  Some of those consequences have negative implications for moral issues including issues involving moral relativity and materialism, which therapists disregard at their peril.