Wayne D. Duehn

Initial clinical interaction and premature discontinuance in treatment.

This exploratory study suggests that continuance of the therapeutic relationship is more the responsibility of the clinician than of the patient. Two interactional variables--stimulus-response congruence and content relevance--were operationalized and their effect on patient continuance tested. Results suggest that, as indicators of viability of the treatment relationship, these variables may be purposefully employed to control for patient continuance.

Covert Sensitization in Group Treatment of Adolescent Drug Abusers

Seven self-referred males with long-standing histories of excessive use of amphetamines, LSD, and marijuana participated in an experiment dealing with the behavioral procedures of covert sensitization in group treatment. LSD usage did not change during a 14-week precovert-sensitization treatment program. The group then received covert sensitization in 11 sessions within a 6-week period, with all members reporting no LSD usage or desire to take LSD. A 6 to 18-month follow-up indicated that six subjects had not taken LSD. Two subjects reported self-administration of covert sensitization procedures at home to develop aversions to other drugs and were completely drug-free. The seventh subject could not be located. The practical advantages of using covert sensitization procedures in group treatment of drug users within the school setting are discussed.

Entrance and Exit Requirements of Professional Social Work Education.

Abstract This paper explicates a competency-based direct practice curriculum for graduate social work education. Specifically, admission and graduation requirements related to five knowledge-skill areas are outlined: (1) interpersonal behavioral control, (2) judgment and decision making, (3) contracting and goal setting, (4) selection and application of change method, and (5) assessment of outcomes. The implications of this empirically based educational model are discussed in terms of accountability and congruence between educational objectives and practice behaviors.

The effect of practice orientations on clinical assessment.

Increasing theoretical evidence suggests that assessment procedures in themselves may have deleterious effects on mental health intervention. This experimental study of assessment processes suggests that negative labeling is related to the main effects of practice orientations and status differential. Results are discussed in terms of the unexpected negative consequences of assessment.

A Study of Cognitive Complexity in the Education for Social Work Practice

Abstract This study investigates cognitive complexity in interpersonal discriminations as it relates to selected aspects of the decision-making process in social work practice. Differences in data transmission and selection of interventive activities between graduate social work students who scored high on Carrs Interpersonal Discrimination Test were compared with those who scored low. As predicted, subjects who scored high on interpersonal discrimination transmitted more information about clients dissimilar to themselves and specified a greater number of interventive alternatives than did those who scored low. Implications of the findings are discussed in terms of selection for the profession and in the identification and ordering of learning experiences in the curriculum

Starting Where the Client is: An Empirical Investigation

If client concerns are to be respected in the therapeutic process, therapists must develop an empathetic sense of the clients priorities as revealed in the interview. How well a therapist “hears” the clients concerns was investigated with simulated intake interviews conducted by graduate students.

PERFORMANCE CONTRACTS IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION

This paper is concerned with performance contacting in the administration of social work education. It describes a moue away from subjectivity in current faculty assessments toward objective behavioral criteria. Measures for three areas of performance are erplicated: (a) teaching effectiveness; b) scholarship and knowledge building; and (c) professional accomplishments. Methodology of performance contracting between faculty and administration is presented as an alternative to existing retention, promotion, and tenure practices. Implications of this model for the administration of social work education are discussed in terms of (a) faculty accountability and self-monitoring of performance, b) explication of respective administrative faculty task responsibilities, (c) equity in negotiation, and (dl opportunities for growth and development.