Social work practice requires a full understanding of people in all contexts. Romantic partnerships are an important aspect of many client’s lives and social worker practitioners should be knowledgeable on how to work within this context. This chapter discusses theories and interventions that help inform social work practitioners when working with couples. With an estimated 50% of all relationships ending in divorce and the documented negative impact of divorce on the family, the necessity for social workers to have at minimum precursory idea of couples theory and interventions is high. With many approaches to couples counseling available, this chapter focuses on the most widely used current approaches as well as discusses some of the newly emerging models. This chapter explores attachment theory, sound relationship house theory, Imago theory, transgenerational theory, and structural theory as related to couples counseling. Case studies are provided to give contextual glimpses into these theories’ use in practice. The chapter also seeks to describe the role of couples’ work in the context of the generalist-eclectic framework and its alignment with the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics (2018). It is of the utmost importance, both academically and ethically, that social work practitioners maintain competence in the area of couples work as romantic relationships comprise an important portion of many clients’ lives.

Focusing on challenging oppressive systems and structures and creating a more inclusive and egalitarian society, anti-oppressive theory and practice (AOP) is an important recent addition to social work theory and practice. Developed over the last few decades in response to growing economic and social inequalities, AOP directs social workers to explore the role that individual, cultural, and structural oppressive systems and contexts can play in creating and reinforcing human problems in our society. AOP also provides important insights to help social workers address oppression within their own practice. As a lens for practice, AOP draws from a number of theories and perspectives to provide social workers with a holistic framework for generalist social work practice that is congruent with social work values. While broad in scope, AOP provides social workers with a dynamic and useful framework for working with diverse populations in a more inclusive manner and helps social workers to be more responsive to ever-changing practice and social realities. The chapter begins with an overview of AOP and describes some of the key concepts of this approach. A review of the opportunities and challenges of using AOP to guide practice in multiple settings is also discussed. A case study is used to illustrate how AOP can be used in practice.

The first two chapters (Part I) of this book dealt with the major elements and basic principles of the generalist-eclectic approach to direct social work practice. Given the fact that the last chapters have focused on various theoretical perspectives for direct practice, for purposes of review and integration it is important to revisit the generalist-eclectic approach in this final chapter.

In the first part of this chapter, we review conceptualizations of levels of theory and broad classes of mid-level practice theory (psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, humanistic, critical, and postmodern) that were discussed in Chapter 1 and revisit how these conceptualizations can facilitate an eclectic use of theory in practice. Second, the compatibility between the various mid-level practice theories reviewed in Part III (Chapters 7–22) of the book and the generalist-eclectic approach is considered. The third part of the chapter revisits how the problem-solving model is a useful framework for integrating the eclectic use of theory with the artistic, reflective, intuitive-inductive elements of practice. Finally, some of the challenges to generalist-eclectic practice are identified and strategies for dealing with these challenges are suggested.

In this chapter, eye movement and desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is explained from its theoretical construct to its methodology in clinical practice using adaptive information processing as a basic tenet. Evidence exploring its efficacy and a step-by-step process of the eight-phased protocol used to help clients suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, substance use disorder, and many more common psychological issues are explained in detail. Three case examples help readers to understand how EMDR is used and its healing of trauma symptoms.

Cognitive behavioral theory (CBT) and treatment has evolved over three phases: (a) behavioral principles of human behavior, (b) cognitive constructs and cognitive mediation, and (c) mindfulness including acceptance and commitment. The principles are firmly based in evidence-informed and evidence-based practice. The concepts describe how behavior and cognitions are learned and how they can be changed. CBT principles provide practitioners with effective interventions for a variety of issues such as child and adult development, cognitive processing, as well as addressing problematic behavioral and mental health issues.

There is no question that Sigmund Freud, the founder of the theory that underlies ego psychology, was a genius. Freud used observations to develop his theory in the context of his cultural and religious milieu. Over the years, many have discounted his theory as being sexist, homophobic, and biased toward the more affluent.

Yet, given all of these limitations, what he came up with was the first comprehensive theory to explain human behavior. In addition, he developed a concurrent theory of personality development that was integrated into the theory. To this day, there has not been another psychological approach integrating a personality theory that directly connects to the practice of psychotherapy. It is important to understand the history of ego psychology theory and practice as it still seeps into the current practice of clinical social work. Ego psychology terms are still part of our therapeutic vernacular, such as defense mechanisms, ego strengths, and insight. Even active listening, so commonly used in therapy, has its roots in ego psychology. This chapter gives an overview of ego psychology theory and practice, showing its historical and current influence in the practice of clinical social work.

An emphasis on client strengths within social work practice can be traced back to the work of Jane Addams and the settlement house movement. In modern practice, an aspiration for strengths-based approaches can be seen across all areas of the social work profession. Yet translating an ideological emphasis on strengths-based approaches into the provision of strengths-based services has been hampered by a lack of clarity around concepts and application. To reconcile these challenges, it is helpful to conceptualize strengths-based practice (SBP) as a metatheory that organizes and names the otherwise unspoken rules embedded within lower level practice theories. Underlying all theories that take a SBP approach is the charge to build upon available strengths and apply social work interventions within a positive paradigm. More specifically, the tenets of SBP promote individual well-being and reduce social problems by building upon the strengths possessed by clients (e.g., capabilities, skills) and by the client systems in which clients interact (e.g., assets, resources). The purpose of this chapter is to categorize SBP as a metatheory for social work practice by first briefly describing SBP, including the historical evolution of the use of strengths in helping relationships. Then, the central values, theoretical constructs, and major tenets guiding social work research and practice are addressed. Finally, applications of SBP across the phases of helping are presented with a case example illustrating the way SBP can be observed in various aspects of practice.

Theories of individual and family development provide an important knowledge base for direct social work practice. These theories are particularly helpful in the data collection and assessment phase of helping because they direct the practitioner to explore the potential significance of issues that individuals and families commonly face at different stages of development. Although individual and family development theories are primarily explanatory, they often provide general ideas for intervention.

Individual and family development theories can best be studied together, as families are made up of individuals and 66% of individuals live within families. This chapter focuses specifically on the individual development theory of Erikson, and the family life cycle theory of Carter and McGoldrick within a changed and continually changing social context. There are also discussions of Kohlberg’s moral stages of development and Gilligan’s feminist perspective on moral development.

Because the United States is increasingly culturally diverse, these developmental theories are viewed through a cultural lens. Family assessment tools including the ecomap (Hartman & Laird, 1983), genogram and culturagram that can help clinicians apply development theories to their work with individuals and families are presented.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) causes significant mental distress and impairment in psychosocial functioning. The condition is marked by emotional dysregulation, unstable personal relationships, impulsivity, chronic anger, and identity disturbances. A person with this condition often engages long-standing patterns of maladaptive coping responses that can include substance use, self-injury, suicidal behavior, aggression, and other reckless behavior. The condition is often comorbid with other psychiatric conditions including mood and anxiety disorders, eating disorders, substance abuse, posttraumatic stress disorder, and other personality disorders. While prolonged impairment in psychosocial functioning and symptom relapses are common, lasting improvement in a wide range of areas can be expected over time. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an intensive psychotherapy based on the cognitive behavioral model that uses individual and group sessions to help people with BPD develop adaptive coping strategies to manage symptoms and improve functioning. DBT has been widely studied and has been found to be an effective psychotherapeutic approach to treating BPD.

This chapter introduces motivational interviewing (MI), which guides clients toward resolving their hesitations about behavior change. Initially developed in the 1980s by William Miller for use in alcohol treatment, this approach has gradually infiltrated all areas of health behavior change. The model represented a dramatic shift from coercive and punitive approaches toward recognizing ambivalence as a key determinant for stagnant behavior. MI displaces denial as a personality trait while respecting client autonomy and empowerment to resolve their self-identified problems. Instead of blaming clients for their “therapeutic failures,” MI-trained clinicians, in alignment with social work’s core values, listen to their clients’ narratives, empathize with their stories, and share responsibility for behavior change. Over a period of three and a half decades, motivational interviewing’s theoretical framework increasingly centered in cultivating change language in a highly empathic environment. Empirical tests supported the approach in a variety of settings for a variety of problems. We focus this chapter on exploring MI and examining the role of the social worker in incorporating MI-consistent techniques into their practice. This chapter first explores the historical development of MI and its theoretical underpinnings, including the incorporation of psychotherapeutic relational- and change-based frameworks. Next, we discuss the components of MI, bolstered by case scenarios of skilled clinicians employing MI-consistent techniques throughout the helping phases. Finally, we examine critiques and share recommendations for incorporating the approach into generalist-eclectic social work practice.

Developed by the psychologist Carl Rogers over a long career that ended with his death in 1987, client-centered (also referred to as nondirective and person-centered) therapy has been a major force in clinical mental health work and a counterweight to the deterministic behaviorism that Rogers rejected. Rogers has been seen by many as one of the foundational thinkers in the development of humanistic psychology, even as one of the most generally influential psychologists of the 20th century. His client-centered theory was a radical innovation for psychology; for social work, it was more a valuable refinement and reaffirmation of familiar principles, but it has nevertheless had a significant and beneficial impact on social work practice and education.

If his name has faded over the past two decades, his work has never lost its significance: “not only is the influence of Carl Rogers still keenly felt and expressed in many areas of life, but … the future of person-centered and experiential therapies (PCE) is looking rosy. It is remarkable that in almost every area of life that he touched, Carl Rogers left a lasting impression.”

In developing the client-centered model, Rogers considered that he had identified the necessary and sufficient conditions that lead to people changing. This is not a modest claim: The suggestion is that if one wants to be an effective helper, client-centered principles are something one must learn (they are necessary) and nothing else is required (they are sufficient).

The theory guiding this therapeutic method is a theory of process. As such, the approach is firmly aligned with the belief that we do not help our clients through an expertise with theories of personality, knowledge of family dysfunction, or a deep appreciation for critical ecological systems theory. Rather, we assist people’s growth by providing a particular kind of relationship, through communications that have specific qualities.

According to client-centered theory, those essential qualities are the Rogerian core conditions: congruence, acceptance, and empathy. (As one would expect, terminology has varied over time and from one writer to another. Nuances that might distinguish congruence from genuineness or authenticity and similar semantic fine points are not important at this juncture.) When those interpersonal conditions are sufficiently available to us from our friends, loved ones, or social workers, we have what we need to grow personally, just as we grow physically when we have enough food and other necessities. Understanding exactly what those essential relational conditions are, and how we can learn to make them present in our work, was Rogers’s main mission in life.

This is a deceptively simple general idea possessing considerable explanatory force. Also, it fits easily with social work’s historic principles. Indeed, relationship has always been critical in social workers’ eyes, identified as both the context and the means for facilitating change.

For better and for worse, we constantly affect one another’s experience, through “the rich interplay of one human mind with another.” Being thoroughly socially embedded as we are, this mutual influence is simply a fact of life, and Rogers wanted to understand how to harness its power in the service of client growth.

Solution-focused therapy, also called solution-focused brief therapy and solution-oriented therapy, is a short-term, strengths-oriented practice model that identifies and enhances clients’ resources for coping with life’s difficulties. This chapter provides a brief overview of solution-focused practice, the historical development behind the model’s formulation by de Shazer and associates, and the phases of the helping process, including some of the key theoretical constructs. Its compatibility with a generalist-eclectic framework is then explored, along with a critique of the model. Finally, a case example of solution-focused therapy with a young woman suffering from social anxiety is presented.

Successful social work practice deeply relies on the social worker’s emotional intelligence. Social workers need to be aware of their own and their clients’ emotions and to be able to use them effectively in their practice.

Understanding emotion is important for building a working relationship with the client and for making the most of a given encounter with service users. Service user involvement has become a central part of practice; their participation in decision-making, for example, is key to successful outcomes and is legally required in Codes of Practice. From psychotherapy and counseling meta-analyses, we know that relationship factors account for most of the change within the professional encounter and that the techniques used by the practitioner do not account for more than the expectations clients have. The same pattern could be shown for all stages in casework practice in social work, where the success of assessment and intervention relied on the awareness and management of emotions. Emotional literacy and empathy skills, however, are needed to form professional relationships.

Social work practice often deals with clients in very difficult life situations, which involve powerful emotions such as shame, depression, and hopelessness. Moreover, social workers have to be able to tolerate and work with uncertainty, both with their clients and within themselves.

Emotional intelligence is important not only for an effective social work practice but also for social workers themselves and their own health and well-being. Compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and secondary traumatic stress have been described as specific risk factors for practitioners, and burnout and impaired emotional health are major health problems among social workers. One of the major symptoms of burnout is emotional exhaustion, described as emotional numbness and the inability to relate to the client in a person-to-person way. Emotional health is as important for social workers as it is for their clients.

In summary, a number of aspects of social work require an emotional literacy that social workers need to develop not only through everyday practice and experience but also through systematic analysis and training in how to best understand and work with emotions. Social workers need “permission, but also consideration of developing a language of emotion” and as Ingram further suggests: “it may be that social work can draw from literature relating to counselling and psychotherapy to support developments in this area.” Emotion-focused therapy offers a theoretically grounded and empirically tested framework for working with emotions in counseling and psychotherapy. It has been developed, practiced, and evaluated over the past 30 years within a variety of client groups and settings. The the emotionally intelligent social worker) facilitates and directly works with the client’s emotional processes. Emotion-focused therapy is an integrative approach that builds on various influences from both neuroscience and humanistic traditions within psychotherapy and counseling.

Trauma is very common in American society, and it is therefore important for social workers to intentionally engage in trauma-informed practices. This chapter first describes the definitions of trauma, its prevalence, the neurobiology of trauma, and the ways in which trauma can impact people throughout their lives. Then, the principles and components of trauma-informed care (TIC) are reviewed. Finally, specific suggestions are offered for translating TIC principles into trauma-responsive social work practices that facilitate trust, safety, collaboration, choice, and empowerment. There is a paradigm shift that occurs when we begin to conceptualize presenting problems as symptoms of trauma and client problems as survival and coping skills that developed in response to traumagenic experiences. TIC fits well with the strengths-based bio-psycho-social perspectives of social work. When we understand trauma, we better understand how clients make meaning of their experiences, how that narrative shaped cognitive schemas about themselves and others, and how we can help clients restore a sense of interpersonal safety. A case study illustrates the principles and practices of TIC.

The focus of this book is on theories for direct (or clinical, micro) social work practice. It focuses on theories for practice with individuals, although the relevance of these theories for practice with couples, families, and groups is also considered. Beyond simply offering a survey of clinical theories in this book, the authors promote what they call a generalist-eclectic approach for the use of theory in direct practice.

Including the word generalist in the name of the approach might seem odd because one of the generally accepted hallmarks of generalist social work practice is that it spans direct and indirect (or macro) practice methods, whereas this approach focuses only on direct practice. By using the word generalist to describe the approach to direct practice, the authors emphasize their belief that specialization in direct practice must be firmly grounded in the generalist perspective of social work practice; that the values, principles, generic processes, and holistic perspective that are integral to generalist social work practice are a necessary foundation for direct practice specialization. Although this might be taken for granted by some, this sometimes gets lost in the rush for specialization.

One reason it is important to ensure that direct practice is grounded explicitly within the generalist perspective is because most theories that clinical social workers use have been developed outside of the profession, and aspects of such theories may not fit well with some social work principles. When this is the case, modifications to these aspects of theories are necessary. For example, theories that place the worker in the role of expert should be used in a more egalitarian, collaborative manner, and theories that have a specific and narrow conception of human problems should be broadened to include consideration of a wide range of factors (e.g., environmental and sociocultural factors need to be considered along with biological, intrapsychic, and interpersonal factors).

A second reason for embedding direct practice within the generalist perspective is that the latter can function to broaden the mandate and role of direct practitioners beyond narrow clinical confines. For instance, it is important that the focus of clinical social work should include helping clients to meet basic needs by providing them with or linking them to resources and services, and engaging in social advocacy for clients—and the generalist perspective reminds us of the importance of such helping strategies. In addition, social work students who are entering their concentration or specialization year will have the generalist grounding and application of the direct practice theories will be reinforced by this knowledge.

This chapter provides an overview of our generalist-eclectic approach to direct practice. The major elements of the generalist social work perspective central to our generalist-eclectic approach to direct practice are reviewed. Then, an overview of the distinctive aspects of our generalist-eclectic approach is provided Finally, in some detail eclecticism, primarily with regard to the trend toward it over the last 35 years is discussed. The latter discussion includes (a) an overview of eclecticism that documents historical resistance to eclecticism, the fact of and reasons for the trend toward the eclectic use of theory and technique, and continuing resistance to eclecticism (particularly in the form of the empirically supported treatment [EST] movement); (b) a review of the four major approaches to eclecticism in the literature and some of the specific eclectic models within each of the approaches; and (c) a delineation of our approach to eclecticism.

Crisis intervention is one of the essential practice models used within a generalist-eclectic framework that prepares social work and counseling professionals to handle acute crises of various types and causes. Clients typically experience difficulties or obstacles in effectively resolving the impacts that result from an acute stressor, a pileup of stressors, or a traumatic event. Crisis intervention is a time-limited model that mobilizes needed support and resources, along with the client’s strengths and adaptive coping skills to address the precipitating event and aftermath. The goals of crisis intervention are to reduce or resolve the effects of the traumatic event or crisis so that clients can return to a pre-crisis level of functioning and, hopefully, decrease the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This chapter presents an overview of the historical development of crisis theory and intervention models. The basic assumptions and theoretical constructs of crisis theory are introduced, and connections to other direct practice theoretical models such as ego psychology, cognitive behavioral, and solution-focused models are explained. Descriptions of the levels and stages of crises are provided with discussion of several different practice models and basic intervention strategies. Case examples are also included that illustrate how crisis intervention can be applied across a wide variety of clients, settings, and types of crises and trauma.

The term “problem-solving” has a slightly different meaning depending on the discipline. A cursory look suggests that there are several professions that use the term as part of their nomenclature but curiously, a reference to social work is absent and there is no mention of it in the discussion of psychology. In spite of this the term problem-solving has been and in many respects continues to be part of the social work practice literature even though as Shier noted, “problem-solving has been little explored in relation to therapeutic intervention.” Despite this, and ever since Perlman promoted a problem-solving process for social casework (i.e., direct social work practice), the authors believe that the problem-solving model can continue to develop into an important feature of social work practice. As summarized by McMahon, the problem-solving model has been called the general method of social work because “may be utilized with individuals, groups, families, or communities.”

In this chapter, the authors begin by (a) making an argument via the practice of social work for the use of a problem-solving approach; (b) reviewing the early development of the problem-solving model for social work practice; (c) summarizing the recent shift in the problem-solving model including a summary of the evidence base for the use of this approach in social work practice; we liken this to an interdisciplinary social science process that will be helpful to social workers; and finally (d) discussing the phases of a problem-solving model (i.e., engagement; data collection and assessment; planning, contracting, and intervention; and evaluation and termination).

The Council on Social Work Education underscores that social workers should be educated to advance human rights, and social, economic, and environmental justice. This chapter explores empowerment theory and practice as a strategy that social workers can use to promote rights, justice, and well-being for individuals, families, and communities. Empowerment theory is geared toward elevating the rights and needs of individuals, groups, and communities that have been facing oppression throughout history. The history, central concepts, and themes of empowerment are multidimensional and are related to intrapersonal, interpersonal, community, and political domains. The close alliance of empowerment practice with human rights, oppression, and ecological systems theories has been a powerful force in assisting the population we commonly serve to embrace and liberate their personal and collective empowerment. Case examples of an individual and community are provided to illustrate how empowerment unfolds in the natural practice environment. Empowerment as a concept and practice serves an important role in understanding and achieving equality, rights, and justice for all. It also is an essential mechanism in achieving individual, family, group, and community well-being for people of all ages across the globe.

Narrative therapy (NT) was developed by Michael White and David Epston (1990) as a way practitioners could assist clients to recognize, deconstruct and reconstruct the familial and cultural influences of power that impact their sense of identities and ways-of-being. The main focus is not behavioural change but a change in the way the clients understand themselves and their environment (Witkin & Hall, 2020). To this end, narrative therapists seek to establish a collaborative, respectful, nonpathologizing, and nonblaming stance that honors clients as the experts on their own lives. By positioning themselves as an “appreciative ally” and engaging clients using careful listening and carefully crafted questions, narrative therapists “decenter” their knowledge and perspective and encourage clients to take center stage, using their contextual knowledge, stories, and language to describe their lived experiences.

In NT, clients and therapists work collaboratively to deconstruct the taken-for-granted “truths” that dominate and restrain clients from developing alternative stories (stories that support more preferred ways of being, relating, and living). During these conversations, dominant problem-saturated stories are objectified, categorized, named, and at times even personified as oppressive entities (i.e., externalizing the problem), which allows therapists and clients to investigate how these problems dominate and mistreat clients.

This chapter will review the historical development of NT, provide an overview of theory supporting the approach, discuss the process of narrative therapy, and provide an overview of supporting research. Finally, a discussion of how narrative fits into a social work generalist practice, a case study and summary are offered.

This chapter presents an overview of how feminist theories have shaped social work practice. It demonstrates how feminist social work fits well within a generalist-eclectic framework as an orientation to counseling that works well when integrated with, and supplemented by, additional approaches to intervention. This orientation to counseling emerges from feminist theories that seek to empower individuals through consciousness raising and valuing one’s own experiences, while working collectively to overturn structures that marginalize, exploit, oppress, and discriminate against people. Such approaches to social work practice value the strengths and lived experiences of people, and have been found to be effective with a wide range of clients experiencing various challenges.

Ecological systems theory is concerned with the interaction and interdependence of individuals with their surrounding systems and encourages social workers to take a holistic view by assessing how individuals affect and are affected by such physical, social, political, and cultural systems. The origins of ecological systems theory was derived from the separate frameworks of ecological theory, systems theory, and Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems theory. The modern use of the ecological systems theory is based on five assumptions that examine the interaction and interdependence of systems and how the assessment of one system cannot be done in isolation, but, rather, must take into account how the systems affect and are affected by each other. Ecological systems theory is useful in the assessment stage of social work practice as it can be a framework in which to assess a client from a holistic perspective, particularly through the use of ecomaps. Based on the social worker’s assessment, ecological systems theory can be useful in pointing the social worker to the most appropriate system in which to intervene.

The authors of this chapter acknowledge the readers’ part in this process, as there are several audiences for this writing: the readers, the editors, and the authors, ourselves. Our objective is to engage the readers with ideas that invite them into dialog and conversation. We hope to create engagement in sensemaking that births descriptions, stories, and discussions of our work in ways that are meaningful.

We also acknowledge that, as we engage in this way of practicing psychotherapy, our practices, ways of speaking, and language evolve. And we would like to focus the reader on the most recent evolution of a way of describing collaborative therapy that Harlene Anderson has introduced: collaborative-dialogic practices, which include collaborative therapy (Anderson, 2007, 2012a, & 2012b). Collaborative-dialogic therapy is a postmodern and philosophical approach to psychotherapy that was developed by Harlene Anderson and her colleagues at the Houston Galveston Institute (HGI).

The philosophical underpinnings of collaborative-dialogic therapy include postmodernism, hermeneutics, social constructionism, and poststructuralism. The epistemology of meaning making is at the heart of this way of working and thinking. In this approach, therapists and clients work together as conversational partners engaged to explore new understandings and possibilities that address clients’ concerns. Collaboration calls for an attitude of shared inquiry and respect through dialogical and reflective processes. Reflecting teams are often used to provide the space for clients and therapists to hear multiple perspectives that contribute to the generation of new ideas and possibilities for conversational partners to explore.

HGI is a nonprofit counseling center and training institute that immerses clients and therapists in a community of collaboration. Consultation and research activities are also approached in this way of being with each other and with our clients. Our way of being creates an environment that encourages the successful dissolving of problems, increased competence, and confidence to co-create sustainable outcomes. Designed for use with individuals, families, and mental health systems, this approach has also proven effective with a variety of individuals and groups in various contexts, including daily life, organizations, businesses, higher education, and research.

Mindfulness can be defined as the awareness that comes from systematically paying attention on purpose in the present moment to whatever is being experienced. Historically grounded in Eastern spiritual traditions and practiced for thousands of years, mindfulness can be implemented in a variety of formal and informal ways, creating an accessible practice that can be applied in a number of contexts. The benefits of mindfulness are illustrated extensively in the research, establishing it as an evidence-based therapeutic practice for such physical and psychological challenges and disorders as depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, eating disorders, and substance use disorders. Among the mindfulness components and change mechanisms explored in the literature are awareness, attention, intention, and attitude that may be synthesized to access a state of present-focused consciousness that allows for nonjudgmental observation of thoughts and feelings. Among the formalized mindfulness-based interventions and therapeutic approaches are mindfulness-based stress reduction, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy, illustrating the prevalence of mindfulness in clinical contexts. In addition to these formalized approaches, mindfulness in clinical social work can be beneficial as an informal practice with clients, facilitating connection and therapeutic rapport, as well as a means of practitioner self-care.