Michael C. LaSala, PhD, LCSW, Professor and Director of the Doctorate of Social Work (DSW) Program, authored a new book, Clinical Social Work with Individuals, Families, and Groups: The Healing Power of Relationships.
Clinical Social Work with Individuals, Families, and Groups while largely useful as a textbook this volume, speaks broadly to those seeking to harness their own healing and engagement skills to support and heal others. The book provides practitioners with tested methods for intervention, rooted in research, social justice, field application, and Dr. LaSala’s 40 years of practice. Using engaging case examples, the book offers reflective questioning, guidance on how to use various techniques, and important discussions on supporting clients during the time of COVID.
The book is chock full of practical tips. For example, as “If, in an attempt to be empathic, you misread a client’s feelings and they trust you enough to correct you, this is a good sign. The attempt to be empathic in and of itself can be therapeutic because it demonstrates the clinician’s desire to understand. The client will appreciate this, which can in fact, facilitate healing” (p. 62).
Relevant for conversations and therapeutic skill development in the context of social work values, this critical clinical textbook comes at just the right time. Offering indispensable guidance for beginning as well as advanced practitioners, Clinical Social Work with Individuals, Families, and Groups emphasizes the importance of building relationships with your clients as well as yourself to heal across all contexts.
