No abstract

The authors have acquired experience in, and opinions on, ethical decision making while serving on a (U.S.) National Association of Social Workers (NASW) peer consultation ethics call line. The authors agree with scholars who view all human perceptions and activities as shaped by values, with the concurrent need to become more self-conscious about the ethical dimension of our daily life and professional practice. It is argued that our social work code of ethics is a necessary but insufficient tool for ethical decision making. The Code of Ethics (National Association of Social Workers, 1996) is frequently used as a risk management tool, offering guidelines for practice which may or may not be compatible with the goals of social justice for which social work ideally stands. Additionally, the unique and unexpected ways ethical issues emerge in clinical practice work against attempts to apply the Code as a rule book. Distinctions between ethical, legal, and clinical issues are difficult, given that the two latter domains have inevitable ethical implications. The authors urge readers to supplement a model of purely rational, ethical decision making with their emotions and intuition as shaped by our culture and our profession. Ethical judgments are best made in small groups where members bring different perspectives and intuitions to the process while agreeing on basic humanistic values.

The categories provided by the language of our culture give us a meaning-making framework that guides our perception of the world. This paper views the process of categorizing people from a constructivist perspective. It argues that many categories such as race, nationality, homosexuality, and gender are arbitrary social constructions created to fill some human purpose based on sociopolitical rather than biological or "natural" considerations. Similarity among people may arise from a history of being in the same category rather than being the basis for categorization. Whereas people are attached to categories that shape their identity and unite with other persons from similar categories to fight for their rights, they should also envisage the possibility of revising these arbitrary categories.

Our rapidly changing culture raises questions about standards of normality that social workers are often asked to help enforce. The author insists that we need standards to guide our communal life while also reminding the reader that normality is a mere context-social construct. The article gives examples of drastically changing standards such as the changing expectations of normal sexuality or normal child rearing. Therapeutic standards, partially laid down in the Code of Ethics, are, moreover, the guidelines for social work practice, given the close interface between ethical values and clinical practice. The ambiguity of the meaning of normal and abnormal is discussed, suggesting that abnormal behavior may be required in the face of social injustices.

study. The use of a single hypothesis using suggestive interviewing techniques, repetition of questions, and the use of anatomically detailed dolls results in a high incidence of false memories in their studies. Repeated suggestions and stereotypes led to convincing fabrications of non occurring events.The study of domestic violence reports that women are injured more often than men and that those who commit violence are often those who were themselves beaten or who as children witnessed violence against their mothers. Wife beating is often accompanied by physical/sexual abuse of children. Substance abuse and depression are risk factors with alcohol abuse in 85 % of cases and cocaine in 30%. Women with masochistic tendencies encourage abuse and stay in battering relationships. Therapists need to network with social service, police, advocacy groups, and the legal system. Treatment includes crisis intervention, psychotherapy, couple/ family therapy, and substance-abuse treatment.Along with other victims (children and female spouses), elders are also abused. Unrealistic expectations of caregivers or the resentment of children toward these helpless elders contributes to the incidence. Evaluations (often reported by nursing homes) should include physical and neurological exams along with lab tests and x-rays as well as assessment of cognitive function using such tests as the Mini Mental State Exam. The authors call for expansion of in-home services along with reinforcement of public and professional awareness.This book is an excellent guide for professionals and the public. It should be consulted by mental health professionals, primary care physicians, schools, social agencies, and public health agencies.Evanston Conversation-is framed by the story of a family that had unsatisfactory family therapy and it could almost be viewed as an answer to the challenges and criticisms raised by this family. Actually, all along, Anderson as a seasoned educator, poses questions and then proceeds to answer them, appropriately reflecting the central importance of good questions in therapy, discussed later in the book. Several important questions, as well as answers, are presented through client stories. The author solves the difficult issues of confidentiality by using only cases that were already in the public domain, such as videotapes of consultations and live interviews during conferences and workshops. Questions are chosen to lead us 258