Short-term Treatment and Social Work Practice: An Integrative Perspective

The growing need for time-limited treatment, propelled by the widening influence of managed care in the mental health field, has produced a renewed focus on short-term therapy. But, until now, there has not been an integrated framework designed for the short-term intervention problems and diverse populations that social workers encounter.

In "Short-Term Treatment and Social Work Practice: An Integrative Perspective, " Eda G. Goldstein and Maryellen Noonan take the best of theories that social workers have relied on for decades, including ego psychology, other psychodynamic and psychosocial frameworks, and the cognitive-behavioral approach, to create a new short-term practice model for social workers. "Short-Term Treatment and Social Work Practice" introduces the authors' integrative short-term treatment (ISTT), and demonstrates in detail each aspect of the approach. Their book is replete with case examples that illustrate ISTT's principles and techniques and their use in a variety of situations -- including crisis intervention, family- and group-oriented therapy, treatment of clients with emotional disorders, and treatment of nonvoluntary and hard-to-reach clients.

As the first social work textbook describing an integrated framework for short-term treatment and practice, "Short-Term Treatment and Social Work Practice" fills a void the mental health field. Offering a comprehensive, practical, in-depth discussion, this book promises to become a vital new resource for students and practitioners alike.