Is self-determination still important? What seasoned social workers are saying.

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Melissa Floyd-Pickard, Professor and Department Chair (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: This study investigated the attitudes of 320 seasoned mental health social workers toward the social work value of self-determination. Social workers were asked to rate the importance of self-determination in their daily practice, both as a guiding value and in actual practice and were asked to describe, in relation to their practice history, any changes they had experienced in the importance of the value. The majority of participants responded that they thought more about self-determination now than in the past. Surprisingly, they also reported being relatively untroubled when practice situations conflicted with the value of self-determination, such as when a client was in need of involuntary treatment interventions. Participants provided rich information about why they believed changes had occurred in the way they thought of self-determination and how they implemented self-determination in practice with mental health clients.

Additional Information

Publication
Language: English
Date: 2006
Keywords
self-determination, mental health practice, ethical dilemmas, social work

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