Abstract

There has been some speculation in the literature about how the postmodern philosophical movement fits in with the goals of clinical social work. The purpose of this study has been to determine what the impact of postmodernism has been on the work of social work clinicians who have embraced it as a frame-of-reference for practice. Via a qualitative study of clinical practice as it was engaged in by twenty-eight postmodernists, this study attempted to create a thematic profile of the parameters and textures of such work. ;There was an exploration of what led the clinicians interviewed to consider postmodern ideas, how these ideas had influenced their view of truth and context, the way that they used or rejected theory, their transformed use of language, and how they saw themselves and others. ;There was, also, a discussion of how these clinicians translated the foregoing ideas into their clinical work, how they envisioned diagnosis and assessment and how they viewed mental health and the goal of treatment. There was an examination of the role of the therapist from a postmodern perspective and how the traditional ideas of transference and countertransference have been influenced by postmodern approaches. There was a discussion of the logistics of time, fees, and names and a discussion of ethical considerations. ;Some of the conclusions were that these practitioners used a both/and perspective in addressing the contradictions of the traditional vs. postmodern approach to thinking and engaging in practice. Most had undergone a perceptual shift in looking at the clinical situation as a product of their own influence on the relationship, the diagnosis, and the outcome. It seemed that these new ideas may have represented a welcome antidote to the exigencies of managed-care on current practice--although there was a danger that some of the new forms of therapy based on postmodernism could become co-opted by managed-care initiatives. Despite postmodernism's emphasis on an egalitarian relationship between clinician and service user, several of the respondents charged high fees and continued to use the medicalizing language of pathology. Some of these results may have reflected the way in which postmodernism has been filtered through a first-order lens and has not been fully integrated into practice. This study attempted to contribute to the emerging postmodern clinical social work narrative