Neurobiology For Clinical Social Work

Theory and Practice

Jeffrey S. Applegate

Janet R. Shapiro

Praise for Neurobiology for Clinical Social Work:

"This truly seminal volume. . . . strongly validates the applicability of infant research findings to both adult relationships in general and clinical social work practice in particular. . . . [T]his is the first major publication that specifically addresse shte subject from a social work perspective. . . . [A] major contribution. . . one which can be enlightening and stimulating to both clinical social workers and our colleagues in related fields."
—Psychoanalytic Social Work

"Applegate and Shapiro have made an outstanding contribution to social work with this book. They take very complex neurobiological concepts and make them simple, without being simplistic. They help the reader to understand the biological aspects of the biopsychosocial equation, and, in so doing, teach the field a great deal about affects, trauma, character pathology, infancy, and a range of developmental disorders. This is a wonderful book for beginning and very advanced practitioners that truly moves our field forward in very nuanced and important ways."
–Joan Berzoff, MSW, Ed.D., Co-Director, Doctoral Program, Director, End-of-Life Care Certificate Program, Smith College School for Social Work

"A seminal book for the social work profession! Drs. Applegate and Shapiro integrate the latest neurobiology knowledge with historical and current social work and psychological theories in a manner that bridges the soma and psyche into coherent theoretical frameworks of understanding and intervention. In particular, the book addresses the important interplay between neurological and psychological processes and how these interactions affect typical and atypical growth and development of children, especially related to attachment, early caregiving relationships, and affect regulation. A must-read for all clinical social workers and other mental health professionals."

–Jack C. Wall, Ph.D., Dean, Loyola University Chicago, School of Social Work

"Social workers will find this volume very readable and will discover practical and effective ways to incorporate neurobiological findings into their everyday repertoire of techniques.”
—Virginia Child Protection Newsletter

"Jeffrey Applegate and his collaborator, Janet Shapiro, have been some of the pioneers among social work educators and clinicians to examine these neuroscientific findings in order to highlight personality development, the relationship between client and clinician, and implicatons for social work education... [A]n engaging and accessible book.... [I]ncludes a wealth of clinical illustrations with diverse social work populations that help demonstrate complex concepts and integrate them into social work practice and field education. The authors succeed in showing that it is vital to understand how neuoscience infiltrates all aspects of the therputic process including assessment, diagnosis, and treatment, and how knowledge in this area can contribute to greater understanding of the dynamics of the client-clinician relationship. The book would make a valuable companion to any advanced practice social work textbook and an excellent source of reference for social work practitioners and clinicians in general.”
—Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Service

"[A] major contribution to social work literature…The authors discuss complex neurobiological concepts in a highly understandable manner. This particular strength of the text insures that the content  can be accessible to both students and seasoned practitioners....[A]n excellent contribution to the rapidly growing fields of neurobiology, cognitive neuroscience, developmental theory and contemporary attachment theory. It has clear applicability for social work practitioners, in addition to other mental health professionals....[F]urther establishes social work as a leader in applying complex theories and practice to marginalized and vulnerable populations. I congratulate them in this fine accomplishment.”
—Clinical Social Work Journal

Overview – Preview the Contents and Introduction

The last fifteen years have produced an explosion of research on the neurobiology of attachment. This research, which explores the ways in which affect regulation play key roles in determining the structure and function of the developing brain and mind, has led to a revolution in the way that parent-child relationships are viewed. Although these insights have informed psychiatry as well as cognitive and psychoanalytic psychology, their application to social work practice, education, and research has been lacking.

Here for the first time ever, social work educators Jeffrey Applegate and Janet Shapiro demystify neurobiology and present it anew with the social work audience specifically in mind. Social workers, by virtue of their work with at-risk children and families, occupy a unique position from which to employ this new research in prevention and intervention. This lack of education about neurobiology has unfortunately fostered misconceptions among social workers that these theories are too academic and thus irrelevant to clinical practice. Neurobiology for Clinical Social Work corrects this misconception and introduces social workers to the powerful and practical ideas that are coming out of neurobiological research.

The research summarized here offers new insights about the crucial role that relationships play in human development and in professional helping efforts. To set the stage for this inquiry, the authors introduce fundamentals of brain structure, development, and functioning in the first parts of the book. This introduction is intended as a primer and proceeds from the assumption that many readers are relatively unfamiliar with the field of brain science. Building on this foundation, the authors go on to describe the manner in which memory and affect regulation are neuropsychological processes. The next chapters of the book delve into the concepts of attachment. Specifically, the authors are concerned with how precursors to attachment evolve during the earliest months of an infant’s life and how various attachment classifications (secure, insecure, disorganized) lead to affect regulation—the ability of a child to regulate emotion. Throughout the book these concepts are discussed in the context of what social workers face when trying to find explanatory structures for the ways in which early childhood experiences affect later life.

Later chapters turn even more directly toward practice. Using case examples—including adolescent parents and their children, children with a depressed parent, and children of substance abusing parents—Applegate and Shapiro show clinicians how to make use of neurobiological concepts in designing treatment plans and interventions. One chapter contains three extended case examples, with commentary, representing the three most common intervention models taught in schools of social work—psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and systemic. Various settings, such as community mental health, family service agencies, and child welfare, are also discussed.

In order to be effective and meet the complex challenges of the twenty-first century, social work professionals must join with their colleagues in other disciplines in coordinated efforts to integrate and apply newly emerging knowledge toward the enhancement of human well-being. Neurobiology for Clinical Social Work is a great place to start this process of integration and learning.

About the Authors

Jeffrey Applegate, Ph.D. is Professor of Social Work and Social Research at Bryn Mawr College. Trained in psychiatric social work at the Menninger Foundation, Applegate is coauthor of The Facilitating Partnership: A Winnicottian Approach for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals.

 

Janet R. Shapiro, Ph. D., is Associate Professor of Social Work and Social Research, as well as Director of the Center for Child and Family Well-Being, at Bryn Mawr College. She holds dual degrees in social work and developmental psychology, and is coauthor of Complex Adoption and Assisted Reproductive Technology: A Developmental Framework for Clinical Practice.

ISBN: 0-393-70420-3
2005/236 pages

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