As social work students who are interested in the social work fields of private practice, criminal justice, and education, we are likely to encounter adolescents at-risk of encountering the juvenile justice system or with a history in the system. Included in the ever-growing prison population in our country are thousands of people under the age of 18. In late 2014, there were over 50,000 adolescents under the age of 18 in juvenile detention facilities and over 4,000 adolescents under the age of 18 held in adult detention facilities. (Juveniles in Corrections: Demographics, n.d.). The population of females in juvenile institutions is growing as well, in addition to the number of males (McGlynn, Hahn, & Hagan, 2012). Although the number of juveniles
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Unhealthy thought patterns are present in a variety of clients and situations that social workers are likely to encounter including anxiety, depression, substance abuse, addiction to romantic partners, and aggression (Van Wormer, 2011). In the United States, where insurance companies prefer quick-fix treatments, CBT has been and continues to be heavily relied upon as an intervention of choice due to the fact that is a short-term therapy (Van Wormer, 2011). Additionally, training in CBT methods is fairly simple and assessments are standardized and easy to access (Van Wormer, …show more content…
As previously noted, the focus on an individual’s thought processes is considered to be a Western construct, so social issues are not addressed (Van Wormer, 2011). Emphasis is placed on changing the thought processes and self-talk of an individual, not on examining and correcting the flaws and injustices in a society. If a practitioner is focusing exclusively on a client’s self-talk and thought processes, larger societal forces will not be addressed and the client will not learn to advocate for themselves or function in a flawed society. For example, it is considered necessary and rational to cure a mental illness, such as depression, but it is not considered necessary to solve the issue of poverty, which undoubtedly causes depression for many people (Pilgrim, 2011). It is easier to focus on faults in an individual than it is to address and fix issues in a society. CBT is therefore not particularly viable on a global level and may not even be an answer for any given
Unhealthy thought patterns are present in a variety of clients and situations that social workers are likely to encounter including anxiety, depression, substance abuse, addiction to romantic partners, and aggression (Van Wormer, 2011). In the United States, where insurance companies prefer quick-fix treatments, CBT has been and continues to be heavily relied upon as an intervention of choice due to the fact that is a short-term therapy (Van Wormer, 2011). Additionally, training in CBT methods is fairly simple and assessments are standardized and easy to access (Van Wormer, …show more content…
As previously noted, the focus on an individual’s thought processes is considered to be a Western construct, so social issues are not addressed (Van Wormer, 2011). Emphasis is placed on changing the thought processes and self-talk of an individual, not on examining and correcting the flaws and injustices in a society. If a practitioner is focusing exclusively on a client’s self-talk and thought processes, larger societal forces will not be addressed and the client will not learn to advocate for themselves or function in a flawed society. For example, it is considered necessary and rational to cure a mental illness, such as depression, but it is not considered necessary to solve the issue of poverty, which undoubtedly causes depression for many people (Pilgrim, 2011). It is easier to focus on faults in an individual than it is to address and fix issues in a society. CBT is therefore not particularly viable on a global level and may not even be an answer for any given