Introducing...On Clinical Social Work: Meditations and Truths From the Field

     We are excited to announce Dr. Danna Bodenheimer's 2nd book from The New Social Worker Press, On Clinical Social Work: Meditations and Truths From the Field. The book (ISBN 978-1-929109-66-1, hardcover; ISBN 978-1-929109-65-4, paperback) is available now on Amazon.com and at other bookstores. The foreword is by Dr. Jonathan B. Singer, founder and host of the Social Work Podcast.

     This beautiful, full-color volume is Dr. Bodenheimer's "love letter" to clinical social work and clinical social workers. In addition to her personal and conversational style of writing and practice wisdom, the volume features 23 breath-taking color photographs from her daily photography practice. The book makes a lovely and meaningful gift for any new graduate, beginning student, or lifelong learner in clinical social work.

     From the back of the book:

     Through words and images, Dr. Danna Bodenheimer brings to life a wide range of realities for clinical social workers. Consider her a master teacher, supportive mentor, or caring friend--this volume of “meditations and truths” is her gift to you and to the social work profession she loves.

     In her own gentle voice and conversational style, On Clinical Social Work is a collection of Bodenheimer’s writings and photographs. She encourages you to think critically about everything from assessment, diagnosis, intervention, and clinical supervision to the social worker’s internal world, anxieties, and self-care. She expounds on attachment and trauma in detail. She comments on current events and how they relate to the clinician’s work. Through it all, she weaves themes of social justice and an awareness of macro-level influences on clients’ lives.

     Images from Dr. Bodenheimer’s daily self-care practice of photography offer a glimpse into her deep exploration into the details of both clients’ and clinical social workers’ everyday lives through the keen focus of her camera’s lens.

     Building on her first book, Real World Clinical Social Work: Find Your Voice and Find Your Way, this volume shows you that you are not alone. All clinicians are seeking the “truth” about their work, and that is okay.

     Advance readers have praised On Clinical Social Work:

From the Foreword

"Danna pays attention to life’s details with a psychotherapist’s insight and writes about them with the passion of a slam poet. She speaks to the soul of social work and inspires us to think about more than just social work."

Jonathan B. Singer, Ph.D., LCSW

Associate Professor, Loyola University Chicago

Founder and host, Social Work Podcast

"I read Danna’s writing with excitement because I know that, in her reflections, I will find some of my own truths. I find myself thinking that we are so different from each other. After all, we are of different ages, races, sexual orientations, religions, family structures. Yet, I consistently find connection to her thoughts and feelings. Her writing is honest, passionate, and filled with wisdom."

Valerie Dorsey Allen, DSW, LSW

Director, African-American Resource Center

University Of Pennsylvania

"Dr. Bodenheimer writes not only about “how to” for social workers but also talks about the role of the social workers themselves. This emphasis on self reflection is often missing from treatment manuals."

Sean Erreger, LCSW

Stuck on Social Work Blog

"Dr. Bodenheimer’s book offers pearls of wisdom that all clinical social workers, ranging from novices to seasoned practitioners, can truly benefit from. I plan to include this book as recommended reading on the Advanced Social Work Practice [and] Leadership and Management course syllabi that I teach."

Jack B. Lewis, DSW, LCSW

Assistant Professor

Stockton University MSW Program

Table of Contents

Foreword by Jonathan B. Singer

Acknowledgments

Introduction to the Essays

     Why I Believe New Social Workers Are a Gift

Introduction to the Photos    

PART 1: The Field and Its Stressors and Realities

PART 2: Attachment and Trauma

PART 3: Diagnosis and Beyond

PART 4: Our Clinical-Internal Worlds

PART 5: On Theory

PART 6: Self-Care

PART 7: What To Do and How To Do It: The World of Assessment and Intervention

PART 8: Demystifying Dominant Tropes

PART 9: Clinical Social Justice, We Were Made for This

References

About the Author

List of Photographs

Granular

Golden Hour

No Libs Art

Beach Glass

Reluctant Companions

Childhood

Strawberry

Messaging

Showcasing

Path

Shells

Pink Tree

Banality

Micro-Flower

Horizon

Windmill

Rain

Yes, Ship

Abandoned

Reflecting Trees

Bird of Grief

Proper Graffiti

Sunset

About the Author

    Dr. Danna Bodenheimer, LCSW, lives and works in Philadelphia, PA. She received both her bachelor's and master's degrees from Smith College, in addition to attending a post-baccalaureate program in psychology at Columbia University. Danna went on to receive her doctorate in social work from the University of Pennsylvania.

     Danna divides her time between consulting, supervising, writing, and practicing. After nearly 10 years in private practice, Danna opened the Walnut Psychotherapy Center, an outpatient, trauma-informed mental health practice that serves the LGBTQ population. The practice makes use of psychodynamic therapy and strives to make long-term mental health treatment affordable and available to as many people in Philadelphia as possible.

     Danna has taught at the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, Rutgers University, and currently at Bryn Mawr's Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. She teaches clinical practice and classes on gender and sexuality. Danna is now the head of the Walnut Psychotherapy Center.

     She is the mother of two fascinating and inquisitive young boys. She uses social work theory to understand both her personal life and her professional life, strongly believing that social work is the field that will lead us forward into a more equitable and just future. Using Philadelphia as a landscape to study issues of oppression, intersecting identities, and complex socioeconomic struggle, Danna's love of and commitment to social work deepens steadily over time.

     Danna received the 2011-2012 Award for Excellence in Teaching from the University of Pennsylvania. She was also selected as a fellow for the American Psychoanalytic Association for 2012-2013. She is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in Pennsylvania.