Clinical Social Work in Ethiopia: A Field Study in Gondar

AbstractSocial work as currently practiced in Ethiopia does not commonly include mental health clinical interventions as traditionally practiced in the United States. Instead, the social work profession has had a sporadic presence throughout the years depending on government rule and the degree to which social problems have been relegated to community and volunteer systems. Today, social work in Ethiopia is heavily influenced by the rapid pace of technological change and economic development occurring in urban areas and to a limited extent in rural villages. Consequently, during the last fourteen years the number of universities offering social work educational programs (i.e., bachelor ’s, master’s, or doctoral levels) has expanded to twelve, although these programs have neither official licensure nor designation. Likewise, the number of field placements for social work students is growing despite the lack of a professional workforce to provide field supervision. Relevant soci opolitical history, cultural themes, current mental health controversies, social work training and educational policies, social work research conducted are all reviewed in this article. The authors also interviewed social workers and their supervisors in Gondar, Ethiopia, to ascertain relevant theor etical frameworks, types of assessment and research, and perceived future needs for the profession of social work in general and clinical social work in particular.
Source: Clinical Social Work Journal - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research