The life of Matthew O. Howard, PhD, an internationally recognized scholar whose work significantly impacted social work, psychiatry, psychology, and the addictions, is described. Dr. Howard’s scientific, policy, practice, and educational achievements are noted. His contributions to advancing the science of mindfulness as well as social work research and education over a 30-year career are outlined.
Article
Howard, Matthew Owen
Eric L. Garland and Jeffrey M. Jenson
Article
Meditation, Mindfulness, and Social Work
Sadye L. M. Logan
Research has shown that social workers and other helping professionals can make use of the contemplative practices from religion and spiritual disciplines. These practices can be utilized as tools that help social workers become more intentional and effective change agents as helpers in their work with individuals, families, children, and communities. This entry discusses the evolution and emergence of the practices of meditation and mindfulness within the helping context, starting with the historic roots in different religions to its usage in the early 21st century with children and families. Additionally, it addresses the limitations and benefits of meditation and mindfulness as practice tools.
Article
Cultural Competence and Critical Consciousness in Social Work Pedagogy
Ronald Pitner and Izumi Sakamoto
For social workers, developing cultural competence is a necessary hallmark for interacting with our increasingly diverse and complex world. Developing cultural competence, however, requires continuously raising one’s level of critical consciousness. Critical consciousness and related concepts such as reflexivity, critical self-reflection, and critical self-awareness are widely recognized as a fundamental building block of human service practice, including social work practice. However, the dynamics involved in raising our own levels of critical consciousness are lengthy and messy because we often encounter cognitive and affective roadblocks. Thus, there is no single pedagogical strategy that could help all social work students effectively engage with this process. In this article the concept of critical consciousness postulated by Pitner and Sakamoto is applied specifically to the social work classroom setting. Their Critical Consciousness Conceptual Model (CCCM), which describes the process of developing critical consciousness by engaging one’s cognitive, affective, and behavioral domains, is presented. How this model can be incorporated as a pedagogical tool to help social work students develop and further strengthen their own levels of critical consciousness in the classroom setting is discussed, as are various pedagogical methods, including classroom debate, identity paper assignment, “creating a world map” exercise, and mindfulness-based pedagogy. Finally, implications for social work education are explored.
Article
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Edward R. Canda and Sherry Warren
This entry provides an introduction to mindfulness as a therapeutic practice applied within social work, including in mental health and health settings. It describes and critiques mindfulness-based practices regarding definitions, history, current practices, best practices research, and ethical issues related to using evidence-based practices, acquiring competence, addressing social justice, and respecting diversity.
Article
Integrative Body–Mind–Spirit Social Work Practice
Salome Raheim, Sue Tebb, Mo Yee Lee, Collina D. Cooke, Chang Liu, and Siu-Man Ng
Integrative body–mind–spirit social work is a client-centered, strength-based holistic approach that blends the conventional social work professional practice base with Eastern philosophies. This whole person approach views harmony, balance, and awareness of connectedness among body, mind, and spirit and between the individual and larger significant systems as fundamental to health, mental health, and well-being. Acknowledgment of the body, mind, and spirit as sources of power and wisdom and attention to each of these domains in treatment are distinguishing features of this approach. Research findings during the past 20 years in the fields of neuroscience, psychoneuroimmunology, psychosocial genomics, epigenetics, health, and behavioral health support this more nuanced understanding of the biopsychosocial spiritual perspective. The unique features of this approach are based on selected aspects of several Chinese traditions—philosophical Buddhism and Daoism, traditional Chinese medicine, and the yin–yang perspective. Beyond problem-solving and symptom elimination, the focus of intervention is creating long-term healing and spiritual growth. Treatment techniques include meditation, other mindfulness exercises, and body movement therapies such as qi gong to deepen awareness of the body, mind, and spirit and their interconnection, restore balance and energy flow, and nurture the body.
