CLINICAL SOCIAL-WORK-PRACTICE WITH URBAN AFRICAN-AMERICAN FAMILIES

Clinical social work practice with urban African American families req uires approaches that account for clients' sociocultural and sociopoli tical contexts and are responsive to their particular needs and resour ces. A contextual model which reflects a strengths-oriented and compet ency-based paradigm is most pertinent for this practice. mis article r eviews the theoretical and research work on the strengths and issues s ignificant for contemporary urban African American families and presen ts a competency-based approach (CBA) for practice. It covers six centr al components: I)competence; 2) attachment; 3) process; 4) recontextua lization; 5) manageability; and 6) use of self including an example of their application in clinical social work practice with one such fami ly.