Critical Thinking in Clinical Practice. Improving the Quality of Judgments and Decisions

Description

The knowledge and skills of critical thinking, evidence-based practice, problem solving, judgment, and decision making are essential to effectively serve clients in all types of clinical practices. This book teaches clinicians and students how to avoid fallacies and biases in thinking as well as the skills to make well-informed, ethical decisions. Grounded in the belief that clinical decision making is a challenging process that can be improved by honing the skills integral to evidence-based practice, this book explores common sources of error and provides psychologists, counselors, social workers, and allied health professionals practical guidance with decision aids and applications of critical thinking skills to clinical decision making.

Reviews

“Eileen Gambrill is unparalleled in her ability to describe common flaws and biases in clinical decision-making. The result in this revised edition is a steadfast call for change that also acknowledges the demands of practice. A must-read for clinicians and researchers alike.”
Elizabeth K. Anthony, PhD Assistant Professor School of Social Work Arizona State University

“This third edition builds upon the impressive strengths of Gambrill's prior treatments of the topic to support the notion that critical thinking is a teachable skill, and one essential for contemporary practice in the human services. This book should be the default authority on the topic of critical thinking for human service professionals, and would be an excellent textbook.”
Bruce A. Thyer, Ph.D., LCSW Professor and former Dean College of Social Work Florida State University

“I was skeptical about how Critical Thinking in Clinical Practice could be improved, but Eileen Gambrill has succeeded! Her articulation of critical thinking skills for clinical decisions ultimately will benefit the people whom we serve.”
Joanne Yaffe, PhD, ACSW Associate Professor of Social Work, Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry College of Social Work University of Utah

"Eileen Gambrill is unparalleled in her ability to describe common flaws and biases in clinical decision-making. The result in this revised edition is a steadfast call for change that also acknowledges the demands of practice. A must-read for clinicians and researchers alike."
—Elizabeth K. Anthony, PhD, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, Arizona State University

"This third edition builds upon the impressive strengths of Gambrill's prior treatments of the topic to support the notion that critical thinking is a teachable skill, and one essential for contemporary practice in the human services. This book should be the default authority on the topic of critical thinking for human service professionals, and would be an excellent textbook."
—Bruce A. Thyer, Ph.D., LCSW, Professor and former Dean, College of Social Work, Florida State University

"I was skeptical about how Critical Thinking in Clinical Practice could be improved, but Eileen Gambrill has succeeded! Her articulation of critical thinking skills for clinical decisions ultimately will benefit the people whom we serve."
—Joanne Yaffe, PhD, ACSW, Associate Professor of Social Work, Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry College of Social Work, University of Utah

Table of Contents

• Preface

PART 1 LAY OF THE LAND

• Chapter 1 The Need For Critical Thinking In Clinical Practice
• Chapter 2 Sources Of Influence On Clinical Decisions
• Chapter 3 Reasons And Reasoning; The Heart Of Making Decisions
• Chapter 4 Different Views Of Knowledge And How To Get It: Exploring Your Personal Epistemology

PART II COMMON SOURCES OF ERROR

• Chapter 5 The Influence Of Language And Persuasion Strategies
• Chapter 6 Formal And Informal Fallacies: Mistakes In Thinking And How To Avoid Them
• Chapter 7 Classification, Authority And Focusing On Pathology

PART III DECISION AIDS

• Chapter 8 Content And Procedural Knowledge
• Chapter 9 Taking Advantage Of Research On Judgment, Problem Solving, And Decision Making
• Chapter 10 Evidence-Based Practice: A Philosophy And Process For Making Informed Decisions
• Chapter 11 Posing Questions And Searching For Answers
• Chapter 12 Critical Appraisal Of Practice And Policy-Related Research: The Need For Skepticism

PART IV APPLYING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS TO CLINICAL DECISIONS

• Chapter 13 Making Decisions About Data Collection
• Chapter 14 Discovering Causes Of Clients' Problems: Common Biases
• Chapter 15 Making Predictions: Improving The Odds
• Chapter 16 Enhancing The Quality Of Case Conferences, Team Meetings, And Organizational Culture

PART V THE FUTURE

• Chapter 17 Overcoming Personal Obstacles To Critical Thinking
• Chapter 18 Maintaining Critical Thinking Skills

• References
• Author Index
• Subject Index
• About the Author