Department
Social Work
Date of Paper/Work
2016
Degree Name
Master of Social Work (M.S.W.)
Type of Paper/Work
Clinical research paper
Advisors
David Roseborough
Abstract
Shame is a powerful emotion and experience that impacts how individuals interpret a situation, and often their behavior. It correlates with a number of mental health conditions that are commonly treated by psychotherapists, and yet the explicit or implicit treatment of shame directly or simultaneous to the disorder is less common. A qualitative exploratory study was conducted in an attempt to gather insight regarding the conceptualization, observation, and treatment of shame in the context of psychotherapy by both generalists and specialists (those with and without explicit training in relation to shame and its treatment). Themes that emerged from the data included: the difference between guilt and shame, observations of shame, and the treatment of shame. Social workers can utilize this information to gain a better understanding of the importance of recognizing, understanding, and naming shame in a clinical context and to have more skills in addressing it with clients.
Keywords
shame, guilt, psychotherapy, treatment, education, training
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Perez, Jennifer, "Understanding and Treating Shame: The Role of the Clinician" (2016). Social Work Master’s Clinical Research Papers. 685.
https://ir.stthomas.edu/ssw_mstrp/685