Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 30 - Professions and Occupations › Part 1902 - RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR SOCIAL WORKERS › Chapter 1 - General Provisions › Rule 30-1902-1.1 - DEFINITIONS

Current through June 25, 2024
A. "Social Work
				Practice" means the professional activity directed at enhancing, protecting or
				restoring people's capacity for social functioning, whether impaired by
				physical, environmental, or emotional factors. It is the professional
				application of social work values, principles, skills, and knowledge directed
				to one or more of the following ends: helping people obtain tangible services;
				counseling or psychotherapy with individuals, families, and groups; helping
				communities or groups to provide and/or improve social and health services;
				engaging in consulting, research, and teaching relating to those ends and
				principles; and administering organizations and agencies engaging in such
				practice and participating in relevant legislative processes.
Social work practice is based on a specific body of knowledge
				  and includes, but is not limited to, a special knowledge of social resources,
				  social systems, human capabilities, and the part that past experiences play in
				  determining present behavior. Social work practice is focused on the client's
				  interaction with social systems and directed at helping people to achieve more
				  adequate, satisfying, productive, and self-realizing social adjustments.
Social work practice includes, but is not restricted to,
				  casework and the use of social work methodology of a non-medical nature with
				  individuals, families, and groups and other measures to help people modify
				  behavior or personal and family adjustment; providing information and referral
				  services; explaining and interpreting the psycho-social aspects in the
				  situation of individuals, families, or groups; helping communities to analyze
				  social problems and human needs and the direct delivery of human services; and
				  education and research related to the practice of social work. Engaging in
				  activities which may overlap social work practice does not constitute social
				  work practice.
B. Clinical
				Social Work Practice means the application of social work methods and values in
				diagnosis and treatment and prevention of psychosocial dysfunction disability
				or impairment including emotional, mental, and behavioral disorders. It is
				directed at enhancing, protecting, or restoring people's capacity for social
				functioning, whether impaired by physical, environmental, or emotional factors.
				Clinical social work has a primary focus on the mental, emotional and
				behavioral well-being of individuals, couples, families and groups. It centers
				on a holistic approach to psychotherapy and the client's relationship with his
				or her environment as essential to treatment planning.
C. "Macro social work practice" focuses on
				changing larger systems, such as communities and organizations. It encompasses
				a broad spectrum of practice, including planning, program development,
				community organizing, policy analysis, legislative advocacy, program
				evaluation, task-oriented group work, community education, and human services
				management.
D. "Examination" means
				that test or other measurement which is endorsed and prescribed by the
				Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB.)
E. "Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)"
				is the national Association of Social Work Boards.
F. "Council on Social Work Education" (CSWE)
				is the national entity which accredits schools, departments, and programs of
				social work in higher education.
G.
				"Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists" (BOE
				SW/MFT) is the legislatively authorized regulatory board for practitioners in
				the respective disciplines of social work and marriage and family
				therapy.
H. "Psychotherapy" is a
				specialized, formal interaction between a social worker or other mental health
				professional and a client (either individual, couple, family or group) in which
				a therapeutic relationship is established to help resolve symptoms of mental
				disorder, psychosocial stress, relationship problems and difficulties in coping
				in the social environment.
Miss. Code
				  Ann. §§
										73-53-3 and
				  73-53-11(1)(c) and
				  (k) (Supp.
				  2011).