Contemporary Clinical Practice: A Private Practitioner’s Perspective

For the last half-century, many in the social work academy have questioned whether private practitioners have forsaken the mission and values of social work. This article suggests that for the experienced social worker, private practice is part of a natural developmental process that can be deeply congruent with the values of the profession. However, there continues to be relatively little support within the academy for private practice. The more important question today may be: Has the social work profession forsaken the private practitioner?