Main 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.

Contents:

Preface ix Part I: Lay of the Land 1 The Need for Critical Thinking in Clinical Practice 3 2 Sources of Influence on Clinical Decisions 29 3 R easons and Reasoning: The Heart of Making Decisions 57 4 Different Views of Knowledge and How to Get It: Exploring Your Personal Epistemology 87 Part II: Common Sources of Error 5 The Influence of Language and Persuasion Strategies 131 6 Formal and Informal Fallacies: Mistakes in Thinking and How to Avoid Them 155 7 Classification, Authority, and Focusing on Pathology 181 Part III: Decision Aids 8 Content and Procedural Knowledge 209 9 Taking Advantage of Research on Judgment, Problem Solving, and Decision Making 239 10 Evidence-Based Practice: A Philosophy and Process for Making Informed Decisions 275 11 Posing Questions and Searching for Answers 297 12 Critical Appraisal of Practice- and Policy-Related Research: The Need for Skepticism 335 Part IV: Applying Critical Thinking Skills to Clinical Decisions 13 Making Decisions About Data Collection 377 14 Discovering Causes of Clients Problems: Common Biases 409 15 Making Predictions: Improving the Odds 453 16 Enhancing the Quality of Case Conferences, Team Meetings, and Organizational Culture 481 Part V: The Future 17 Overcoming Personal Obstacles to Critical Thinking 509 18 Maintaining Critical Thinking Skills 533 References 549 About the Author 623 Author Index 625 Subject Index 641