Critical Thinking in Clinical Practice (3^rd Ed.) Improving the Quality of Judgments and Decisions

Praise for Critical Thinking in Clinical Practice, Third Edition

"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, PhD, LCSW, Professor and former Dean, Florida State University College of Social Work

"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 we serve."
?Joanne Yaffe, PhD, ACSW, Associate Professor of Social Work and Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Utah

A balanced and illustrative guide to incorporating critical-thinking values, knowledge, and skills into clinical education and practice

Now in a third edition, Critical Thinking in Clinical Practice is written for helping professionals who want to think more clearly about the decisions they make and the context in which they make them. It is a practical volume for clinicians who would like to expand their knowledge of common pitfalls and fallacies in clinical reasoning.

As in earlier editions, this Third Edition draws on research related to problem solving and decision making, illustrating the relevance of research findings to everyday clinical practice and policy.

Revised throughout, the new edition includes discussion of:

• The influence of pharmaceutical companies on the helping professions, including disease mongering?the creation of bogus risks, problems, and needless worries
• Different kinds of propaganda in the helping professions that compromise informed consent
• Additional coverage of classification, pathology, reliance on authority, and hazards in data collection
• The development of decision aids of value to both professionals and clients
• The relative contribution of specific interventions compared to nonspecific factors to positive outcome
• Factors related to decision making in multidisciplinary teams
• New developments regarding intuitive and analytic reasoning
• The pragmatic theory of fallacies

Designed to enhance the quality of services offered to clients, Critical Thinking in Clinical Practice, Third Edition is filled with insightful examples, useful lists, websites, and guidelines, presenting an essential resource for all helping professionals and students in the helping professions.

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

Eileen Gambrill is the Hutto Patterson Professor of Child and Family Studies at the School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley, where she teaches both research and practice. Her research and writing cover professional decision making, evidence-informed practice, the role of critical thinking, propaganda in the helping professions and its harmful effects, and the ethics of helping. She presents nationally and internationally on the topics of critical thinking, evidence-informed practice, and the ethics of helping.