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Joseph F. Walsh

Joseph F. Walsh

Professor
Phone: (804) 828-8208
Email: jwalsh@vcu.edu

Working with severely disturbed clients

“I’m very enthusiastic about my direct practice and like to emphasize the importance of developing a comfortable working relationship with clients. For whatever reason, I was always good at developing good relationships with severely disturbed people and once you can do that — which is hard and some people just don’t feel comfortable with the population — you can really help them.

“I enjoy these kinds of clients more than any other population I’ve worked with. I’ve learned different ways of trying to help them adjust to community life and take risks to expand their social networks. It’s rewarding for me just to be able to engage these clients in a good relationship and certainly be a part of any other positive changes they make.”

Education

  • Ph.D. – Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
  • M.S.W. – Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
  • B.A. – Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

Research interests

  • Clinical social work practice
  • Service delivery to persons with serious mental illnesses (schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, depression)

Courses taught

  • Clinical Social Work Practice I
  • Clinical Social Work Practice II
  • Clinical HBSE
  • Special Topics in Clinical Social Work Practice
  • Foundations of Social Work Research
  • Introduction to Social Work

Selected publications

  • Walsh, J., & Lantz, J. (2007). Short-term existential intervention in clinical practice. Chicago: Lyceum.

  • Walsh, J. (2007). Endings in clinical practice: Ensuring closure across service settings (2nd ed). Chicago: Lyceum.

  • Farmer, R.L., Walsh, J., & Bentley, K.J. (2006). Advancing social work curriculum in psychopharmacology and medication management. Journal of Social Work Education, 42(2), 211-229.

  • Bentley, K.J., Walsh, J., & Farmer, R.L. (2005). Roles and activities of social workers with psychiatric medication: Results of a national survey. Social Work, 50(4), 295-303.

  • Bentley, K.J., Walsh, J., & Farmer, R.L. (2005). Referring clients for psychiatric medication: Best practices for social workers. Best practices in Mental Health: An International Journal, 1(1), 59-71.

Professional affiliations

  • National Association of Social Workers
  • Virginia Clinical Social Work Society