Clinical social work practice with urban African American families requires approaches that account for clients' sociocultural and sociopolitical contexts and are responsive to their particular needs and resources. A contextual model which reflects a strengths-oriented and competency-based paradigm is most pertinent for this practice. This article reviews the theoretical and research work on the strengths and issues significant for contemporary urban African American families and presents a competency-based approach (CBA) for practice. It covers six central components: 1) competence; 2) attachment; 3) process; 4) recontextualization; 5) manageability; and 6) use of self including an example of their application in clinical social work practice with one such family.
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