Model Of Social Work Practice Research Articles

The Strengths Perspective: A First Step in Empowerment

This paper presents a strategy for introducing empowerment approaches to undergraduate students in social work. At the same time it incorporates a focus on developing student skills in the practice relationship. An emphasis on a strengths-based assessment model as an empowering practice intervention helps students to understand the relationship between individual strengths and a collective empowerment lens. The overall quality of the client/worker relationship is explored as well as particular practice techniques in interviewing. The strategy uses an interactive, experiential exercise format that engages students both in process and content. Instructional goals and a subjective learning evaluation process are discussed. The history of social work practice is replete with metaphors for empowerment. Jane Addams' Hull House, Bertha Capen Reynolds' emphasis on “plain people” (1964), and the inclusion of Freirean “dialogic processes” (1973) represent a few of the efforts that have shaped current social work practice models of empowerment that target oppression. In the reactionary political climate of the 1990s, the call for empowerment approaches has gained nearly as much urgency as oppression itself. This paper will examine the relationship of empowerment principles to social work practice and education and will demonstrate the usefulness of the strengths perspective in making political/empowerment issues relevant to BSW students. It will incorporate Charles Cowger's work on assessment (Cowger, 1992Cowger, 1997) and through it will consider appropriate instructional goals, including skill development necessary to building relationships with clients. Finally, it will describe the link from individual strengths-based relationships to an empowerment stance.

New Directions in Systems Theory: Chaos and Complexity

At least since the 1940s, attempts have been made to construct a theory that would address the way in which ordered arise and behave. Social work practitioners have adopted such popular theoretical models as theory, developed by Ludwig von Bertalanffy and others, which has sought general principles that would apply to biology, psychology, sociology, or any other discipline that sought to explore self-sustaining, open systems (von Bertalanffy, 1968). Similarly, theorists such as Germaine and Gitterman (1981) developed models of social work practice based on an ecological metaphor, which seek broad principles of practice that will apply across different levels of human social systems. Recently, Wakefield (1996a, 1996b, 1996c) critiqued theories as an important basis for social work practice. Wakefield questioned the utility of theory and the empirical basis of the theories. This article responds in part to these critiques by introducing advances in theory that provide a more promising empirical and mathematical basis for studying human systems. During the past two decades, a mixed group of physical, social, biological, and computer scientists have devoted increasing attention to two systems-related disciplines: chaos theory and complexity theory. Often termed dynamics because they seek to understand that change in ways that are not amenable to the linear cause and effect models familiar to social scientists, these theoretical perspectives are thought to have application across a wide range of scientific and social scientific disciplines (Kauffman, 1995; Kiel & Elliott, 1996). This article discusses the disciplines of dynamics - chaos and complexity - in a way that is understandable and relevant to social work practitioners and researchers. This introduction to dynamics will be mostly conceptual in nature, but will involve some mathematics as well. As yet, no general introductory text on dynamics aimed specifically at social scientists exists, although the volume edited by Kiel and Elliott (1996) included solid articles on most of the central issues, including data analysis and theory. For those with a modest background in calculus and a love of math textbooks, either of two books by Devaney (1989, 1992) would constitute an excellent introduction to the mathematics involved. Kaplan and Glass (1995) also gave an excellent introduction, with an emphasis on biological applications. The mathematics is actually a bit more advanced than in the two Devaney texts, but the verbal discussion is easier to follow. Peak and Frame (1994) provided a thorough introduction without using mathematics any more complicated than high school algebra. A number of enjoyable and thoroughly nonmathematical introductions to chaos theory exist, including Gleick (1987) and Briggs and Peat (1989). Kellert (1993) introduced chaos theory in a nonmathematical manner that still manages to catch many of the technical nuances, in addition to discussing its implications for the future of science. Waldrop (1992), Lewin (1992), and Johnson (1995) introduced complexity theory in a similar fashion. After this introduction, the article explores the relevance of dynamics to social work. Some of this exploration will, unavoidably, be metaphorical; theory in the social sciences is only now being developed, and empirical work is still in the stage of basic research. Nevertheless, we hope that this material will provide social workers with new information that will inspire new and more empirical work on the applications of theory to social work practice. Understanding the Meaning of Nonlinear Dynamics and Deterministic Chaos The phrase nonlinear dynamics, like most nomenclature, sounds more intimidating than it really is when you become familiar with the vocabulary and ideas. A dynamical system is a system that changes over time (Devaney, 1992). …

Technology-Based Groups: A Review and Conceptual Framework for Practice

Despite the proliferation of technology-based groups in the practice arena, existing models of social work practice do not address the distinctive features of these innovative group forms. This article provides a comprehensive review of the professional, popular, and social psychology literature related to technology-based groups. A conceptual framework that extends current conceptions of social work with groups to telephone conference call and computer-assisted groups is also presented. This framework builds on existing models of social work practice with face-to-face groups by drawing on the experience and evaluation of practitioners and on social psychology theory and research related to technology-based groups. Important features of technology-based groups are identified at the individual, group, and environmental system levels. Based on this framework, ways to prepare social workers for practice with technology-based groups are discussed and guidelines for practice are suggested.

Listening to the Voices of Individuals with Disabilities

Social work literature, research, and practice on disabilities has lagged behind other topical areas dealing with oppressed groups. The social work literature remains “expert focused” and generally fragmented into discussions of specific disabilities or subpopulations. A viable general model that deals with the personal experience of disability is not available. This exploratory study presents a social work literature search and analysis as well as interviews with six individuals with disabilities about their experiences with social workers. Individuals with disabilities assert that they were treated as though they had categorically fewer aspirations, abilities, and perhaps even fundamental rights than did nondisabled people. This study provides a base for follow-up research on models of consumer-focused social work practice in the area of disability.

Mental health practice in primary care: Some perspectives concerning the future of social work in organized delivery systems

The rise of managed care as the dominant form of healthcare delivery in the U.S. clearly has dramatic implications for the profession of social work. Thus far and for good reasons, the professional dialog about managed care has largely focused on . the threats posed to the professional agenda of social work by managed care in its various forms. This article considers some of the more positive aspects of the transformation from fee‐based to population‐based healthcare systems, in particular the vigorous trend toward multidisciplinary primary care and collaborative mental health practice in primary care settings. It is argued that the market forces behind this trend also promote the emergence of models of social work practice that better integrate historically dichotomized aspects of health and mental health practice. Also considered are implications for social work education and the division of labor among the healthcare professions.

Task-Centered Case Management for the Elderly: Developing a Practice Model

This article describes the early development and field testing of a task-centered case manage ment modelfor social work practice with the elderly. Integrating a specific intervention protocol with the established case management core functions, the model addresses the lack of clearly defined practice guidelines for case management with elderly clients. Findings regarding the process, structure, and outcomes of implementing the model are presented. The process was analyzed using Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR), an innovative method for process-onented social work research. Suggestions for a revised model and future development and research are made.

Empowering Female Offenders: Removing Barriers to Community-Based Practice

More than two thirds of the female inmates of prisons in the United States are recidivists. This article presents recommendations for rein tegrating female inmates into the community on the basis of the findings of a 1993 study of female offenders in the Oklahoma correc tional system. The implementation of these recommendations is dis cussed in the context of five dimensions of an empowerment social work practice model.

Resolving Ethical Conflicts in Providing Case Management Services to the Elderly

Case management is an effective social work practice model widely used with elderly clients. However, its structure and orientation to service delivery can lead to ethical conflicts for the practitioner. This article discusses four types inherent in the case management model: autonomy vs. paternalism, fiduciary relationship to the agency vs. fiduciary relationship to the client, protection of client confidentiality vs. sharing client information, and distributive justice vs. injustice. Practice techniques are oiTered as a as a means to reduce ethical conflicts experienced by the practitioner.

A Framework for Agency-Based Multicultural Training and Supervision

SUMMARY Effective agency-based multicultural social work practice requires skillful multicultural assessment and intervention. Multicultural social work practice models and intervention strategies are needed to help train professionals to effectively intervene with clients who are culturally different; however, social work supervisors and trainers in agency settings often lack opportunities for learning how to train agency practitioners for successful multicultural intervention. This paper introduces an eight-step communication process model that social work agency supervisors and training units may use to help social workers become more effective multicultural practitioners. The first three steps of the model-acknowledge cultural differences, know yourself, and know other cultures-are discussed and accompanied by experiential exercises. The exercises will help sensitize practitioners to their owe culture-bound beliefs, help them identify cultural values of others and enhance multicultural practice skills.

Development and Validation of a Scale for Measuring Social Work Practice Skills

The development of research instruments for measuring social work practice skills has been overlooked despite the overall growth of social work practice research. This article describes the development of an instrument to measure social work practice skills derived from both psychotherapy integration research and eclectic psychosocial models of social work practice. Based on data collected from 285 MSW interns who completed the Practice Skills Inventory, results demonstrated that four clear factors emerged encompassing therapeutic, supportive, treatment planning/evaluation, and case management skills. The four factors (totaling 33 items) accounted for over 50% of the variance and snowed good to excellent internal consistency ratings. Theoretical and methodological strengths and limitations of the scale are considered, as well as its potential implications for social work practice and education. Recommendations for further validation of the Practice Skills Inventory are suggested.

Mitchell's Relational Conflict Model: An Analysis of Its Usefulness in Clinical Social Work

This article examines the relational conflict model developed by Stephen A. Mitchell. The main concepts of Mitchell's relational conflict model are discussed, particularly early patterns of connection to parental figures and the interactive treatment approach to understanding and changing those relational patterns. The model is contrasted with classical drive and developmental arrest theories in the psychodynamic treatment of psychopathology. We explain how Mitchell's model, in keeping with a social work perspective, takes into consideration the social, cultural, and environmental factors as well as the intrapsychic. We discuss how patterns of relating are reworked throughout the life course, and we explore the potential for individual agency in constructing new patterns of relating. We also highlight the social constructivist aspects of Mitchell's approach which are congruent with current contemporary trends in social work theory. A case vignette is presented to illustrate the viability of this model for clinical social work practice.

Toward a Values-Based Approach to Multicultural Social Work Research

An approach to multicultural social work research that is and is being developed by the authors and other faculty and doctoral students affiliated with the Multicultural Research Group at the University of Washington School of Social Work. Members of the group share an interest in the collective creation of models of social work practice, education, and research that reflect a multicultural worldview and a commitment to collaborative work with members of disenfranchised communities - that is, groups in the United States that experience economic, social, and political disadvantage or discrimination. In particular, the authors share a commitment to working with communities of color, women, gay men and lesbians, and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. We believe that too many models of social science research replay and reinforce the theme of disenfranchisement, providing little opportunity for community members to shape research questions, claim ownership of data, develop findings and implications for action, and hone their own critical inquiry skills. The approach discussed in this article reflects the research group's ongoing dialogue on multicultural social work research, practice, and education. It represents a work in progress. An invitation to join a panel on research and diversity at the Council on Social Work Education's 1995 Annual Planning Meeting was the impetus for clarifying and consolidating our current thoughts on multicultural research. We accepted the invitation as an opportunity to struggle with the following questions: What is multicultural social work research? And what are the benefits and challenges associated with teaching, learning, and doing it? The article represents a response to these questions and an invitation to other social welfare researchers to ponder these and related questions individually and collectively. Definition of Multicultural Social Work Research Multicultural social work research should meet three general criteria: (1) It should involve the researcher in a constant of both private and public reflection on a range of issues critically affecting collaboration - from how her or his own biases and motives affect the research to the impact of the larger political economy on the sociocultural history of disadvantaged groups; (2) it should democratize the research process, supporting a continuous of community collaboration rather than token representation of community members in limited advisory roles; and (3) its objectives should be linked to community empowerment, social justice, and social transformation goals. The centrality of empowerment with respect to both the and aims of research differentiates the group's approach from other applied social work research models that also emphasize cooperation with and direct benefits to communities (for example, the Design and Development Model; Rothman & Thomas, 1994). Although redressing the power imbalance between researcher and community participant is an optional feature under other applied models, it is a defining characteristic or parameter of the approach we describe in this article. Our approach is values based because it draws on fundamental undergirding the profession and practice of social work: social justice, equality, self-determination, and empowerment. It is process oriented for two reasons: First, we assume that no single act or set of finite acts performed on research makes it multicultural; instead, reflection and collaboration must become organic to every part of the research (Rogler, 1989). Second, we place trust in the assumption that a of critically reflective and collaborative inquiry can lead to social transformation. The Ultimate Goal: Social Transformation The social work of justice, equality, and empowerment are currently given strong voice in the concept of multiculturalism. …

Afrocentricity: An Emerging Paradigm in Social Work Practice

Although several models of social work practice that can better assist people of color have emerged, the cultural values of this population generally have not been used as a theoretical base to develop new practice models. This situation not only prevents a truly diversified theoretical base in social work but also reinforces the hegemony of Eurocentric concepts for explaining and solving human and societal problems. Recently the concept "Afrocentricity" has been used to describe the cultural values of people of African descent. This article presents the values and describes the philosophical concepts of Afrocentricity as a social science paradigm on which social work practice can be conceived and built and explains the reasons for the emergence of an Afrocentric social science perspective. Social workers are encouraged to embrace the Afrocentric paradigm because of its emphasis on eliminating oppression and spiritual alienation.

Politically Progressive Casework

It is frequently asserted that casework is antithetical to social change. In opposition to that view, this article presents a model of social work practice that seeks to build politically progressive practice upon a foundation of casework practice. The model views casework as a necessary stage in organizing people to mount successful political campaigns for social change.

Client-Driven Advocacy and Psychiatric Disability: A Model for Social Work Practice

Client-Driven Advocacy and Psychiatric Disability: A Model for Social Work Practice

Social Dimensions of the Environmental Crisis: Challenges for Social Work

The environmental crisis is a major public policy issue influencing prospects for global peace and human development. This article discusses the social, economic, and political components of environmental issues and their foundation in modern economic and scientific values. Native American culture, religious traditions, ecofeminism, and the ecological model of science provide alternative world views that support the goal of ecologically sustainable human social structures. The article examines implications of environmental concerns for social work practice and research. Specific examples are included to illustrate the range of linkages. Expanded use of the ecological model of social work practice is proposed as a theoretical foundation from which to develop the social work profession's response to environmental issues.

Social work and social development: towards an integrative model for social work practice

Social work and social development: towards an integrative model for social work practice

Curriculum Tracking: A New Arena for School Social Work

The study reported in this article focused on the relation between an aspect of curriculum structure of secondary education, curriculum tracks, and life outcomes among women. It was hypothesized that track placement organizes the experiences that children have and subsequently forecasts their future. Log-linear regression models, which analyzed longitudinal data collected from a national sample, indicated that students in the vocational track, when compared with academically prepared students, were more likely to have low self-esteem, a traditional sex-role orientation, higher fertility rates (in this study, fertility refers to the presence of children, both adopted and natural), higher divorce probability, and reduced educational and occupational statuses. The author contends that vocational track students are sociologically and psychologically at-risk for life course decisions that may limit capacity for self-determination. The data demonstrate the need for an ecology-based model in school social work practice in which the emphasis for change is the interaction between target groups and their social environment. Suggestions for practice and an extensive literature review on tracking are provided.

A Social Work Practice Model of Case Management: The Case Management Grid

Case management is a major component of the current mainstream of social work practice. Nevertheless, the field has failed to adequately conceptualize case management. The first step in defining case management practice is to separate it from the administrative structure that forms the context of practice. The next step is to delineate the two basic dimensions of case management--enabling and facilitating. The role of the social work case manager is to integrate formal systems of care with the activities of families and primary groups. Case management practice focuses on enabling individuals and primary groups to reach their full potential and on facilitating more effective interaction with the larger social environment. The case management grid illustrates how social work practitioners integrate enabling and facilitating into their practice approaches.

Toward a Definition of Feminist Social Work: A Comparison of Liberal, Radical, and Socialist Models

THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT in the past 2 decades has forced social workers and social service institu tions to become responsive to the special situation of women in society and to the problems that both women and men face as a result of sexism. Some social workers, perhaps feeling the negative impact of sexism or simply recognizing the limitations that sexist oppression creates for both men and women, have turned to feminism as a mode of analysis and as a means of ac tion. To define feminism, three current feminist models are examined: (1) liberal, (2) radical, and (3) socialist. In addition, feminist social work practice is outlined for each of the three models of feminism. The models of social work practice are ideals, but nevertheless they provide a less abstract means to grasp some of the concepts that are unique to each of the feminist perspectives and also provide a guide for social work practi tioners to develop individual versions of feminist social work practice.