Chapter 1
Introduction
I.
Distinct professional language
A.
Client, person, or consumer, rather than patient, subject, or case
B.
Assessment rather than diagnosis, study, examination, or investigation
C.
Look for strengths, assets, resources, resiliencies, competencies, and abilities rather than
attending exclusively to problems, obstacles, deficiencies, or pathologies
II.
Social workers view the person-and-situation (PAS), person-in-environment (PIE), or personissue-situation as the basic unit of attention
III.
Social Work Skills
A.
B.
Definition of social work skill—a circumscribed set of discrete cognitive and behavioral
actions that are consistent and congruent with:
1.
Research-based knowledge
2.
Social work values, ethics, and obligations
3.
The essential facilitative qualities or the “core conditions”
4.
The characteristics of professionalism
5.
A legitimate social work purpose within the context of a phase or process of
practice
Twelve skills outlined by the National Association of Social Workers’ skills (NASW,
1981)
1.
Listen to others with understanding and purpose
2.
Elicit information and assemble relevant facts to prepare a social history,
assessment, and report
3.
Create and maintain professional helping relationships
4.
Observe and interpret verbal and nonverbal behavior and use knowledge of
personality theory and diagnostic methods
5.
Engage clients (including individuals, families, groups, and communities) in
efforts to resolve their own problems and to gain trust
6.
Discuss sensitive emotional subjects supportively and without being threatening
7.
Create innovative solutions to clients’ needs
1
C.
D.
8.
Determine the need to terminate the therapeutic relationship
9.
Conduct research, or interpret the findings of research and professional literature
10.
Mediate and negotiate between conflicting parties
11.
Provide inter-organizational liaison services
12.
Interpret and communicate social needs to funding sources, the public, or
legislators
Abilities needed by professional social workers as identified by the Council on Social
Work Education (2001)
1.
Apply critical thinking skills
2.
Practice according to the value base of the profession and its ethical standards
and principles
3.
Practice without discrimination and with respect, knowledge, and skills related to
clients’ age, class, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, family structure, gender,
marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation
4.
Apply the knowledge and skills of generalist social work practice with systems of
all sizes
5.
Evaluate their own practice interventions
6.
Use communication skills differentially across client populations, colleagues, and
communities
Social work skills chosen for inclusion in this book
1.
Communication skills (verbal and written)
2.
Honesty/integrity
3.
Interpersonal skills (relate well to others)
4.
Strong work ethic
5.
Teamwork skills (work well with others)
6.
Analytic skills
7.
Motivation/initiative
8.
Flexibility/adaptability
2
E.
F.
G.
H.
9.
Computer skills
10.
Detail oriented
Phases or processes of social work practice
1.
Preparing
2.
Beginning
3.
Exploring
4.
Assessing
5.
Contracting
6.
Working and evaluating
7.
Ending
Essential facilitative qualities
1.
Empathy
2.
Respect
3.
Authenticity
Characteristics of professionalism
1.
Integrity
2.
Professional knowledge and self-efficacy
3.
Critical thinking and lifelong learning
4.
Self-understanding and self-control
5.
Cultural competence and acceptance of others
6.
Social support
Effective social workers are knowledgeable about the values, ethics, and legal obligations
that guide their professional thoughts and actions
3
IV.
Common Factors and Essential Facilitative Qualities
A.
B.
C.
Four general categories associated with client outcomes in counseling and psychotherapy
(Assay & Lambert, 1999; Lambert, 1992, 2003; Lambert & Bergin, 1994; Lambert &
Cattani-Thompson, 1996)
1.
Client and situational factors—strengths, assets, resources, challenges, and
limitations within the client and client’s external situation
2.
Relationship factors—qualities of the helping professional and the resulting
relationship between the client and helper
3.
Expectancy factors—hopefulness, optimism, and expectations that the helping
encounter will be beneficial
4.
Model and technique factors—models, strategies, techniques, and protocols
adopted in the process of helping
Aspects that make it more likely that the relationship between a social worker and a
client be productive
1.
The participants like and respect each other
2.
The client is clearly told what to expect and how to contribute to the helping
process
3.
The worker is warm, genuine, and sincere and regularly expresses empathy about
the client’s experience
4.
The worker and client engage in goal-directed activities such as practice, insession tasks, or between-session action steps
5.
The social worker actively seeks to involve significant persons in the client’s life
in the helping process
Perlman (1979) suggests the following characteristics that distinguish the professional
working relationship between social worker and client from other relationships (often
called the facilitative qualities or the core conditions)
1.
It is formed for a recognized and agreed-upon purpose
2.
It is time-bound
3.
It is for the client
4.
It carries authority
5.
It is a controlled relationship
4
D.
Essential facilitative qualities in relationship with others
1.
Empathy—an understanding and appreciation of the thoughts, feelings,
experiences, and circumstances of another human being, or a conscious and
intentional joining with others in their subjective experience
2.
Regard (or respect)—at attitude of noncontrolling, warm, caring, nonpossessive
acceptance of other persons (Hammond et al., 1977). In cross-cultural contexts,
it also includes the genuine acceptance of difference
3.
Authenticity—the genuineness and sincerity of a person’s manner of relating—
verbal, nonverbal, and behavioral expressions reflect synchronicity
4.
Professionalism includes the following characteristics
a.
Integrity
b.
Professional knowledge and self-efficacy
c.
Ethical decision making
d.
Critical thinking and lifelong learning
e.
Self-understanding and self-control
f.
Cultural competence and acceptance of others
g.
Social support
5