A lexicon of 80 skills and interventions
Theoretical
knowledge
Knowledge
Factual
knowledge
Practice
knowledge
Skills and
interventions
Research
Diagram: A conceptual map of practice integrating theory and practice in social work
1. interpersonal skills
2. verbal communication
skills
3. non-verbal
communication skills
4. observation skills
5. listening skills
6. assessment skills
7. engaging with the task
8. planning and preparing for
the interview
9. creating a rapport
10. welcoming skills
11. informal opening
conversations (‘social
chat’)
12. sympathy
13. empathy
14. professional use of self
15. use of intuition
16. information gathering
17. open questions
18. closed questions
19. what questions
20. why questions
21. circular questions
22. hypothetical questions
23. paraphrasing
24. clarifying
25. summarizing
26. active listening responses
(‘minimum encouragers’)
27. giving and receiving
feedback
28. sticking to the point and
purpose of the interview
29. prompting
30. probing
31. allowing/using silences
32. using self-disclosure
33. ending an interview
34. closing the case and
ending the relationship
35. providing help
36. giving advice
37. providing information
38. providing explanations
39. offering encouragement
and validation
40. providing reassurance
41. using persuasion and
being directive
42. providing practical and
material assistance
43. providing support
44. providing care
45. breaking bad news
46. modelling and social skills
training
47. reframing
48. offering interpretations
49. adapting to need
50. counselling skills
51. containing anxiety
52. empowerment and
enabling skills
53. negotiating skills
54. contracting skills
55. networking skills
56. working in partnership
57. mediation skills
58. advocacy skills
59. assertiveness skills
60. being challenging
61. being confrontative
62. dealing with hostility,
aggression, and violence
63. managing professional
boundaries
64. respecting confidentiality
65. record-keeping skills
66. form filling
67. updating case notes
68. minute-taking skills
69. report writing skills
70. using supervision
creatively
71. organizational and
administrative skills
72. letter writing skills
73. skilled use of emails
74. telephone skills
75. using mobile phones and
text messaging
76. presentation skills
77. chairing meetings
78. coordinating case
conferences and reviews
79. drafting a court report
80. using humour
©
Pamela Trevithick
2012
Source:
Trevithick, P. (2012) Social Work
Skills and Knowledge: A Practice
Handbook, 3rd edn. Open
University Press.
Trevithick’s lexicon of 80 skills + interventions