Introduction to Social Work Susan Mankita, MSW, LCSW Chapter 4: What is Generalist Practice Adapted from Farley, Smith, & Boyle

Generalist Practice Profession founded on a generalist premise that social workers needed to consider and work with both the individual and the environment as they attempted to improve the life quality and functioning of individuals, groups, and communities

Generalist Practice Basic premise compelled the profession toward a holistic and comprehensive knowledge base that honors diverse value systems and possesses a wide range of professional skills Generalist social work provides a contemporary approach for meeting the purpose of social work

Features of Generalist Practice Generalist perspective includes an eclectic base of practice, a multimethod approach, and a focus upon social justice Generalist practice the social worker is involved with four systems:  Client system  Change agent system  Action system  Target system

Generalist model stresses different roles Enabler Mediator Integrator/coordinator General manager Educator Analyst/evaluator  Broker  Facilitator  Initiator  Negotiator  Mobilizer  Advocate

Need for a Theoretical Framework  Borrowed from human biological, social, psychological, and cultural systems  Human Behavior and the Social Environment Basic mechanism to help professional focus on the perspective of the person and the environment with a proper understanding of the important interaction that goes on between people and the context in which they live

Systems and Ecological Theories  Systems theory addresses impact that organizations, policies, communities, and groups have on individuals  Ecological theory is a subset of systems theory that makes some important contributions to social work: Micro Mezzo Macro

Inner and Outer Forces Paradigm Tool to help the social worker explain some of the reasons why individual may not function well in their environment  Behavior that is produced by the inner and outer forces can be defined as being on a continuum from functional to dysfunctional

Social Work Focus Levels of Social Functioning  Individuals differ in their role performances Moment to moment From other individuals Social work places its primary attention on an individual’s relationships with other human beings. Social work focuses on how and with what effectiveness the person performs various social roles Base for Generalist Social Work Practice  Generalist social work practice requires the worker both to be able to explain human behavior and to decide on a course of intervention to improve social functioning  Generalist social worker must work with the micro, mezzo, and macro systems