IBANDA UNIVERSITY

NAME: KYEBARIZE HOP

REG NO: IU/2020/DSWSA/021/W

FACULTY: HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

COURSE UNIT: THEORY AND PRACTICE OF SOCIAL WORKS

LECTURER: AGABA LIBERT

COURSE WORK QUESTIONS

1. (a) Define the term “theory” as used in Social Work
(b) Outline and explain different Social work practice Model as used
in Social.
 (a) Social work is a practice-based profession that promotes social change, development,
cohesion and the empowerment of people and communities. Social work practice
involves the understanding of human development, behavior and the social, economic
and cultural institutions and interactions.

Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession that concerns itself with
individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole in an effort to meet basic
needs and enhance social functioning, self-determination, collective responsibility, optimal
health, and overall well-being.

A theory is a rational type of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the results of such
thinking. The process of contemplative and rational thinking is often associated with such
processes as observational study or research.

Social work theories attempt to describe, explain and predict social events based on scientific
evidence, studies and research. Social work perspectives draw from psychology, philosophy,
economics, education and other fields to attempt to explain what drives and motivates people
at various stages of life.

Some social work students studying for a bachelor’s degree in social work or master of social
work may wonder, “Why is theory important in social work?” Social workers learn a variety
of theories so they’re prepared to apply social work theory to practice. That ensures
competence in social work, which can increase social worker confidence.

Social work theories help social workers analyze cases, understand clients, create
interventions, predict intervention results and evaluate outcomes. While the theories are
constantly evolving as new evidence is produced, referencing social work theories that have
been used over time enables social workers to explore causes of behavior. They can then help
their clients find the best solutions.

Learning about various social work theories helps remind social workers that their personal
assumptions and beliefs should be suspended during social work practice. Social workers
should use evidence-based theories to investigate issues and drive their practice, instead of
applying their own attitudes, reactions and moods to client work.

Social work theories help social workers analyze cases, understand clients, create
interventions, predict intervention results and evaluate outcomes. While the theories are
constantly evolving as new evidence is produced, referencing social work theories that have
been used over time enables social workers to explore causes of behavior. They can then help
their clients find the best solutions.

Learning about various social work theories helps remind social workers that their personal
assumptions and beliefs should be suspended during social work practice. Social workers
should use evidence-based theories to investigate issues and drive their practice, instead of
applying their own attitudes, reactions and moods to client work.

Applying Social Work Theory to Practice

Social work theory provides a starting point for social workers to create interventions and
plan their work. It gives social workers a way to address client problems through a research-
based lens.

The theories help social workers better understand complex human behaviors and social
environments, which influence their clients’ lives and problems. A good grasp of theory helps
guide social workers by providing them with a sense of direction, purpose and control by
using research-based scientific evidence in theory.

One challenge of applying social work theories to practice is choosing the right theory for the
situation at hand. It can be difficult to assign a single theory to complex client issues. Often,
it’s more practical to draw upon the knowledge of multiple theories and use that
understanding to design multifaceted interventions.

The following are theories used in social work:

Social learning theory

Social learning theory, which is also known as social cognitive theory, was developed by
psychologist Albert Bandura. External link  This theory posits that learning occurs by
observing others and modeling their behavior.

In order for social learning to occur, a person must want to emulate the person they’re
watching. The individual pays close attention to the action and retains the action in memory.
Then, the individual must experience a situation where the behavior can be repeated and must
be motivated to repeat the behavior.

Social learning theory relates to social work because social workers may want to understand
how role models affect the behaviors and moods in those they work with. Social learning
theory can also help social workers form intervention strategies that use positive modeling
and reinforcement to create new positive behaviors in their clients.

Systems theory

Systems theory proposes that people are products of complex systems, rather than individuals
who act in isolation. In this theory, behavior is influenced by a variety of factors that work
together as a system. These factors include family, friends, social settings, religious structure,
economic class and home environment, which can all influence how individuals act and
think.

Systems theory can be used to treat issues External link  like eating disorders, depression,
bipolar disorder, anxiety, school trauma and risky behavior. In ecological systems theory,
individuals are observed in multiple environments so that behavior is fully understood.
Family systems theory examines the family as a social system influencing behavior and
thoughts.

Social workers using systems theory will work to understand how their clients are influenced
by the systems they’re a part of. Social workers then identify where systemic breakdowns are
affecting behavior.

Psychosocial development theory

Psychosocial development theory was introduced by German psychoanalyst Erik Erikson,

who believed personality develops in a series of stages. Erikson created an eight-stage theory
of psychosocial development External link . According to the theory, the eight stages of
development that people pass through in life are:

Trust versus mistrust

Autonomy versus shame and doubt

Initiative versus guilt

Industry versus inferiority

Identity versus confusion

Intimacy versus isolation

Generativity versus stagnation

Integrity versus despair

In psychosocial development theory, humans are believed to go through these stages as they
age. Psychosocial development theory can influence social workers, who can look at what
stage of development their clients are going through and use the theory to better understand
the challenges their clients are experiencing during certain stages of psychosocial
development.

Psychodynamic theory

Psychodynamic theory was introduced by the founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud.

This theory is founded on the idea that humans are biologically driven to seek gratification.
The theory states that people do this based on processes that have developed outside of
conscious awareness, with origins in childhood experiences. This drive influences everyday
behavior, leading to actions like aggression, sex and self-preservation.

In social work, psychodynamic theory can help to explain the internal processes External

link  individuals use to guide their behavior, some of which may be unconsciously motivated.
Social workers may also examine how early childhood experiences have played a role in
influencing their clients’ behavior today.

Social exchange theory

Social exchange theory originates with Austrian sociologist George Homans. It says that
relationships are based on cost-benefit analysis. Each person seeks to maximize their benefits
and is expected to reciprocate for the benefits they’ve received. When risks outweigh
potential rewards, relationships may be abandoned. When one person in a relationship has
greater personal resources than another, that person is predicted to have greater power as
well.

Social workers can use social exchange theory to understand the relationships their clients
have External link  with others and why they continue to maintain certain relationships or
abandon them.

Social exchange theory can also be applied to the techniques social workers use to connect
with their clients. Social exchange theory can influence how social workers position the
social worker-client relationship as one that benefits their clients.
Rational choice theory

Rational choice theory helps explain why people make the choices they do, as people weigh
risks, costs and benefits before making decisions. This theory says that all choices are rational
because people calculate the costs and benefits before making a decision. Even when a choice
seems irrational, there was reasoning behind it.

This theory can help social workers understand the decision-making processes and
motivations of their clients. Using rational choice theory, social workers can examine how
their clients make decisions External link  based on their rational preferences.

(b) Social work practice models are ways social workers can implement theories in their
practice. Just like a social worker may use various theories to guide their interventions, social
workers may also use various practice models depending on the problems their clients
encounter.

The following are the Practice models used in Social work:

Social Work Practice Models
There are many different practice models that influence the way social workers choose to
help people meet their goals. Here are some of the major social work practice models used in
various roles, such as case managers and therapists:

Problem solving assists people with the problem solving process. Rather than tell clients what
to do, social workers teach clients how to apply a problem solving method so they can
develop their own solutions.

Task-centered practice is a short-term treatment where clients establish specific, measurable

goals. Social workers and clients collaborate together and create specific strategies and steps
to begin reaching those goals.

Narrative therapy externalizes a person’s problem by examining the story of the person’s life.
In the story, the client is not defined by the problem, and the problem exists as a separate
entity. Instead of focusing on a client’s depression, in this social work practice model, a client
would be encouraged to fight against the depression by looking at the skills and abilities that
may have previously been taken for granted.
Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors. Social workers assist clients in identifying patterns of irrational and self-
destructive thoughts and behaviors that influence emotions.

Crisis intervention model is used when someone is dealing with an acute crisis. The model
includes seven stages: assess safety and lethality, rapport building, problem identification,
address feelings, generate alternatives, develop an action plan, and follow up. This social
work practice model is commonly used with clients who are expressing suicidal ideation.

Cognitive behavioral therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy. This focuses on how thoughts and feelings influence
behaviors, as well as how self-destructive behaviors can lead to psychological problems.
Social workers using cognitive behavioral therapy methods help clients identify self-
destructive thoughts and behaviors that influence negative emotions and behaviors.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is often used with individuals who are experiencing mental
health issues, mental illness or depression resulting from crisis or trauma. Social workers
using cognitive behavioral therapy help their clients eliminate destructive thoughts and
behaviors and prevent negative outcomes from them.

Crisis intervention model

The crisis intervention model is used for clients who are experiencing crisis and trauma, such
as victims of domestic violence, and for clients who require intervention to prevent physical
harm or suicide. Albert R. Roberts, PhD, and Allen J. Ottens, PhD, developed a seven-stage
crisis intervention model   with the following stages:

Take a psychosocial and lethality assessment.

Rapidly establish rapport.
Identify the major crisis cause(s).
Enable the client to express their feelings and emotions.
Generate and explore safe alternatives for coping.
Create an action plan.
Follow up after the intervention.
This social work model is commonly used for clients who are experiencing thoughts of
suicide or self-harm or who have undergone an acute crisis, like rape or violence.
Narrative therapy
Narrative therapy   is the process of removing an individual from their problem(s) and
helping the individual to see that they have the power to change their life story, also known as
the narrative. Narrative therapy helps individuals realize that they are not their problems, but
that they’re separate from them and can fix them when they view the narrative from an
outside perspective.

Using narrative therapy, a social worker would help an individual to create a new narrative
with different positive actions. The social worker helps an individual understand how the
broader context is contributing to their narrative, so they can be aware of things to avoid and
ways to tackle their problems.

Problem-solving model

The problem-solving model  was created by Helen Harris Perlman, a social worker and

author of “Social Casework: A Problem-solving Process.” With the problem-solving model, a
social worker helps an individual identify a problem, create an action plan to solve it and
implement the solution. Together, the social worker and individual discuss the effectiveness
of the problem-solving strategy and adjust it as necessary.

The problem-solving model enables the social worker and individual to focus on one concrete
problem at a time. Perlman argued that this method is effective because long-term
psychotherapy isn’t always necessary and can hinder an individual’s progress.

Solution-focused therapy

Solution-focused therapy involves the social worker and client identifying a problem and
creating a solution based on the individual’s strengths. It’s a short-term practice model that
focuses on helping clients to cope with challenges using specific behaviors. Instead of
focusing on changing who a client is, solution-focused therapy concerns changing a client’s
actions in certain situations to achieve more favorable outcomes.

In solution-focused therapy, the social worker and the client work together to devise
solutions. This gives the client the opportunity to play an essential role in the positive
changes they’re going to make and helps them to implement those changes since they had a
role in suggesting them.

Task-centered practice
With task-centered practice, a social worker breaks down a problem into manageable tasks.
The individual has deadlines to complete the tasks and agrees to meet them. Task-centered
practice is a goal-setting form of social work that helps individuals make constant gains
toward improving their lives.

Task-centered practice is a form of social work brief therapy, that provides time-limited
treatments to move individuals closer to success as they complete tasks. Instead of focusing
on the past, social workers using task-centered practice focus on the present and how the
work individuals do on certain tasks will positively impact their future.
References

Fortune, A. E. (1985). Task-centered practice with families and groups. New York, NY:
Springer.

Rooney, R. H. (1992). Strategies for work with involuntary clients. New York, NY:
Columbia University Press.

Gibbons, J. S., Bow, I., Butler, J., & Powell, J. (1979). Clients’ reactions to task-centred

casework: A follow-up study. British Journal of Social Work, 9(2), 203–215.