Ch 1 - An Interactional Approach to Helping
dynamic interaction - Interaction in which the parties involved affect each other reciprocally—that is, the movements of one party affect the other(s), moment by moment, in the interaction.
center on a strengths perspective rather than on client pathology
positive working relationship with the client, currently referred to in the literature as the therapeutic alliance, a relationship that allows the social worker to be helpful.
motivational interviewing - A technique to address addictive behavior focusing on the issue of increasing client motivation and drawing upon the stages-of-change model.
Elements of a Practice Theory
what we know about people (knowledge) informs our thinking about what we wish to achieve in our practice (valued outcomes) and this, in turn, guides our interventions (skills).
social worker to set a goal in the first sessions of aiding the client to understand the kind of help that can be offered, the social worker’s role, and the potential overlap—or common ground—between the client’s presented need and the agency service.
The term skill refers to a specific behavior that the worker uses in the helping process
Resiliency - The human capacity (individual, group, and/or community) to deal with crisis, stressors, and normal experiences in an emotionally and physically healthy way; an effective coping style
grounded theory - An approach to theory building, first described by Glaser and Strauss (1967) in the field of sociology, in which formal and informal observations from the field are used to develop constructs of the theory. Formal research is conducted to test propositions and to generate new ones in a cyclical manner.
theoretical generalizations - Testable propositions that receive repeated support from research.
Medical Model
critical factor in the helping process is the way one views the client
counseling paradigms are overarching philosophical, theoretical and political structures that act to categorize counseling theories accordingly. Paradigms are “super theories,” AKA the big picture
paradigm as a framework that guides theory building and research in scientific disciplines
You needed to mentally let go of one in order to see the other. Some of my students were stuck and could not make the switch
Medical model
study, diagnosis, treatment, and evaluation
the knowing professional studies the client, attempts to make an accurate assessment or diagnosis, develops a treatment plan, and evaluates the outcome
interactional model or paradigm in which both client and practitioner are affecting and being affected by each other almost moment by moment, provides a more accurate description of the helping process
contracting process - A worker-initiated effort, usually in the beginning phase of the work, to establish the purpose of the contact, to explain the worker’s role, to gain some sense of the client’s issues (feedback), and to deal with issues of authority (e.g., mandated reporting requirements).
Dynamic Systems Theory
Def – the bx of each participant (client and staff) affect the bx of the other and all members of the system
Intersectionality, Interlocking oppressions, social location
Interlocking oppressions refers to oppression and privilege associated with intersectionality
Move beyond feeling guilty and towards responsible actions
Oppressor within and the oppressor without
Prolonged exposure to oppression leads the client to internalize the negative self attitude and self images = oppressor without
Autopressor by participating in their own oppression
the maladaptive behavior that occurs from prolonged oppression is used by the more privileged group to justify stereotyping and depression - creating a cycle
vulnerable client - client who is exposed to the impact of oppression and stressful life events due to social factors (lack of social support or economic resources)
Identify what is going right with the client instead of what is going wrong
depression is not an illness to be cured but a signal that important areas of interaction have broken down. instead of cure, improve clients capacity for coping and change, the way the client thinks or feels about themselves and the problem and the systems in which they interact
Cure comes from clients understanding of the situation and their efforts to find new ways to interact with the system. can include reaching out to or cutting themselves off from the system and finding new sources of support
think of the system as a second client
Ambivalence - Mixed feelings about a problem, person, or issue. For example, a client may wish to finally deal with an issue, but because of the painful feelings associated with it, the client may also wish to deny that the problem exists.
term symbiotic is used to describe the mutual needs of individuals and the systems that matter to them.
When system and client are not acting in a mutually beneficial way, the worker will employ several strategies, often first developing allies, such as mediation, brokering, or advocacy
two-client construct View of the social worker as always having two clients at any moment in time (e.g., the individual and the family; the member and the group; the client and the system).
Client, hospital system, family, friends, etc
The work of the helping person is not to remotivate the client but to discover and support the motivation that is already there.
social workers’ first concern should be to protect oppressed clients and hold the oppressors accountable for their actions.
when also working with the male batterer, workers need to recognize that this use of violence for control can have significant negative effects on him, including legal consequences, emotional damage to the self, and preclusion of an intimate relationship based on mutuality and equality—a relationship of mutual recognition. Work with men who batter often reveals that these men were childhood victims of abuse (emotional, sexual, and physical), which helps to explain but not excuse their behavior.
three potential obstacles to interaction between the individual and the social system: changing social systems, conflicts between self-interest and mutual interest, and the dynamics of interpersonal communication.
Rapid changes produce anxiety for all in our society, so we often attempt to maintain the status quo and preserve continuity.
set of obstacles involves problems associated with interpersonal communication. Sharing and understanding painful or taboo thoughts and feelings is hard. People find it difficult to speak of feelings about sex, authority, race, intimacy, dependency, loss, sexual orientation, and so on.
symbiotic diffusion - Obscuring of the mutual need between people and their social surroundings by the complexity of the situation, by divergent needs, or by the difficulties involved in communication.
Mediation - The proposed functional role of the social worker helping clients and their systems identify their common ground. The term is used in a broad sense and can include other activities such as confrontation and advocacy.
third decision - The decision clients make to deal with their most difficult issues as they approach the end of the working relationship.
Preliminary (or Preparatory) Phase - The phase of work prior to the worker engaging with the client. Usually used by the worker to develop a preliminary empathy about the client’s issues and concerns.
Beginning (or Contracting) Phase - The engagement phase of work, during which the worker contracts with the client by clarifying the purpose of the engagement, by clarifying the role he or she will play, and by reaching for client feedback on the content of the work. Authority issues are also dealt with in this phase.
Middle (or Work) Phase - The phase of work in which the client and the worker focus on dealing with issues raised in the beginning phase or with new issues that have emerged since then.
Ending and Transition Phase - The termination phase of work, in which the worker prepares to end the relationship and to help the client review their work together as well as to prepare for transitions to new experiences.