Howe

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Teoria | “If they are to function in this confused mix of psychological upset and social concern, practitioners must begin to see pattern and order behind the tumult. They must try to understand and make sense of people and the situations in which they find themselves. Striving to make sense of experience is fundamental characteristic of being human. If we areto cope with and be competent in social situations, we need to have ideas about what might be going on. This need becomes pressing in situations where need, stress and upset are present in large measure. Professionals who work in such situations develop more deliberate, systematic and formalized ways of making sense. It is these more self-conscious attempts to “make sense” which we call “theory”.If social workers are to act clearly, competently and usefully in practical situations, they need to think theoretically. If we did not theorize, social life would remain a cauldron of unorganized experience and to all intents and purposes all practical action would be impossible. The join between theory and practice is a seamless one. And, it has often been said, there is nothing so practical asa good theory.(…)So, although there is no consensus about which theories best explain particular situations, there is agreement that practitioners who develop and offer coherent understandings of what might be going on are those best able to keep their professional bearing and sustain personal commitment. Both abilities are highly prized by the users of social work services.(…) rather than bemoanthe number and range of theories, the practitioner needs to acknowledge that the diversity reflects the subtlety and complexity of the human condition.(…)Most social work theories remain heavily influenced by the more psychological approaches to human behavior. There are many ways in which these psychological theories can be categorized. Most rely on making particular assumptions about humannature and the ways in which we learn, develop and respond. One simple division is to see whether a particular theory emphasizes either the clients’ emotional condition or his or her capacity for rational action.Theories which pay most attention to the emotional side of people’s lives and the quality of their relationships seek to understand present behavior in terms of past experiences.(…)Understanding, support, nurturing, the meeting of emotional and developmental needs, containment and insight are present in many of the practices associated with these theories. (…) Social work theories that fall into this category include task-centred approaches, cognitive-behavioural theories, many forms of family therapy, brief solution-focused therapy and some aspects of systems theory.” | 81,82,84,85 |Assistentes sociais | “If practice is to be compassionate as well as appropriative, it is important that social workers retain a deep interest in people. The struggle to understand behavior and relationships, actions and decisions, attitudes and motivations needs to be maintained at all times if practice is to be sensitive and effective. The more social workers think about, puzzle over andengage with people and the situations in which they find themselves, the more sense they will be able to make. The challenge is to remain curious about and thoroughly interested in people. The social workers needs constantly to ask herself the "reason why" of things, to develop an active and enquiring mind.(…)The social worker in possession of a clear theoretical outlook finds that it guides andinfluences her practice in five key areas : 1- Observation: it tells her what to see and what to look out for. 2- Description: it provides a conceptual vocabulary and framework within which observations can be arranged and organized. 3- Explanation: it suggests how different observations might be linked and connected; it offers possible causal relationships between one event and another. 4-...