SWK 170 topic 5 Essay

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Grand Canyon University *

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170

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Arts Humanities

Date

May 3, 2024

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docx

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Uploaded by stephanielrosie37 on coursehero.com

The Generalist Model of Social Work Practice Stephanie Ruiz College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Grand Canyon University SWK-170 Professor Costanza April 28, 2024 1

Generalist Model There are several models and techniques in social work that workers can apply to help clients. The general practice model uses five main processes to address individual, family, group, and community systems. It also contains a diverse knowledge base, professional beliefs, and a wide variety of abilities (Kirst-Ashman, 2017). Five main aspects comprise the generalist practice: engagement, assessment, implementation, evaluation, and termination. The goal of this model is to provide a structured framework that social workers may use to help clients as best they can. To succeed in the field of social work, one must possess three essential elements: knowledge, values, and skills. Every stage of the generalist model has a crucial role to play in promoting the client's overall well-being, and it is meant to serve as a guide. In an attempt to enhance a client's social functioning or well-being, these stages are used for "improving or altering some specified condition, pattern of behavior, or set of circumstances" (Kirst-Ashman, 2017). Social workers must rely on the fantastic resource of the generalist model as a guide to essentially illustrate step-by-step how to assist clients who seek services more than once. Operational Mode and Merits In social work, the idea of general practice wasn't always seen as the standard procedure or even a commonly accepted practice. In the past, new practitioners received training in just one field of expertise, which limited their variety of abilities (Kirst-Ashman, 2017). Social workers need to be highly skilled in a variety of areas and proficient in those areas. It was not only typical for social workers to specialize in one field of practice and acquire a single skill set, but it was also expensive to expand on this. Of course, there was a concern since new resources meant more money and more resources used meant more expense. Although resources are not 2

inexpensive, their value has been demonstrated. In the field of social work, comprehension is crucial, thus it's critical to provide space and resources for teaching about more recent concepts like environmental influences. Although there was considerable reluctance to convert general practice to the most widely used operational model, this decision has exceeded expectations and fostered the professional development of social workers and the field of social work. Advantages and Disadvantages Every practice has advantages and disadvantages, and new working theories will have ups and downs just like everything else. The discipline of social work necessitates a meticulous approach as well as a degree of client care and concern that may be beyond that of other professions. Social work was practiced in a highly conventional, one-track manner before the generalist approach was included. There were shortcomings in the old approach, including agency settings, environmental concerns, and client attention or accountability. The generalist approach has its drawbacks as well, the most significant of which is the financial aspect of things but coupled with a number of resources, staff training, and appropriate service to clients. Many believe that the generalist approach has the best chance of creating a better understood, efficient, and compassionate procedure in practice (Johnson, 1980). There's always going to be potential for development, even after this model has been around for almost fifty years. Social work and its methods will develop and change in tandem with improvements in society and the environment. Micro, Mezzo, and Macro There are three levels of social work practice, and the resources and research that are accessible have an impact on each level. They operate on three different levels: micro, where they work one-on-one with clients; mezzo, where they deal with families and smaller groups; 3

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