Relating theory to practice: ten practice choices
The following breakdown describes ten common choices that arise in direct
work with service users. Not all decisions will involve all ten choices but many
will include having to explore, in consultation with the service user, options
that include the following.
Practice orientation
This involves making a choice in relation to the most appropriate orientation
across four options:
• work with individuals
• family work
• groupwork
• community work.
Practice approach
The main approaches include:
• client-centred (this often takes the form of counselling)
• cognitive-behavioural
• crisis intervention
• systemic family therapies
Using theory and research to enhance practice 21
02 Chpt 1 (jr/d) 30/10/00 3:51 pm Page 21
• psychodynamic/psychosocial approaches
• others.
Perspective
The main perspectives that illuminate factors from a particular viewpoint
include:
• an anti-discriminatory perspective
• an anti-oppressive perspective
• an anti-racist perspective
• a feminist perspective
• others (described earlier in this chapter).
Skills and interventions
These include the fifty generalist practice and interventional skills described
in this text:
• planning and preparing for the interview
• creating a rapport and establishing a relationship
• welcoming skills
• empathy and sympathy
• the role of self-knowledge and intuition
• open questions
• closed questions
• ‘what’ questions
• circular questions
• paraphrasing
• clarifying
• summarizing
• giving and receiving feedback
• sticking to the point and purpose of the interview
• prompting
• probing
• allowing and using silences
• using self-disclosure
• ending an interview
• closing the case and ending the relationship
• giving advice
• providing information
• providing explanations
• offering encouragement and validation
• providing reassurance
• using persuasion and being directive
• providing practical and material assistance
• providing support