Skills for Using Theory in Social Work

32 Lessons for Evidence-Informed Practice

James A. Forte

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN:
  9780415726849
• eBook ISBN:
  9781317929505
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Health Care Delivery
• Index: Social Sciences

Using theory, research evidence and experiential knowledge is a critical component of good social work. This unique text is designed to help social work students and practitioners to integrate theorizing into practice, demonstrating how to search for, select and translate academic knowledge for practical use in helping people improve their lives and environments.

Presenting 32 core skills, Skills for Using Theory in Social Work provides a conceptual foundation, a vocabulary, and a set of skills to aid competent social work theorizing. Each chapter outlines the knowledge and action components of the skill and its relationship to core practice behaviours, along with learning and reflection activities. The lessons are divided into four parts:

• Section one discusses foundational material, including self-identification as a theorist-practitioner, the deliberate use of the term theory, and a social work approach to the selection of knowledge.
• Section two focuses on the adept use of theorizing skills. It covers identifying assumptions, using concepts, formulating propositions, organizing theory elements inductively or deductively, summarizing and displaying the elements of a theory, gathering and organizing assessment information and communicating with clients and colleagues about tentative theories.
• Section three includes lessons preparing social workers for the construction of useful middle-range theories including causal theories and interpretive theories and for testing and sharing these practical theories.
• Section four presents skills to develop critical thinking about theoretical knowledge. These include avoiding the misuse of theory, judging a theory using scientific standards, judging a theory by professional standards, critiquing theory in its cultural and historical context and making judgments about the likely long-term impact of a theory.

This key text will help readers to demonstrate their expertise in reflective, competent, and theory-informed practice. It is suitable for all social work students and practitioners, particularly those taking practice, theory and human behaviour in the social environment courses.

SECTION 1 Theorizing basics

The lessons in Section 1 introduce the reader to the nature and importance of theorizing, the meanings of the term theory, and the major styles of theorizing, the basics of searching for, selecting, and differentially using theoretical knowledge for social work purposes, the major sources of knowledge, and the notion that theorizing differs by level of abstraction and theories may be suited to a specific system level.

LESSON 1 Identify and act as theorist engaged in theoretical thinking (EPAS 2.1.1 Identify as a Professional Social Worker; EPAS 2.1.3 Apply Critical Thinking; EPAS 2.1.5 Engage in Research-Informed Practice; EPAS 2.1.7 Apply Knowledge)

DOI: 10.4324/9781315856049-3

Theorizing is a process of making empirical observations and then constructing meaningful patterns that organize the acquired information in the form of a theoretical explanation, interpretation, or critique (Jorgensen, 1989). Those enacting the role of theorist show concern with theories, theorize to make sense of puzzling situations, share the products of their theorizing with others in the scientific or professional community, and become very familiar with the theories and research in the knowledge domain relevant to their profession. Social work theorists might theorize about complex aspects of their helping work by deconstructing and reconstructing useful scientific theories: theories of the client's cultural and social groups, theories to explain a focal individual or public problem, theories specifying the elements and processes of change, or theories articulating and justifying logically a particular program or intervention. Social work theorists might also make use of existing theories to better understand and cope with workplace challenges. For instance, systems theory might help a theorizing practitioner employed in an agency troubled by conflict and turmoil following the departure of a respected leader. Some social work theorists even theorize and construct their own middle-range theories to contribute to the professional archive of human behavior and practice theories.

Professional social work and the role of theorist

Training in generalist social work prepares novice social workers to enact responsibly and effectively many different helping roles. You are probably familiar with some of these roles: advocate, broker, counselor, case manager, educator, practice evaluator, mediator, and researcher. Advanced education and training equips social workers for specialty roles such as lobbyist, politician, program evaluator, or therapist. Why add the role of theorist to your repertoire of roles?

As a theorist, you will refine and develop your theoretical, research, and critical thinking skills. These are essential to all aspects of effective social work. As a theorist, you can access varied perspectives on human behavior and the environment, assorted theorizing techniques, and diverse scientific vocabularies. Such knowledge and tools will enhance your ability to serve many different clients, explain varied person-in-environment (PIE) challenges, and generate a list of creative intervention strategies. In the role of theorist, you will increase your insights into the positions of your colleagues on interdisciplinary and inter-professional teams and become better able to argue for your preferred approach to inquiry and action planning. Mastering the theorist role will improve your ability to understand and transform difficult and confusing situations in your professional and personal life. For some of you, learning the role of theorist will reflect your commitment to contribute knowledge to the social work profession. Benefits of such intellectual service include accolades added to your resume, financial support for travel to distant conferences, and the satisfaction of leaving a mark on social work history.

Several social work experts have made the case that social workers should incorporate the role of theorist into their identity as professionals. Brennan (1973) pioneered the idea of practitioner as “theoretician,” arguing that skillful theorizing is

recognized as aiding the social worker in focusing more systematically on essential factors or variables, in expanding the scope of his perspectives, in explaining underlying causal dynamics, in providing leads for practice strategies, and in formulating predictive statements about the probable outcomes of various treatment modalities, (p. 5)

Barsky (2010) suggested “the ability to apply specific theories to practice is one of the key ways that professional social workers differ from lay helpers (i.e. families, friends, peers, and others without professional education)” (pp. 30–31). Boisen and Syers (2004) made a similar point, “competent social work is grounded in the intentional use of theory. Practice informed by theory distinguishes professional social work from informal forms of helping” (p. 205). In this book, I am providing knowledge and resources to help you learn and become adept at enacting this vital, distinctive role.

Only a few social workers aspire to become famous theory creators. However, each social worker can attempt to develop theorizing competencies for the theorist role in some of the areas included in the 2008 Council on Social Work Education set of core competencies. Relevant competencies include using theories as tools for understanding persons and their behavior in environmental contexts (EPAS 2.1.7); judging the adequacy of theories for use under specific practice conditions by thinking critically (EPAS 2.1.3) and considering evidence (EPAS 2.1.5); using theories for guiding the planned change process (EPAS 2.1.10); and enhancing knowledge accumulation (at least at the agency and community level) by suggesting practice-informed theoretical reformulations and by alerting theory specialists to under-theorized client problems and practice challenges (EPAS 2.1.1).

Knowledge, skill, and attitudes for effective theorizing

In this section, I will present a profile of the components of the ideal theorist, the ingredients that will make effective theorizing possible. I will organize this presentation in terms of knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

Knowledge

The ideal social work theorist has a sound and general intellectual foundation for helping action including knowledge obtained from disciplines such as anthropology, biology, economics, history, philosophy, psychology, political science, sociology, and religion. This is the liberal arts base on which social work careers are built. Unifying this knowledge is the understanding of and commitment to science and to scientific, evidence-informed practice.

The ideal social work theorist acquires much specialized knowledge. This knowledge is specific to the social work profession. Students master the information presented in major curriculum areas including human behavior and the social environment, social policy, practice, and research. Students also learn the themes central to our profession such as a commitment to ethical practice, an appreciation for diversity, a dedication to the advancement of justice and the elimination of poverty, and an emphasis on the promotion of human strengths and community potentials. Social workers who enroll in graduate school or participate in advanced training after graduation will acquire knowledge that deepens their performance as theorists and refines their theorizing skills. Such specialized knowledge may relate to modality (casework, family therapy, group work, community organizing, and so on), field of practice (child welfare, aging, corrections, health, or others), helping role (therapist, advocate, researcher), client population (military veterans, the homeless, migrant workers, abused children), or theoretical perspective (cognitive-behavioral, feminist, or symbolic interactionism, for examples).

Scientific knowledge is central to professionalism. Wieck (1999) reminds us that scientific paradigms, theoretical traditions, theoretical models, and other forms of theoretical knowledge are the heavy gear carried by all theorists. However, he adds that the successful practitioner also remembers to carry and use survival gear beyond scientific knowledge including their life history, practice experiences, empathie inclinations, intuitive hunches, and capacities for attentive observation and listening. The ideal social worker draws on many ways of knowing when preparing to engage in competent theorizing.

Most important, the theorizing practitioner can demonstrate mastery of theoretical knowledge and theorizing skills in each phase of the planned change process. Theory can guide information gathering, assessment, intervention planning and the use of theory-guided, evidence-informed interventions, ending work, and effectiveness evaluation. Zetterberg (1962) offers a concise summary of this defining characteristic of the core capability of a competent theory-informed practitioner. He refers to the professional's ability to make “use of scientific knowledge in solving problems repeatedly encountered in his occupation” (p. 18).

Skills

The ideal social worker has developed the skills necessary for thinking theoretically. Practical theorizing requires theoretical thinking, the process of conceiving of ideas and reflecting on them in a way “serious in purpose, careful in reasoning, and cautious in reaching conclusions” (Lutz, 1992,p. 8). Theoretical thinking is similar to everyday thinking—Einstein wrote, “the whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of every day thinking” (1936, p. 349)—but the refinement means that theoretical thinking requires more skill and awareness than the thinking that helps us act daily in our roles (Sierpinska, 2005). Figure 1.1 summarizes these differences.

Figure 1.1 From everyday thinking to practical theorizing

Everyday Thinking	Practical Theorizing
To act	To understand and reflect on action
Automatic or voluntary	Voluntary and purposeful
One level — thought and aim	Two levels — thought (concept use) and aim with critical/reflective reasoning about concept use
Guided by social meanings	Guided by scientific and social meanings
Immersed in experienced situation	Alternate distancing and immersion
Influences and changes events, objects, people	Influences and changes events, objects, people and theories
Judged by result of action	Judged by coherence, consistency and results of theorizing acts

In everyday thinking, our thought processes help us understand what is going on in concrete reality and to act effectively. Thinking results in statements of fact and decisions about preferred courses of action. Practical theorizing facilitates action—helping actions, for instance—but also involves the effort to reflect on and understand our actions in an orderly way. Practical theorizing also includes the acquisition of conceptual frameworks (theories) that transcend specific situations and help us solve a range of similar problems. Practical theorizing results in hypotheses and other theoretical tools.

Much daily action occurs with minimal or automatic thinking; our routines and habits enable us to cope with ordinary life tasks. Cooking a meal or driving the car to work can be mindless activities. Practical theorizing is most useful when customary action patterns fail. It requires an act of volition (I must choose to theorize about an obstacle that emerges as I help a difficult member of a family system, for example) and practical theorizing is purposeful (I theorize to describe, categorize, explain, predict, or change some aspect of the “family-interacting-in-an-environment” configuration).

In everyday thinking, thought and aim are on the same level. For instance, I think to figure out how to respond best to a recall notice from the Toyota car manufacturer. Practical theorizing occurs at two levels. I might use concepts to make sense of an odd interaction between family members convened for a helping session. This is the first level, but I also reflect critically on the quality of my reasoning and I consider evidence about the effectiveness of my concept use. This is the second level and adds to everyday thinking a concern with devising better tools for thinking.

Everyday thinking is guided by meanings shared by societal members. Americans have similar understandings of a “defective car part recall notice.” Practical theorizing is guided by common and shared social meanings but also by the scientific meanings specific to the relevant disciplinary, professional, or theoretical community. Think of the varied family systems concepts with their technical meanings that I might bring to bear when working as a family social worker. Moreover, practical theorizing uses concepts that have meaning within a specific thought system or network of concepts, a theory.

During everyday thinking, the person is immersed in the experienced situation. The stream of thought is one aspect of a holistic transaction with ...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of figures
• List of tables
• Foreword
• Introduction
• Section 1 Theorizing basics
• Section 2 Applying theory (deconstructive and reconstructive theorizing)
• Section 3 Constructing practical theories
• Section 4 Critical thinking about theoretical knowledge using scientific, practical, and professional standards
• Section 5 Conclusion
• Index