Generalist Practice in Rural Context

Generalist Practice in Rural Context

Introduction

Generalist social workers and their social working practice basically revolve around the empowerment of the communities, families or individuals who have been through social problems or crisis situations. The core values and perspectives combined with the intended purposes of intervention that underlie generalists' social working practices form the fundamental framework that contributes to the empowerment. Generalist practice is pre-dominantly the use of wide range of professional methodologies and skills for intervention in a social problem or crisis situation facing communities or individuals in diverse settings. It depends upon empirical knowledge and strengths orientation for the healing and problem solving of the community. The practice, through being grounded in the social work standards and integrities, is designed so as to support diversity along with social and economic justice mainly for the population at risk.

Discussion

The group I have selected for the application of generalist practice is the community suffering from Trauma, most of the members of which community are the target of post-9/11 trauma. The psychological stressors are increasingly becoming more and more prevalent in the cases received by the social workers. We have taken the community in the rural setting. The definition of rural as commonly accepted is an area that is on or beyond the outskirts of large metropolitan cities.

Social workers in the rural areas face numerous issues and challenges also as they are supposed to deliver the client-focused services to clients dispersed across sparsely occupied area. In addition to that, they also have to ensure the accommodation of all the clients remaining within the allocated funding for the project, and thus are required to tell ineligible individuals outright that they do not fit the description of people that the program is designed to cater. The confidentiality issue is also one of the major concern in closed rural communities where counseling activities could easily by discerned by fellow residents.

Effective Crisis Intervention - Generalist Practice

The ever increasing challenges to which social workers are exposed require them to assume disparate and diverse roles so as to intervene at multiple levels in the crisis situations that are faced by the clients. It is first essential to understand the linkage between generalist practice and crisis intervention so that the intervention could be more clearly understood.

The generalist practice or approach was mandated in USA the year 2001 by the Council on Social work Education. The basic element because of which it is considered effective social work intervention in situations of crisis or disasters as 9/11 because of its ability to reach at comprehensive intervention technique by addressing all the levels and systems. It is compounded by the integration of practice, research and policy. This base is further strengthened by the acceptance and acknowledgment of social work basic tenet stating starting from the client.

Crisis intervention is the focused strategy, the effective execution of which leads to effects that are immediately felt. It is focused on restoring the client's current traumatic phase to his previous ...