Case Presentation (PowerPoint)

Engagement

During the engagement stage, the social worker should focus on building trust and rapport with the client, so that mutually agreed upon goals can be determined. In engagement, the social worker is actively involved with the client, listening to her/his perspectives on problems, reasons for seeking treatment, and desired outcomes of therapy.

Assessment

During the assessment stage, the focus shifts to information gathering. In assessment, social workers should collect key data about the client through interviews and other assessment techniques and instruments and collateral contacts. This information will assist both the client and the social worker in defining problems and possible solutions. During assessment, social workers must remember to operate from a strengths-based perspective, with careful attention to seeking information about client’s skills, capacities, resources, and other strengths.

Planning

The planning stage is focused on goal development, based on a mutual understanding of the client’s problems, lifestyle, and environment. During this stage, the social worker and client work together to develop an action-plan that is suited to the client’s unique circumstances. This action-plan should include specific objectives and tasks that work toward accomplishing the stated goals, with a clear timeline for action, and expectations of who will do what.( Formalize a Contract)

Intervention

Intervention is the stage when the client and social worker mobilize resources to implement the action-plan, both complying with their agreed-upon expectations. During this stage, the social worker should monitor client progress, and the client should bring to the social worker’s attention any challenges, obstacles, or threats to carrying out the action-plan. Plans and timelines can be adjusted as needed to ensure that the intervention is working for the client.

Evaluation

During the evaluation stage, the social worker and the client focus on goal attainment, continuing to monitor progress to determine when goals are met, and/or whether new goals should be set. Clients can be directly involved in the evaluation stage through self-monitoring, allowing them to track and reflect upon their own progress. The social worker, at this stage, critically evaluates how an intervention is working based on client progress. If goals are not being met, it may be necessary to return to the assessment stage to better define the problem.

Termination

The ultimate goal of any therapeutic intervention is that a time will come when the client is able to maintain progress on their own. Termination is thus the last stage of the generalist practice model. During this stage, the client reflects on her/his accomplishments, and client and social worker work together to identify resources and supports in place to help the client should

problems re-emerge.

Follow-Up Re-Examine client situation (acquiring information about a client after termination.

***Following these 7 stages of the generalist practice model assists social workers in effectively intervening with clients to resolve problems and improve well-being, while keeping the client involved in the entire problem-solving process. It is important to remember that there is no set length of time for any stage, and in some cases, social workers and clients will need to return to a previous stage, depending on client progress. The client should be at the center of any problem-solving process, and the generalist practice model offers a useful to guide to supporting clients on their path to self-determination and biopsychosocial health.