Social Work Practice: Methods and Intervention
The methods
Four classic methods are casework (individual and family), group work, community organization, and administration/research. The helping process runs engagement, assessment, planning, intervention, evaluation, and termination; items often ask "what comes next," and the best answer is usually the step that sustains client participation. Biestek's principles - individualization, purposeful expression of feelings, controlled emotional involvement, acceptance, non-judgmental attitude, client self-determination, confidentiality - still anchor casework answers. Group work draws on Toseland and Rivas (treatment versus task groups, stages of group development). Community practice draws on Rothman's models (locality development, social planning, social action) and Freire's conscientization.
Skills and approaches
Interviewing, active listening, empathy, reflection, clarification, and summarizing are the core skills; confrontation and interpretation are used sparingly and purposefully. Strengths-based, empowerment, task-centered, crisis intervention, cognitive-behavioral, solution-focused, family systems, and case management approaches all appear.
Traps and rule of thumb
Do not choose "give advice," "reassure," or "investigate" when the stem is testing engagement. Reflection names feeling ("You sound exhausted"); interpretation offers meaning ("Perhaps the anger covers grief"); confrontation names a discrepancy gently. Distinguish process objectives from outcome objectives. Rule of thumb: when stuck, choose the response that increases client participation and preserves self-determination. Worked example: "Client will feel better" fails as a goal; "Client will attend four of five sessions and identify two coping strategies" is measurable and client-centered.