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The
focus of undergraduate social work education is
the generalist practice perspective. This means
the social worker has an eclectic theoretical
base that utilizes a systems framework to assess
a variety of points for possible intervention.
The core responsibility of social work practice
is the guidance of planned change through the
problem-solving process. This means social workers
recognize that problems can occur at all levels
of living (e.g., individual, family, group, and
community levels) and that interventions aimed
to address these problems can also happen on various
levels. Generalist social work practice is broad
in scope and a practitioner can be called on to
help a homeless family, a sexually abused child,
an agency developing poli¬cies to meet new
state or federal regulations, a community attempting
to develop awareness of substance and alcohol
abuse, an elderly person unable to care for him/herself
any longer, or to advocate for a teen community
center. Generalist social work practitioners can
be found in many different settings such as nursing
homes, domestic violence programs and shelters,
community mental health programs, alcohol and
substance abuse facilities and treatment programs,
advocacy agencies, crisis centers, prisons, family
counseling centers, hospitals and many, many more.
Two key qualities for generalist social work practitioners
are creativity and flexibility. The constant theme
that runs through all generalist social work practice
is a focus on individual well being in a social
context and the well being of society. Generalist
social work practitioners have a generic set of
assessment, planning, and intervention skills
that they can utilize on any system size.
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