their practice.
Values in Social Work and Counseling
Social workers tend to believe that a major task which must be accomplished in the social worker/client relationship is the enhancement of the client's ability to be self-determining. This is a critical value espoused by members of this and other "helping professions." Goldenberg and Goldenberg (1996) have discussed the concept of enhancing client's self-determination as part of strategic family and individual therapy. This particular approach tailors an intervention to a specific set of presenting problems, deals with the present rather than the past, and devises novel strategies for assisting the client or clients in preventing the repetition of destructive behaviors. The emphasis in strategic therapy is not on devising a therapeutic method applicable to all cases, but rather on designing a strategy for each specific problem. The focus throughout is on alleviating the presenting problem, not exploring its roots or buried meanings.
Goldenberg and Goldenberg (1996) also note that use of directives and a fairly authoritative role for the therapist is indicated. The goal of this kind of therapeutic intervention is to achieve a solution to a specific problem. Instead of "problem talk" (searching for explanation of client problems by piling facts upon facts about their troubled lives), the social worker using this theoretical approach urges "solution talk" in which therapist and clients discuss solutions they will construct together. This is a relatively brief social work intervention which incorporates several critical recognitions. Goldenberg and Goldenberg (1996) point out that seven theoretical assumptions are followed by solution-oriented social workers attempting to assist clients in achieving image and self-concept enhancement and ameliorating immediate presenting problems. These seven steps or assumptions include:
1. Resistance is not a useful concept;...