Much has been written about theory and practice in the law, and the tension between practitioners and theorists. Judges do not cite theoretical articles often; they rarely "apply" theories to particular cases. These arguments are not revisited. Instead the Essay explores the working and interaction of theory and practice, practitioners and theorists. The Essay starts with a story about solving a legal issue using our intellectual tools - theory, practice, and their progenies: experience and "gut." Next the Essay elaborates on the nature of theory, practice, experience and "gut." The third part of the Essay discusses theories that are helpful to practitioners and those that are less helpful. The Essay concludes that practitioners theorize, and theorists practice. They use these intellectual tools differently because the goals and orientations of theorists and practitioners, and the constraints under which they act, differ. Theory, practice, experience and "gut" help us think, remember, decide and create. They complement each other like the two sides of the same coin: distinct but inseparable.

Of Theory and Practice

Theory and Practice of Social Case Work

* Foreword * Preface * Acknowledgments * Abbreviations * Section I: Introduction and Overview * Chapter 1. Orientation to Social Work in the Health Field * Historical Background and Development * Theoretical Perspectives * Human Diversity and Behavior * Interdisciplinary Teamwork * Other Organizational Considerations * Social Worker Functions and Client Problems * Summary * Chapter 2. Fundamentals of Health Care Social Work Practice * Knowledge Requirements * Values and Ethics Considerations * Skill Requirements * Dimensions of Helping * Summary * Section II: Settings at the Three Levels of Intervention * Chapter 3. Social Work in Primary Care Settings * Historical Background * Theoretical Perspectives * Interdisciplinary Teamwork * Organizational Considerations * Client Problems and Social Worker Functions * Knowledge Requirements * Values and Ethics Considerations * Skill Requirements * Helping Interventions * Commentary * Chapter 4. Social Work in Hospitals * Historical Background * Theoretical Perspectives * Human Diversity Relevance * Interdisciplinary Teamwork * Organizational Considerations * Client Problems and Social Worker Functions * Knowledge Requirements * Values and Ethics Considerations * Skill Requirements * Helping Interventions * Commentary * Chapter 5. Social Work in Home Health Care/Home Care * Historical Background * Theoretical Perspectives * Human Diversity Relevance * Interdisciplinary Teamwork * Organizational Considerations * Client Problems and Social Worker Functions * Knowledge Requirements * Values and Ethics Considerations * Skill Requirements * Commentary * Chapter 6. Social Work in Nursing Homes * Historical Background * Theoretical Perspectives * Human Diversity Relevance * Interdisciplinary Teamwork * Organizational Considerations * Client Problems and Social Worker Functions * Knowledge Requirements * Values and Ethics Considerations * Helping Interventions * Commentary * Chapter 7. Social Work in Hospice Care * Historical Background * Theoretical Perspectives * Human Diversity Relevance * Interdisciplinary Teamwork * Organizational Considerations * Client Problems and Social Worker Functions * Knowledge Requirements * Values and Ethics Considerations * Skill Requirements * Commentary * Section III: Health Service Delivery and Financing * Chapter 8. U.S. Health Care System Strengths and Problems * Description and Assessment of the System * Managed Care * Summary * Chapter 9. A Vision of Future Social Work Practice in Health Care * Introduction * Emerging Trends in Health Care Delivery * Implications * Conclusion * References * Index

Social Work in the Health Field: A Care Perspective, Second Edition

Theories of Social Casework.

Social Work in the Health Field: A Care Perspective

Mary Ellen Richmond is often credited with developing social work as a profession in the United States. In this article, we focus on Richmond’s Social Diagnosis, revisiting this hallmark of social ...

A Centennial of Mary Richmond’s Social Diagnosis: A Celebration and Contemporary Assessment of a Seminal Work:

Introduction Health care practitioners in Parkinson's care need to learn effective interprofessional team skills. This study examines posttraining effects on team skills of health practitioners attending an interprofessional education (IPE) program for team-based Parkinson's care. Methods Using a quasi-experimental pre-post design, practitioners (n = 236) in nine professions (physician, nurse and nurse practitioner, physician assistant, occupational, physical and music therapy, speech-language pathology, and social work) completed the validated, self-report Team Skills Scale, before and after the training. Associations of Team Skills Scale change with intention to change practice, measured at end of each training day, and with improved attitudes toward team, knowledge, confidence, and amount of new information were examined. Results All professions, except physician assistant, significantly improved perceived team skills, as did those showing greatest intention to change practice, with no meaningful differences in magnitude of change across profession groups. Team skills change was significantly associated with improved attitudes toward health care teams, increased knowledge about team and the role of other professions, and new knowledge gained. Confidence in Parkinson's care showed modest, statistically significant association with team skills improvement. Discussion The Allied Team Training for Parkinson-IPE program significantly improved perceived team skills of health care practitioners, effectively teaching about skills for collaborative teamwork. Future IPE research should explore whether similar programs in other settings achieve the enhanced team skills competencies with postlicensure practitioners observed here and validate our findings from self-developed measures using larger samples, additional professions, and follow-up of transfer of learning effects through direct observation of skills of actual teams.

Improving Team Skills of Health Care Practitioners: Effects of an Interprofessional Education Program

Healthcare reform, including the focus on chronic illness, the growing role of neuroscience, the emphasis on collaborative interprofessional care, and more recently, on integrated medical and behavioral healthcare, have important implications for social work education and practice. Parkinson's disease, a chronic neurodegenerative illness exemplifying these trends, is an area in which social workers are increasingly involved. This paper provides (1) an overview of Parkinson's disease and its complexity, (2) a summary of role and functions identified in a survey of health social workers working with Parkinson's disease and/or neurology, and (3) education and practice recommendations for the social work profession.

Manny J. González

Papers

A Centennial of Mary Richmond’s Social Diagnosis: A Celebration and Contemporary Assessment of a Seminal Work:

Improving Team Skills of Health Care Practitioners: Effects of an Interprofessional Education Program

Clinical social work in the care of Parkinson's disease: role, functions, and opportunities in integrated health care.