Casework Approaches in The Philippines: Leonora Serafica-De Guzman

CASEWORK

APPROACHES
in the PHILIPPINES

Leonora Serafica-De Guzman

CASEWORK APPROACHES
1. FUNCTIONAL APPROACH
2. PROBLEM-SOLVING
APPROACH
3. PSYCHOSOCIAL APPROACH
4. TASK-CENTERED APPROACH
5. CRISIS INTERVENTION
6. FAMILY-CENTERED
APPROACH
1. FUNCTIONAL APPROACH
It is a social casework

method for engaging the client
through a one-to-one
relationship in the use of a
social service toward his own
and the general social welfare.
Functional approach
This approach was
conceptualized by Ruth E.
Smalley (1967) .
The focus of the intervention
is the delivery of service(s) to
the client (common approach
used in the Philippines).
Functional Approach
◦ Developed at the Pennsylvania School
of Social Work in the l930’s.
◦ Emphasis was on the relationship, the
dynamic use of time, and the “use of the
agency” function.
◦ Diagnostic categories have tended to be
avoided as having limited usefulness.
2. PROBLEM-SOLVING APPROACH
 It assumes that the person’s

problem-solving capabilities
or resources have been broken
down or been impaired or are
maladaptive.
Problem-solving approach
The focus of treatment is in
helping the person go through
the scientific problem-solving
process so that he will act and
resolve his problem with only
minimum help.
Problem-solving approach
The experience of problem-
solving may be so significant
that the client imbibes and
transfers the learning to other
problems he may encounter in
the future even when the
worker is no longer there.
Problem-solving Approach
◦ Identified with the work of Helen Perlman at
the Chicago school in l957.
◦ The purposes of the process are to free the
client for investment in tasks related to the
solution of the problem, involve the client’s
ego in work designated to deal with the
problem, and to mobilize inner and outer
forces in the service of satisfactory role
performance.
3. PSYCHOSOCIAL APPROACH
Also known as “diagnostic

approach.”
One of the first models
employed developed by Gordon
Hamilton and her associates from
the Columbia School of Social
Work.
Psychosocial Approach
◦ According to Gordon Hamilton, treatment
here is focused on the individual and his
functionality.
◦ Cause and effect relationships are identified
between the individual and environment.
◦ Ego psychology and the behavioral sciences
provide important underpinning for practice
◦ Model has a Freudian theory base.
Psychosocial Approach
It is concerned with inner
realities of the person, his
emotional, mental and social
processes, and the social
context in which he lives.
Used with clients affected by
traumatic incidents.
4. TASK-CENTERED APPROACH
Treatment concentrates on
helping individual clients to
achieve specific or limited
goals of their own choice
within brief and bounded
periods of service.
Task-centered Approach
◦ Developed at the University of Chicago in
the l970’s.
◦ Designed to solve specific psychosocial
problems of individuals or families in a
short-term, time-limited form of practice.
◦ Caseworker and client reach an explicit
agreement on the particular problems to be
worked on and also the probable duration of
treatment.
Task-centered or short-term approach
It is similar to crisis

intervention but it focuses on a
task to be achieved by the
client.
It may focus on a specific
behavior or social environment
that needs to be changed.
5. CRISIS INTERVENTION
It is the application of the
casework approach which
tries to actively influence the
psychosocial functioning of a
person during a period of
disequilibrium.
Crisis-intervention Approach
Crisis- is an upset in a steady
state (state of disequilibrium)
that gives an obstacle in the
fulfillment of important life
goals (Caplan 1964)
Effects of Crisis
It is stressful and disruptive and
can affect biological,
psychological and social
functioning and can produce
disturbed emotions, impair motor
functioning and negatively impact
ongoing behavior.
Examples of Crisis Situations
Natural disasters
Death of a loved one
Disabling or life-threatening illness or
injury
Cultural dislocation
Rape
Premature births
Adolescent out-of-wedlock pregnancy
Child-abuse
Battered women
Domestic violence
Reaction to Crisis
Initial rise in tension accompanied by
shock or sometimes denial of the
provoking event
Reaction to the crisis situation
(confusion, overwhelmed, helpless,
angry, depressed)
Coping and degree of responsiveness
(either positive or negative)
Crisis intervention
Its goals are:
A.) to reduce the immediate harmful
effects of the stressful events.
B.) to help mobilize the latent
capacities and capabilities of the
person directly affected so that he can
cope more effectively with the effects
of the crisis.
6. FAMILY-CENTERED APPROACH
The family is the unit of

interest.
In the Phil., casework is
family-centred/oriented.
It means that human beings
can be understood and helped
best in the context of family.
Components of Casework
The Person
The Problem
The Place
The Process

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What are the different casework approaches discussed in the document?

What are some key characteristics of the functional approach?

CASEWORK

Leonora Serafica-De Guzman

It is a social casework

 It assumes that the person’s

Also known as “diagnostic

It is similar to crisis

The family is the unit of

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