Agency Based Social Work Essay

After reading the Johnson (1999) article, a question was asked should a social worker attend to the person or the environment first. It depends because social workers can work indirectly with clients by helping them cope with problems such as poverty, abuse, addiction, unemployment, educational problems, disability, trauma and mental illness. In addition, a social worker can work directly with clients to help them deal with the cognitive functioning, emotional functioning and behavioral functioning. Furthermore, I believe the client’s needs should be met first with the understand that there may be several outside factors as well as the level of need or depending on how critical the situation is for the client. Also, clients may require immediate attention because they’re dealing with mental illness that may cause them to himself or herself as well as others is always prioritized to the front of the line. If mental illness is not the situation, then both should be embraced.

According to researchers Flexner and Richmond

In the 1920’s and 1950, Reynolds drew attention to indirect service by questioning the others researchers theory. It wasn’t until the 1970’s findings on how agency-based social workers dispense their time which could not be safely comprehensive to private practitioners. To keep indirect services from being abroad manipulation had set the stage. Therefore, after reading the Johnson (1999) article and supporting research do I think social workers should attend to the person or the environment first. Researchers and statisticians feel there is a need for more research, but that is what they always say, so the jury is still out, but I believe the person in environment approach to practice will