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Generalist Practice: A Task-Centered Approach, Second Edition resources

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task-centered and generalist practice 9 Ecological theory thus provides a useful road map for examining problems in context. Each of the systems should also be considered with respect to the way the problem affects the system. For example, a serious illness can have a debilitating effect on family members, as well as on the individual patient. A serious illness that affects many people, like autoimmune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), has a devastating effect on individuals, families, organizations that serve the patients, the com- munities in which they reside, and the society as it struggles to protect individual rights in the face of a feared epidemic. Finally, the likely impact of each system for solving or alleviating the problem needs to be considered. Which system is most likely to re- solve the particular problem of academic failure, child abuse, or phys- ical illness? Thus, for each problem we are asked to address, we must consider each of the systems identified—individual, family, community, organi- zation, and society—with three questions in mind. First, what is the role of this system in causing or maintaining the problem? Second, what is the impact of the problem on each of the systems? Third, what is each system likely to contribute to solving the problem? Finally, we can consider the context as a whole and with respect to the concept of “goodness of fit,” that is, the extent to which the context promotes the growth of the primary systems. In addition to helping us analyze the involvement of each system, the ecosystems perspective, through the concept of boundaries, enhances our ability to examine the interactions among systems. For example, an eight-year-old child, Oliver Wilson, was referred for behavioral prob- lems in school. The teacher and principal cared about the child and were using appropriate means to modify his behavior but with little success. During a home visit, the social worker met a nurturing and concerned mother who reported that her son was well behaved at home. The clue to the problem came at the very end of the visit. When the social worker asked Ms. Wilson if she had any questions, the moth- er replied, “There’s one thing that I don’t understand. When Oliver acts up at home, I don’t call the school. I don’t understand why they call me.” This question indicated that the problem resulted from rigid boundaries between the systems, with little information exchange.

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