Gender-Sensitive Social Work Practice: A Model for Education

Abstract

Many social work educators are in search of ways to integrate course content on women while preserving time-tested models of assessment and intervention. Although women comprise the majority ofsocial work clients, most psychological models ofassessment and intervention are based on male psychological development. In contrast, feminist theories and therapies have turned attention to female psychological development and how this differs from male progression. Thisarticle describes and discusses a psychotherapeutic model for practice and education that allows for balanced gender sensitivity and that can be readily superimposed on existing models for more effective assessment and intervention.

The Unheard Gender: The Neglect of Men as Social Work Clients

“…Ample professional literature has been devoted to the development of social work interventions to empower women and meet their needs (e.g. Norman and Wheeler, 1996 ), and abundant resources allocated to developing curricula focusing on women (e.g. Leung, 2007 ).…”

Coverage of Gay and Lesbian Subject Matter in Social Work Journals

“…Such an assumption constitutes a Type I clinical error and may encourage practitioners to provide a "one size fits all" type of treatment. As pointed out by Norman and Wheeler ( 1996) , Type I clinical errors occur when practitioners ignore a client's membership in specific population groups, such as the gay and lesbian population.…”

Working with Men: A Gender-Sensitive Practice Model

“…Neither females nor males should be subjected to unidimensional, inflexible models of psychosocial assessment and intervention… Practitioners must keep in mind that each individual is unique, with unique experiences, perceptions, feelings, and behaviors, and yet has much in common with other human beings. (p. 208) Norman and Wheeler (1996) suggest that practitioners should remember that each individual is: (a) like no other human being, (b) like some others (other females or other males), and (c) like all others in the human community (female and male). These three concepts form the basis for their "threedimensional" approach to working with both genders.…”

“…In summary, Vogel et al note that "although these differences may reflect the workers' desire to help clients (i.e., asserting self, building connections), they may be partly due to the counselors' subscribing to traditional gender role beliefs rather than overall therapeutic goals" (2003, p. 138). Norman and Wheeler (1996) in their seminal work on gender-sensitive practice, propose a practice model for practitioners that they assert is applicable across disciplines. They maintain that much of the theory and practice literature is filled with "unidimensional" models of assessment and intervention.…”