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Essay about The Generalist Practice: A Balance of Art and Science

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The art of promoting a functional world and society is not as simple as solving a problem, rather it requires one to study, understand, develop, evaluate, apply, and assess the most suitable methods for promoting the overall well-being of the individuals, groups, communities, and organizations in the macro environment. Human beings are the product of our environment, nature, and nurture, thus the generalist practitioner must strive to understand the interrelationship among such agents of influence in order to provide effective service to the individuals, families, groups, communities, and systems he or she serves. The task for the generalist practitioner is to apply skill, knowledge, systematic methodology, research, and best practice in …show more content…

The scientist observes phenomena in the natural world and formulates a hypothesis relating to a specific feature of the phenomena; likewise, the generalist practitioner must observe the scope of a problem within the environment it occurs and formulate a plan to address the main component of the problem. The generalist practitioner will gather information from the client about the nature of the problem, assess the support and resources available, and apply his or her knowledge of human behavior and the social environment to develop a plan of specific interventions to address the problem. The proceeding step is implementation of interventions to address a problem in the social environment will yield results indicative of improvement or regression in client functioning. The generalist practitioner can use the information as an evaluative measure to determine if further intervention or experimentation is necessary. Research is the driving force behind many of the decision we make in our everyday life, from choosing the car with the best safety rating to selecting the most cost effective prescription to treat a health condition, we rely on the data research provides us. The generalist practice is no different, relying on research to inform and guide our professional practice. Research provides information about the effectiveness of specific interventions to address a social issue or guide the

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