Generalist Practice

What does Generalist Social Work Practice mean?

Generalist practice is grounded in the liberal arts and the person-in-environment framework.

The definition of generalist practice is as follows:

To promote human and social well-being, generalist practitioners use a range of prevention and intervention methods in their practice with diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities based on scientific inquiry and best practices. The generalist practitioner identifies with the social work profession and applies ethical principles and critical thinking in practice at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Generalist practitioners engage diversity in their practice and advocate for human rights and social and economic justice. They recognize, support, and build on the strengths and resiliency of all human beings. They engage in research-informed practice and are proactive in responding to the impact of context on professional practice (CSWE 2015 p 11).

Our program is committed to providing education and training for students to fill jobs in traditional and newly emerging areas as well as continue their formal education in social work or other graduate studies where a Bachelor of Social Work is considered the appropriate entry level degree. Some of the traditional areas are: adolescent care in residential facilities, geriatric care in nursing homes, multi-service community centers, youth work, and social work lobbyist.

Note: Graduates from our program may use the title Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) because of our accredited status with the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

Updated 8/30/2019