Constructive social work and personal construct theory: The case of psychological trauma

Trevor Butt, Nigel Parton

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The complex and changing relationship between theory and practice in social work has received increasing attention in recent years. Parton (2000) has advocated a constructionist approach that underlines the similarity between the roles of the researcher and the practitioner. Personal construct theory (Kelly, 1955) is one member of the constructionist family that has particular implications for social work practice. It evolved as a pragmatic approach to psychotherapy, advocating a research supervisor/student model of the practitioner/client relationship. In this article, we elaborate its application to social work practice, drawing on contemporary work in the fields of trauma and loss to illustrate its value.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)793-806
Number of pages14
JournalBritish Journal of Social Work
Volume35
Issue number6
Early online date1 Aug 2005
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sep 2005

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