Family Health : A Holistic Approach to Social Work Practice

The profession of social work has, since its inception, stressed the importance of the family system in practice and policy development. Even though the family has always been central to effective social work practice, the framing of the family system from a holistic health perspective is new to the field. This collection develops a family health perspective that will facilitate effective social work practice and policy development.

Family health is an emerging practice orientation within the field of social work. A family health orientation practice utilizes a holistic approach that examines family strength and stress inside and outside the family system. How families perceive these conditions and their ability to adapt and change will greatly determine how concerns are managed by the family system. A critical role of the social work practitioner is to help families deal with these pressures at both the micro and macro levels.

The family health perspective examined in this collection deals with assessment and intervention through a family health approach; research and evaluation on family health; family health and cultural diversity; family health and social policy; and social service delivery through a family health approach.

JOHN T. PARDECK is Professor of Social Work in the School of Social Work at Southwest Missouri State University./e Pardeck has published more than 100 articles and numerous books on social work issues.

FRANCIS K. O. YUEN is Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Southwest Missouri State University./e He has authored numerous articles on family health and diversity issues.