How to use theory fluently in practice

Learning Objectives

After reading these resources, you should have a clearer picture of what good theoretically-informed practice looks like, as well as have a better grasp of common mistakes in applying theory in practice settings.

Two women sitting around table

In her research, published as From Theory to Practice in Social Work, Jenny Secker found students' use of social work theory in their practice fell into three broad categories. She termed these: the everyday social approach; the fragmented approach; and the fluent approach.

In the first extract from her book below, she describes how the fragmented approach can result in theory either being brought into the social work process too late, or being used too rigidly as a formula for practice.

The second and shorter extract describes the fluent approach to theory use in social work. Here, you can see how theoretical ideas can become part of a productive internal and external dialogue for the student in their work with service users.

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Reflective Questions

  1. Have you ever put off asking a difficult question or sharing a potentially challenging idea with a service user by telling yourself you can come back to it at a later date? Having read these extracts, do you think you did the right thing?
  2. How can theory help you to deal with conflicts of opinion? Give an example.
  3. What are the dangers of working atheoretically?
  4. Can you describe a time when you were able to use social work theory to check your emotional reactions in response to a service user or their situation?
  5. How confident do you feel about sharing your theories about what is going on with the service users you work with? How do you think you could improve?

Reference:
J Secker, From Theory to Practice in Social Work, Ashgate, 1993, pp. 56-63 and pp. 80-84.

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