It Depends

by Denice Goodrich Liley, PhD, LCSW, ACSW, CSW-G

     The most essential thing I want the soon-to-be social worker to know is – It Depends! Those are but two little words, but they do have quite the punch in the profession of social work. Social work is diverse. It is not a linear progression for us as clinicians or advocates, nor as our clients address challenges. It depends!

     How does one “know” what to say, do, how to be with a client? How does one know what is the challenge facing the individual before me, select the right intervention, how to do no harm? The list of questions is endless. The answer to each of these is straightforward – those two little words – IT DEPENDS!

     What it depends on is frequently not what we think it depends on. The newly minted social worker is positive that everything evolves around saying the right thing or asking the right questions, when, all too often, this concern is getting in the way of hearing what the client is saying. You can't be thinking about what you are to say next and at the same time genuinely listening to what the person in front of you is saying.  

     For the seasoned social worker, there is much less of a concern for what to say and when to say something to the client. The focus shifts to questions of over-identifying with the client, under-identifying, being supportive or too supportive or not supportive enough, referring the client out, keeping the client, determining the client's motivations, and whether the client is right for the agency. The concerns revolve around the goodness of fit for the client, the social worker, and the agency. Yes – the answer to all of the concerns is – It Depends!

     It is our job to determine the “what it depends on” – sometimes called the differential diagnosis, biopsychosocial spiritual, environmental assessment, the challenge, or as frequently asked, “What brings you in today?” It is working with our clients to discover the what in – It Depends!

     As social workers, this is what we do – find what it depends on for each individual. We look at our clients as individuals. This depends on us to have the ability to sit with clients, to hear their stories, provide a sense of hope for the future, and have faith in the capacities of the individual in front of us to marshal resources and move toward success. Yes – It does indeed – Depend! On so very much – not merely what we as social workers say or do, but on our capacity to empower our clients with the reins in their own hands to have confidence and mastery through our abilities as social workers to help them determine just what it does depend upon. Yes – it does depend!

Denice Goodrich Liley, PhD, LCSW, ACSW, CSW-G, has been teaching social work for more than 30 years. She has been at Boise State University for the past 25 years. Dr. Liley identifies as a social worker who teaches. Her areas of interest are social work practice, field practicum, aging, and end-of-life.