What is integrative social work?

Social work as a whole centers around the interaction between individuals and their environment—providing support and guidance through a given situation. Integrative social work takes it a step farther by ensuring the betterment of individuals using the holistic and systematic perspective of social work.

What is a holistic approach in regards to social work practice?

A holistic approach to social work assesses all factors in a person’s life when determining a path to care.

Social workers who take a holistic approach to their practice tend to examine client behavior through a wide variety of lenses, including environment, family dynamics, culture, and more.

Often, holistic social work will not only attempt to tackle issues faced by an individual but their communities as well. This ensures practitioners are addressing root causes of negative outcomes and ideally affecting change for a wide range of people—not just their given client.

By taking all of these elements into consideration, a social worker can better detect any hidden issues that could give rise to emotional distress or negative behaviors. This holistic lens can lead to better care plans and overall support for clients similar to how integrative social work is concerned with the general well-being of individuals.

What is integrative social work?

Integrative social work draws from the concept of holistic social work to create a model rooted in systemic support for an individual.

This social work practice model is often described as “person-centered,” meaning it takes into account the physical, emotional, community, and spiritual well-being of a client.

The integrative social work model teaches that if you do not recognize all of the above dimensions in your practice, it will undermine the whole.

Integrative social work also addresses an individual’s community issues in relation to their personal issues in an attempt to find long-term solutions.

According to Saybrook University, integrative social work, at its core, combines “the time-honored traditions of social work with the values of social justice and social transformation.”

Pursuing a Ph.D. in Integrative Social Work

Pursuing a doctoral degree in integrative social work prepares students to become leaders, researchers, and advocates of social work and community health.

After the completion of a Ph.D. in integrative social work, graduates will be prepared to do the following:

• Examine and evaluate the traditional community and societal values of social work and apply them to the dynamic landscape of the 21st century
• Explain the influence of social policy and public health programs on general health and well-being of individuals, organizations, and communities
• Support health equity and social justice in health care, society, and law
• Engage, assess, and intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
• Critically evaluate methodologies, apply published research, and conduct independent research to investigate contemporary issues with community and society
• Assess and synthesize evidence, theories, and informed practices and interventions in integrative social work

By possessing these high-level skills in both practical and research methods, students are ready to enter the field of social work in any capacity. The majority of integrative social work graduates go on to pursue careers in health care, education, community organizing and activism, child welfare, public policy, and more.

To learn more about Saybrook’s Ph.D. in Integrative Social Work program, visit our program page. Fill out the form below to request more information or learn how you can apply today.

Interested in other types of practice models in the field of social work? Head to our blog about the four different types of social work practice models.