The qualitative approach to social work: an epistemological basis

Social work is in the early stages of building an empirically based holistic practice theory. Such a theory must address the special mission of social workers: it must be method-focused, incorporate psychological and social theories of understanding, and provide the middle-range theoretical connections to a social worker's day-today reality. This argument is advanced despite the enrichment provided by empirically derived theory based on frameworks developed in related disciplines. Some practice theories are specific to social work ; however, they are articulated without the middle-range theory that connects them to the realities of practitioners. Goldstein has developed a practice theory unique to social work (the cognitive, cross-cultural approach) ; however, this effort is not yet empirically grounded.