4.9 Social Histories

Figure 4.9.1 – Social Histories – Word Art by Denise Halsey

Social workers help people of various communities cope with different problems and issues, often working with specific clients / communities.   To do this we need to understand the importance of obtaining a client’s history, its purpose, and use effective strategies for obtaining it.

When we are aware there is going to be an interview (whether it is on the telephone or in person) we need to understand that there is a process of preparing for the first interview.   If the person has accessed services before at our agency, we begin with that information.  Where you will meet, what sort of things do you need to have available for that interview is also important.

There are 3 tasks that you need to accomplish in the first interview:

  1. Listen and convey an accurate understanding of clients’ perceptions about themselves and their problems
  2. Formulate a professional understanding of what it is the individual is experiencing and what they will need and while being assisted by your agency.
  3. Establish rapport with clients so they feel comfortable with you and your agency.

As social workers we work and assist people in various communities cope with many different challenges. To do this we need to know their journey, experiences, knowledge, history, trauma, family and many other moving pieces that are part of each individual.  We cannot know someone by simple seeing them.  It is important to have a conversation with them and explore why they are in front of us (what brought them to our agency) but also what their social history is through their eyes, and how we can assist them.

 

Figure 4.9.2 Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash

When we refer to a social or client history there is specific information that is to be gathered so that we can assist our clients/individuals.  The information that is gathered gives us a picture of the client that is accessing our agency.  The most important information includes:

  1. Description and history of the presenting problem (the reason the client is accessing our agency)
  2. Background information about the person’s life, which will also include the information around the presenting problem
  3. Worker’s impressions and recommendations from the intake appointment

All agencies have their own layouts and format for this but a typical outline for a social history will include the above 3 pieces of information .

The Biopsychosocial Plus model assists in many of these areas.  The information gathered would be:  biological (health related issues), psychological (mental health disorders), physiological (health issues in the organs / body), sociological (communities, relationships, culture), spiritual (individual faith/ belief), education, employment, addictions, or legal issues etc.

It is important for social workers to take the time to get to know the client, gather all of this information of a client’s history, both positive and challenging, as it can assist us in providing viable options to assist the client. This information is vitally important to be able to develop and create treatment plans based on all of their clients’ unique needs, strengths and goals.

Through the discussion we get to understand the client better and be more effective, whether we are assisting them in our agency, or assisting them in finding the best fit for them through a referral.

Each agency has different Social Histories that they will use.

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Fundamentals of Addiction – Trauma Informed, Solution Focused Counselling & Case Management Copyright © 2018 by Denise Halsey and Sunil Boodhai is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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