Problems Solving theory

1. Problem Solving Theory by Helen
Harris Perlman
Presented By: Menal Hasan

2. Introduction
• This article examines the work of Helen Harris Perlman
(1906-2004) in the development of the problem-
solving model of direct practice in social work.
• Perlman, a prolific social work author as well as a
distinguished clinician and educator in social work,
always laid special claim to her model, which she
developed in the 1950’s.
• Sadly, although she asserted ownership, her model
soon slipped from her hands because of its wide
acceptance and became, in the latter stages of her life,
often misrepresented and at times unrecognizable.

3. PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS
• Social work was at first slow to adopt the pragmatic idea of
problem-solving as a style of intervention. Mary Richmond, the
founder of social work direct practice method, was influenced more
strongly by medical methods of intervention (i.e., “study”,
“diagnosis”, and “treatment”) (Richmond, 1917)
• Than the philosophical and psychological approach taken by James
and Dewey. Although also a form of problem-solving, the medical
approach was, and continues to be, practitioner-driven and
assumes the pathology and passivity of the client.
• The pragmatic approach, on the other hand, has always emphasized
client normality and capacity for personal self-determination, which
it seeks to enlist in a search for growth and positive change
(Perlman, 1957).

4. Recommended worker interventions
• The following list of recommended worker interventions
from classic social work writers over several decades, much
condensed, helps to indicate the progress of this
development:
• Help client acknowledge difficulty.
• Help the client in understanding the meaning of the
situation.
• Aid client in making decision to change. (Sheffield, 1922)
• Show sympathetic approach with client.
• Establish rapport.
• Present and discuss facts of the case.
• Stimulate the client to action. (Young, 1935)

5. OBJECTIONS on theory
These objections can be boiled down to the following four general
statements:
• 1) In reality problem “solving” doesn’t often happen– Some have
claimed that in real life social workers and their clients deal with
tremendous uncertainty and rarely with well-identified problems,
therefore problem “solving” does not often happens and the most
that can be hoped for is problem reduction and management—
goals that are more realistic and far easier for clients and workers to
achieve (Schon, 1983).
• 2) Problem-solving is only one form of thought—Authors in the
narrative tradition of social work and therapeutic intervention have
worried that fixation on the problem-solving mode of interaction
can constrict the client’s ability to freely tell his or her “story” and
thus fail to tap into alternate styles of thought and reflection (
Anderson, 1997).

6. • 3) The problem-solving model is culture-
bound—Since the social work problem-solving
approach was developed initially in social work in
the context of white, middle-class culture in the
United States.
• 4) The model is based on non-experimental (i.
e., “soft”) evidence—Since Perlman developed
her model when social work research was in its
infancy, most of her supporting documentation
was drawn from clinical and anecdotal sources,
plus her own extensive clinical experience

7. CONCLUSION
• Although today no social work author who today used Perlman’s
model-building procedures exclusively would be readily considered
for academic advancement,
• the fact that her conceptualizations were generally successful in
actual practice appears to bear out psychologist Kurt Lewin’s
famous adage that “there is nothing so practical as a good theory.”
• However, it still needs to be asked how the model measures up
today in our current research-heavy climate in social work
practice? In general one can answer: pretty well.
• A number of evaluation research studies done over the past
several decades have documented that problem-solving approaches
and their variants, such as task-centered treatment and problem-
solving therapy,