The Partnership Approach

Chapter Summary

This chapter has introduced the concept of partnership-based practice in human services and suggested its congruence with a sociological perspective. The partnership approach shares a philosophical basis with the Verstehen, clinical, and grounded theory strands in sociology, and students of this approach would benefit from an understanding of the sociological concepts of opportunity structure and definition of the situation. In addition, sociological methods, including observation, interviewing, and questionnaire development and administration, are useful in helping practitioners identify their clients’ resources, concerns, and priorities. The chapter concludes by suggesting that sociological theory and methods be incorporated into training programs for human service practitioners.