Humanist and Existential Models

Abstract

Humanism and existentialism are ways of looking at life. While they have specific philosophical meanings, in social work theory models of practice with certain features tend to be grouped together as humanist. These models have in common ideas that human beings are trying to make sense of the world that they experience, that social workers are trying to help people gain the skills to explore themselves and the personal meaning that they attach to the world they perceive and which affects them, and that their interpretations of their own selves are valid and worthwhile.