The Social Work Generalist in a Rural Context: An Ecological Perspective

Abstract

Rural areas can be viewed as distinct communities where individuals and the processes and structures of the community are intricately interrelated. The rural social worker must be able to understand and intervene on the basis of this knowledge. In this article, a generalist is suggested for rural areas. The generalist is conceptualized not as a jack-of-all-trades, but rather as a specialist who has expertise in working with transactions between the person and the environment. An ecological perspective is suggested as the knowledge foundation for the rural practitioner.