A letter to the late Felix Biestek: Revisiting the seven principles of The Casework Relationship with contemporary struggles

Abstract

It is acknowledged that ‘The Casework Relationship’ is a seminal work in the social work literature. Written by Professor Felix Biestek (1912–1994) of the School of Social Work at Loyola University in 1957, the book has been translated into six languages and is considered a ‘best seller’ in the social work community. Rather than writing another straightforward review of the book (Bisno, 1958; Mwansa, 2008; Perlman, 1957), I propose instead to draft a letter to Professor Biestek to share my thoughts on the contemporary struggles in casework relationships. As nearly six decades have passed since Professor Biestek introduced his seven principles – individualization, purposeful expression of feelings, controlled emotional involvement, acceptance, non-judgmental attitude, client self-determination, and confidentiality – I believe that present-day students and scholars of social work should contemplate how these principles may contrast with contemporary concerns in the chaos of our present.

Acknowledgement

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Prof. Ming-sum Tsui for his insightful advice and towering support throughout my academic journey.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.