The Marital Relationship as a Focus for Casework (Report of the Proceedings of a Conference)

This booklet is subtitled "Report of a conference on the implications of Marital Interaction for the Social Services", and contains four papers presented at this conference, together with an added introduction written especially for this report. There is also a brief summary of the discussions of the papers, and finally a short description of the work of the Family Discussion Bureau. The report underlines the need for special skill in work with marital problems. It presents a description of "The Nature of Marital Interaction" (in a paper by Mrs. L. Pincus), then discusses work with marital problems in the Probation Service and ?n Community Care (papers by Mr. T. Burke and Miss E. Huneeus) and touches ?n the implications for casework training and practice (in a paper by Mr. D. Woodhouse). The main point of the report seems to be around the ability of the caseworker to spot what the people who come for help are really asking for, and then to offer that kind of insight which the client is able to use. This implies an understanding of psychoanalytic concepts, as well as the ability to put into practice that theoretical understanding which the caseworker has. Although the worker may have some understanding of the unconscious factors which seem active in the marital conflict, he or she works primarily with the overt Problem which is presented. Many marriages, in different stages of crises or dis-harmony, can be made much more workable if the partners are given the opportunity try to make sense of what is the immediate basis of the friction, as well as to be given some insight into the link between the immediate and some of their own past, 't seems that what the caseworker often does is to verbalize those feelings which are present in one or both of the marriage partners and to help them to assess ^me of the meaning of the problems.