Social work formulation: Principles and strategies for mental health social workers in Aotearoa New Zealand
Keywords:
formulation, Mental health, Clinical social workAbstract
INTRODUCTION: Social workers are important members of multidisciplinary mental health teams and formulation is a core skill in mental health practice. However, there is little published guidance about what strong social work formulation looks like. As a group of mental health social workers, including experienced and recent graduates, we identified this discrepancy between the importance of a social work perspective on formulation and the lack of guidance available to us. We propose some key principles for social work formulation in Aotearoa New Zealand. This theoretical article is designed to encourage our mental health social work colleagues, new and experienced, to engage in formulation that is informed by social work values and knowledge.
APPROACH: As a group of mental health social workers, we approached this task with a mix of theory and practice. We conducted a literature review of both social work formulation and Māori formulation, then discussed how these approaches align with the social work knowledge base in Aotearoa New Zealand, social work core competencies, and our experience of mental health practice. From this approach, we identified six key principles for social work formulation in Aotearoa New Zealand.
CONCLUSIONS: Strong social work formulation is bicultural, collaborative, strengths-based, ecological, has a social justice lens and is whānau-inclusive.
References
Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers. (2023). Ngā Tikanga Matatika code of ethics. https://www.anzasw.nz/code-of-ethics/
Bagster, M., Myles, H., & Large, M. (2021). Instructions for Australian and New Zealand trainees in developing skills in formulation: A systematic review of local evidence. Australian Psychiatry, 29(5), 546–549. https://doi.org/10.1177/1039856221992633
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by design and nature. Harvard University Press.
Brown, C. (2021). Critical clinical social work and the neoliberal constraints on social justice in mental health. Research on Social Work Practice, 31(6), 644–652. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731520984531
Bush, A., Campbell, W., & Ransfield, M. (2019). Te Ara Waiora a Tāne: A kaupapa Māori mental-health assessment and intervention planning approach. Australasian Psychiatry, 27(4), 337–340. https://doi.org/10.1177/1039856219829225
Cherrington, J. M. (2020). Te ara wha¯nau ora (a pathway to whānau wellbeing): Exploring the practice of kaiwhakaaraara/wha¯nau ora navigators [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Massey University.
Corcoran, J., & Nichols-Casebolt, A. (2004). Risk and resilience ecological framework for assessment and goal formulation. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 21(3), 211–235.
Crowe, M., Carlyle, D., & Farmar, R. (2008). Clinical formulation for mental health nursing practice. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 15, 800–807.
Dean, R. G., & Poorvu, N. L. (2018). Assessment and formulation: a contemporary social work perspective. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 89(4), 596–604. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.3822
Durie, M. (1994). Whaiora Māori health development. Oxford University Press.
Eruera, M., Ruwhiu, L., & Wi-Kaitaia, M. (2021). Te toka tūmoana: Tangata whenua and bicultural principled wellbeing framework for working with Māori. Oranga Tamariki. https://www.orangatamariki.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/About-us/Research/Latest-research/Te-Toka-Tumoana/Te-Toka-Tumoana.pdf
Friesen, M. (2007). Perceptions of social justice in New Zealand in R. Porter (Ed.), Pursuing social justice in New Zealand. Maxim Institute.
Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction. (2018). He Ara Oranga: Report of the Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction. www.mentalhealth.inquiry.govt.nz/inquiry-report/
Hamley, L., Le Grice, J., Greaves, L., Groot, S., Latimer, C.L., Renfrew, L., Parkison, H., Gillon, A. & Clark, T.C. (2023). Te Tapatoru: A model of whanaungatanga to support rangatahi wellbeing. Ko¯tuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online, 18(2), 171–194. https://doi.org/10.1080/1177083X.2022.2109492
Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture's consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organizations across nations. Sage.
Hollis-English, A. (2017). Theories in Māori social work: Indigenous approaches to working with and for indigenous people. Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work, 27(4), 5–15. https://doi.org/10.11157/anzswj-vol27iss4id432
Human Rights Commission. (2022). Maranga Mai! https://tikatangata.org.nz/our-work/maranga-mai
International Federation of Social Workers. (2018). Global social work statement of ethical principles. https://www.ifsw.org/global-social-work-statement-of-ethical-principles/
International Federation of Social Workers. (2023). Global definition of social work. https://www.ifsw.org/what-is-social-work/global-definition-of-social-work
Johnstone, L., & Boyle, M. (with Cromby, J., Dillon, J., Harper, D., Kinderman, P., Longden, E., Pilgrim, D. & Read, J.) (2018). The power threat meaning framework: Towards the identification of patterns in emotional distress, unusual experiences and troubled or troubling behaviour, as an alternative to functional psychiatric diagnosis. British Psychological Society.
Lawson, K., & Liu, J. (2010). Indigenous suicide and colonization: The legacy of violence and the necessity for self determination. International Journal of Conflict and Violence, 4(1), 124–133.
Lee, E. (2022). Assessment as a site of anti/oppressive social work practice: Negotiating with power and the de/professionalisation of social work. British Journal of Social Work, 52, 4378–4400. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcac038
Macneil, C. A., Hasty, M. K., Conus, P. ,& Berk, M. (2012). Is diagnosis enough to guide interventions in mental health? Using case formulation in clinical practice. BMC Medicine, 10, 111. https://doi.org./1741-7015/10/111
Marsden, M., & Royal, C. T. A. (2003). The woven universe: Selected writings of Rev. Māori Marsden. Estate of Rev. Māori Marsden.
McCashen, W. (2017). The strengths approach: Sharing power, building hope, creating change (2nd ed.). St Luke’s Innovative Resources.
McLaughlin, A. M., Enns, R., Gallagher, S., & Henton, J. (2022). Supporting youth leaving care in rural Canada clinical practice and social justice. In C. Cox & T. Maschi (Eds.), Human rights and social justice: key issues and vulnerable populations (1st ed., pp. 143–161). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003111269-11
Mikaere, A. (2017). The balance destroyed. Te Wānanga o Raukawa.
Ministry of Health. (2023). Oranga Hinengaro System and Service Framework. https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/publications/oranga-hinengaro-system-and-service-framework-apr23.pdf
Mooney, H., Watson, A., Ruwhiu, P., & Hollis-English, A. (2020). Māori social work and Māori mental health in Aotearoa New Zealand. In R. Ow & A. Poon (Eds.) Mental health and social work. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6975-9_9
Pihama, L., Cameron, N., Pitman, M., & Te Nana, R. (2022). Whāia te ara ora: Understanding and healing the impact of historical trauma and sexual violence for Māori. Māori and Indigenous Analysis.
Pitama, S. G., Bennett, S. T., Waitoki, W., Haitana, T. N., Valentine, H., Pahina, J., Taylor, J. E., Tassell-Matamua, N., Rowe, L., Beckert, L., Palmer, S. C., Huria, T. M., Lacey, C. J., & McLachlan, A. (2017). A proposed hauora Māori clinical guide for psychologist using the hui process and meihana model in clinical assessment and formulation. New Zealand Journal of Psychology, 46(3), 7–19.
Pōhatu, T. W. (2013). Āta: Growing respectful relationships. Ata: Journal of Psychotherapy Aotearoa New Zealand, 17(1), 13–26. https://doi.org/10.9791/ajpanz.2013.02
Ruwhiu, L. (2001). Bicultural issues in Aotearoa New Zealand social work. In M. Connolly (Ed.), Social work in New Zealand: Context and practice (pp. 54–71). Oxford University Press.
Sadler, H. (2007). Mātauranga Māori (Māori epistemology). International Journal of the Humanities, 4(1), 33–45.
Selzer, R., & Ellen, S. (2014). Formulation for beginners. Australasian Psychiatry, 22(4), 397–401. https://doi.org/10.1177/1039856214536240
Smith, L. T. (2012). Decolonizing methodologies: Research and indigenous peoples (2nd Ed) Zed Books.
Social Workers Registration Board. (2023). Ngā Paerewa Kaiakatanga Matua core competence standards. https://swrb.govt.nz/practice/core-competence-standards/
Tate, H. A. (2010). Towards some foundations of a systematic Māori theology: He tirohanga anganui ki e¯tahi kaupapa hōhonu mō te whakapono Māori [Unpublished doctoral thesis]. Melbourne College of Divinity.
Wi-Kaitaia, M., Ruwhiu, L., & Eruera, M. (2021). Development of the mana-enhancing paradigm for practice. Oranga Tamariki, Ministry for Children.
Wilson, D., Moloney, E., Parr, J. M, Aspinall, C., & Slark, J. (2021). Creating an Indigenous Māori-centred model of relational health: A literature review of Māori models of health. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 30(23), 3539–3555. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15859
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
By completing the online submission process, you confirm you accept this agreement. The following is the entire agreement between you and the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW) and it may be modified only in writing.
You and any co-authors
If you are completing this agreement on behalf of co-authors, you confirm that you are acting on their behalf with their knowledge.
First publication
By submitting the work you are:
- granting the ANZASW the right of first publication of this work;
- confirming that the work is original; and
- confirming that the work has not been published in any other form.
Once published, you are free to use the final, accepted version in any way, as outlined below under Copyright.
Copyright
You assign copyright in the final, accepted version of your article to the ANZASW. You and any co-authors of the article retain the right to be identified as authors of the work.
The ANZASW will publish the final, accepted manuscript under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (CC BY 4.0). This licence allows anyone – including you – to share, copy, distribute, transmit, adapt and make commercial use of the work without needing additional permission, provided appropriate attribution is made to the original author or source.
A human-readable summary of the licence is available from http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, which includes a link to the full licence text.
Under this licence you can use the final, published version of the article freely – such as depositing a copy in your institutional research repository, uploading a copy to your profile on an academic networking site or including it in a different publication, such as a collection of articles on a topic or in conference proceedings – provided that original publication in Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work is acknowledged.
This agreement has no effect on any pre-publication versions or elements, which remain entirely yours, and to which we claim no right.
Reviewers hold copyright in their own comments and should not be further copied in any way without their permission.
The copyright of others
If your article includes the copyright material of others (e.g. graphs, diagrams etc.), you confirm that your use either:
- falls within the limits of fair dealing for the purposes of criticism and review or fair use; OR
- that you have gained permission from the rights holder for publication in an open access journal.
