Preparation for Practice

Social workers routinely work in under-funded institutions taking on society''s most difficult problems. They function at the nexus of disputes, dealing with competing human values, and play multiple roles – i.e. counselor, protector, investigator, enforcer, and mediator. The role of social worker as mediator suggested an exploration of the need for the inclusion of conflict resolution/mediation education in the social work curriculum. This study investigated the perceptions of social work mediators about the effectiveness of their graduate education for conflict resolution/mediation practice. Is there a gap between what is taught and the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to practice? What additional education is required to achieve competency? Are the tasks of conflict resolution/mediation viewed as generalist social work tasks or specialist tasks? Uncovering interesting results and providing new insights into the gaps between practice and theory, this study alerts the social work profession to pay attention to new and growing practice areas and the importance of expanding the array of tools required to practice effectively.