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Biestek's Seven Principles of the Casework Relationship

🤝 Social Welfare By CampusDown Wiki Editorial Team Last updated
Quick answer: Biestek's seven principles are guidelines for the professional helping relationship between a social worker and a client. Each principle answers a basic client need.
Contents
  1. 1. The seven principles
  2. 2. Significance
  3. 3. References

The seven principles

  • Individualization: treat each client as a unique person.
  • Purposeful expression of feelings: let clients voice negative feelings too.
  • Controlled emotional involvement: respond sensitively but purposefully.
  • Acceptance: accept the person as they are, without approving every behaviour.
  • Nonjudgmental attitude: do not assign guilt or blame.
  • Client self-determination: respect the right to make one's own choices.
  • Confidentiality: protect private information, with limits where life or safety is at risk.

Significance

Biestek called the relationship "the soul of casework" and saw the principles as one interrelated attitude. They remain a basic framework in social work ethics and training.

References

  1. Biestek, F. P. (1957). The Casework Relationship. Loyola University Press.
  2. National Association of Social Workers. (2021). Code of Ethics. NASW.
  3. Hepworth, D. H., Rooney, R. H., et al. (2017). Direct Social Work Practice (10th ed.). Cengage.

Reports and materials that use this theory (Korean)

There are no materials dedicated to this theory yet, but you can search related reports in the CampusDown library (Korean).

Find more reports · Search '비에스텍의 관계 7대 원칙' on CampusDown →
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This article was last updated on October 15, 2026. It is based on widely recognized original works and textbooks; when citing it in a paper, please check the original sources listed in the references.