About this resource
Psychosocial exploration works best as a conversation, not an interview. These prompt cards offer open questions across eight areas, from wellbeing and relationships to practical needs, culture and coping, so social workers can follow the person's lead while making sure nothing important is missed.
Purpose
To support natural, person-led psychosocial conversations that still cover the important areas.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Social workers. Also relevant for community services and case workers.
Client or participant group: Social workers exploring psychosocial needs with adults and families.
Practice setting: Hospital, community health, mental health and casework settings.
Suggested uses
- Initial psychosocial conversations
- Reviews and reassessments
- Supervision and training
- Choosing areas to explore further
Instructions for practitioners
- Let the person lead; use the cards to fill gaps, not as a script.
- Choose the most relevant areas first.
- Notice strengths as well as needs.
- Record the person's own words, and follow your organisation's assessment framework.
Accessibility considerations
Adapt language, use interpreters and allow the person to decline any area.
Scope and limitations
Conversation prompts. They do not replace your organisation's psychosocial assessment framework or risk assessment.
Research basis
Biopsychosocial and ecological models describe how health, relationships and wider systems interact in a person's life. Case management practice standards describe assessment, planning, coordination, review and planned exits with the person at the centre.
- Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design. Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674028845
- Case Management Society of Australia and New Zealand. (2013). National standards of practice for case management (3rd ed.). https://www.cmsa.org.au/
- Engel, G. L. (1977). The Need for a New Medical Model: A Challenge for Biomedicine. Science, 196(4286), 129–136. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.847460
What is included
A 3-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure, layout and icons were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced.
