Assertive Rights and Intervention in Social Work

From a Humanistic standpoint, assertiveness is essential to the development of every person; it is based on acceptance, self-worth, and respect, both for themselves and each other. Assertive Rights have a fundamental role in this process because, once they are exercised, problematic situations become preventable or solvable, directly impacting well-being. Intervention in Social Work is interested in developing assertiveness in people because this implies facing life’s challenges. This chapter explores, in the first place, a revision of the concept of assertiveness and Assertive Rights and their relationship with Social Work; in the second place, the components of an intervention model in Social Work are described in a general way; and lastly, the humanistic and existentialist models are defined, specifying the approaches of Intervention in Social Work: Person-centered, Gestalt therapy, Existentialist Social Work, and Transactional Analysis; identifying how these are centred in the individual as a relevant part, or the protagonist of their development.