A Shifting Paradigm – Medical to Interactional Model: A Personal History

Lawrence Shulman

Lawrence Shulman University of Buffalo

Keywords: Interactional model, medical model, paradigm shifts, William Schwartz

Abstract

This article chronicles over 50 years of change in the profession with an emphasis on the author’s professional experiences and the shift in practice paradigms from the medical model to an interactional model. A number of key phases in this shift are identified and illustrated drawn from the author’s work over time.

Author Biography

Lawrence Shulman, University of Buffalo

M.S.W., Ed.D., Retired Professor and former Dean at the University of Buffalo School of Social Work