Practice Wisdom

Practice Wisdom is the knowledge and expertise that social workers, therapists, and other care providers draw upon to make professional decisions. Practice wisdom develops through on-the-job training and experience but may also be influenced by theory, research, and life experience.

When faced with a difficult decision, such as whether to remove a child from a home, a social worker may report that they relied on gut feeling or intuition to guide them. But their decision was probably influenced by practice wisdom and experience.