Hospice social work: a search for identity.

This article describes social work's contribution to hospice philosophy and practice, calls attention to the lack of a distinct social work function on hospice teams, and examines various ways to resolve the problem of social work identity in hospice care. Insights from recent peer discussions of hospice social workers tend to support Kulys and Davis's (1986) earlier findings that psychosocial care is provided regularly by hospice team members other than social workers. Options for strengthening the hospice social work role are discussed, including the development of more specific therapeutic techniques and social work leadership in conducting applied research. The importance of maintaining a value-based, critical perspective is stressed.