UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Clinical Lecture Institute Carmen Crosby PhD, MSW, LMSW March 22, 2019 1 Agenda Part I: SERVICE Part 2: SOCIAL JUSTICE Part 3: INTEGRITY, DIGNITY, WORTH & OTHER THINGS OF VALUE Part 4: HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS Part 5: COMPETENCE Part 6: Final Thoughts 2 2 Part 1: SERVICE Clinical Practice With Social Justice Values? 3 3 1
Acknowledgments & Goals My Experience: We hold the responsibility of “truth tellers,” “secret keepers,” “healers” • Discussions about our roles, power, privilege, and accountability are richly layered • These types of trainings require engagement, compassion, and at times, levity • Social workers do not shrink from difficult or serious issues My Belief: We are already doing a lot well • We have an investment in ethical, competent practice • NASW Code of ethics is a high bar Today’s Goal: To create environment where we can be vulnerable and own and share expertise • We each have pieces and can learn together. • Listen, be thoughtful, speak up. • If we can put it together, we will all be better for it. 4 4 What Compelled You Into This Profession? How you’ve prioritized your “time, talent and treasure” ? What’s your big “WHY?” 5 Part 2: SOCIAL JUSTICE Practicing Social Justice T o Promote Social Change 6 6 2
What is Social Justice? ". . . full and equal participation of all groups in a society that is mutually shaped to meet their needs. …includes a vision of society that is equitable and all members are physically and psychologically safe and secure." (Adams, Bell, & Griffin, 2007) 7 7 Social Worker Code of Ethics (NASW, 2017) Core Value Broad Ethical Principle Service Social workers’ primary goal is to help people in need and to address social problems Social workers elevate service to others above self-interest. Social Justice Social workers challenge social injustice. Integrity Social workers behave in a trustworthy manner. Dignity and Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person. Worth of the Person Importance of Social workers recognize the central importance of human relationships. Human Relationships Competence Social workers practice within their areas of competence and develop and enhance their professional expertise. 8 Clinical Social Work Practice Standards Clinical social work is the professional application of social work theory and methods to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of psychosocial dysfunction, disability, or impairment, including emotional, mental, and behavioral disorders. (Barker, 2003, as cited in National Association of Social Workers, 2005) 9 3
Social Justice Identity “…the self-constructed process of embodying social justice as it is integrated with other diverse social locations and cultural identities within one’s context.” Six themes about the meaning of social justice identity: 1. Being Authentic 2. Resisting Oppression 3. Taking Responsibility 4. Leveraging Privilege 5. Accepting Self and One’s Efforts 6. Covert Action (Hoover & Morrow, 2016, p. 387) 10 10 Social Work Is Professionally Distinct “What social work offers that is different from other disciplines is that our values are explicit. Other disciplines don’t even invite discussion or criticism. Social work explicitly states its values: We believe in the client’s right to self-determination, we believe in the dignity of the client, we believe that we are all unique.” (McLaughlin, 2011, p. 242) 11 Transformative Respect • Embodiment of social work values • Deeply held beliefs and attitudes toward others actively conveyed through language and action, including: • respect for the individual • belief in self-determination • commitment to equality (McLaughlin, 2011, p. 242) 12 4
Transformative Respect (cont.) … involves deliberate recognition and expression of social work values by social workers, and a strategy through which clinical social workers are able to achieve social justice. (McLaughlin, 2011, p. 242) Is Transformative Respect a Lie? 13 Part 3: INTEGRITY, DIGNITY, WORTH & OTHER THINGS OF VALUE (It’s Possible There Are A Few Lies By Omission) 14 14 Myth 1: I’m Not ‘That’ Kind of Social Worker If we want to integrate ethical practice and a social justice purpose, we need a social justice clinical framework. Miley & Dubois (2007) named 16 ethical preferences in this framework: ethics of care, autonomy, power, change, respect, critical thinking, praxis, discourse, critique, justice, contextual practice, inclusion, anti-oppression, advocacy, collaboration, and politicized practice .” * For more information, see: Figure 1: Ethical practice of social work that complements the social justice purpose (Miley & Dubois, p. 33) Clinical ways of: Critical ways of: Thinking Thinking Doing Doing 15 5
Ethical Practice and Social Justice Purpose (Miley & Dubois, 2007, p. 13) 16 What does it mean to engage in socially- just clinical practice? “Part of what I think is important in mental health is that we stay focused on what it is that we are in business to do, and try not to get too ambitious about getting into areas that are not really what we’re about…If you start to get involved with everything, then who is your client? (McLaughlin, 2011, p. 244) 17 17 Myth 2: I’m A Therapist, Not A Theorist Despite the value of an intersectionality framework, we remain challenged to recognize areas of privilege/ marginalization and how it manifests in therapeutic praxis. (Lee, 2013; 2014; Ramsay, 2014) 18 18 6
Intersectionality Theory Theoretical paradigm of multi-level, intersecting social locations, forces, factors and power structures that shape and influence life. (Chan, Cor & Band, 2018; Crenshaw, 1991; Ramsay, 2014) “One of the most significant advances intersectionality provides in attending to the dialectic of domination and privilege, is its explicit linkage of societal domains or power and the experience of both subjective (micro) and social (macro) identity.” (Ramsay, 2014, p. 458) 19 19 Intersectionality (Central T enets) • Lives cannot be reduced to single characteristics • Experiences cannot be accurately understood by prioritizing any one single factor or constellation of factors • Dynamic socially constructed categories/locations • Social locations are inseparable • Identity is shaped by interacting and mutually constituting social processes and structures • Social processes and structures are shaped by power and influenced by both time and place • Social justice and equity are paramount (Chan, Cor & Band, 2018; Crenshaw, 1991; Hill Collins, 2000; Hankivsky et al., 2014; Ramsay, 2014) 20 20 Everyday Connections With Intersectionality R eflect on the community we have been discussing in class today. What • other identities may change or shape experiences in this community differently? • Think about one identity that is most prominent to you (e.g., ethnicity). How has another identity (e.g., social class) influenced your experiences with ethnicity? • Expanding on the connection between two identities (e.g., ethnicity and social class), how has this connection changed over time in your family? Community? Growing up? • Reflect on an identity that you share with a client (e.g., race, ethnicity). If you share this identity with your client, how might one of your other identities (e.g., sexuality, affectional identity) expand your power and privilege over your client? • What are the histories associated with your identities? How have these histories influenced how you are seen within society? Please also reflect in terms of identities that link together (e.g., women of color, queer people of color, racial/ethnic minority, and differently-abled). (Chan, Cor & Band, 2018, p.68) 21 7
Myth 3: I Hold The Moral High Ground Do you have a Personal Ethos i.e., any distinguishing moral characteristics or guiding personal beliefs? Clinicians and supervisors are well-served to articulate their ethos regarding socially just practice. Once completed, this becomes an asset for client transparency, authentic practice and supervision. For an example, refer to: The Ethical Guidelines for Feminist Therapists and Supervisors (Brown, 2016). 22 22 Are We Transparent in Our Practice? Informed consent • Statement of mission/purpose and personal ethos • Our values and what we intend to change about the client e.g., for “good or improvement” • Our preferred therapeutic orientation, theory of practice/treatment modality including critiques and alternatives • Account for our best intentions: • Accountability plan for a integrating intersectionality with personal development given identity, values, history, triggers • Potential liability/risks created by social justice identity, code of ethics, mandated reporting • Process if the client identifies perceived or actual harm 23 23 Are We Authentic Regarding Management of our Personal and Professional Power? • What are your personal beliefs and assumptions about yourself? How do they inform your relationship with clients? • How do your clients define your power as a clinician/ provider? • What is their story? How do they present their narrative? What do they exclude and why might that occur? ** Helpful for clinicians to present themes, but transformative when we invite clients in to “co-counsel.” 24 24 8
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