‘You can’t counsel someone out of poverty …’ Practicing the macro in a micro-focused world'

Reconnect with critical social work and social justice

In recent years the AASW has facilitated the rise and rise of Medicare-funded Accredited Mental Health Social Work with its emphasis on Focused Psychological Strategies and pseudo-psychological practice. Professional training, debates and discussion in social work get caught up in which therapeutic modality will create the best outcomes with which clients.

In this context we can knowingly or unknowingly align ourselves with a discourse which sees the person’s situation as the result of individual behaviour, and the solution being found in that person doing or being different, with our support.

It's possible to lose sight of the structural challenges of poverty, racism, gendered discrimination and other oppressions over which they are powerlessness to change.

In therapeutic or individual work how can we practice in a way which centres systems, structures, and ideologies as the problems, not people?

In the spirit of looking towards what can be done in the day-to-day social work:

These principles from abolitionist social work may be helpful.

What follows draws on the work of Mimi E. Kim, Cameron W. Rasmussen and Durrell M. Washington (eds.) Abolition and Social Work: Possibilities, Paradoxes, and the Practice of Community Care. I acknowledge the work and encourage you to consider reading it – get it here

• Being anti-carceral and non-punitive

• Centering systems, structures, and ideologies as the problems, not people

• Solidarity, not charity

• Building life-affirming institutions and relationships

• Self-determination and autonomy

• Non-punitive approaches to harm and abuse

Some reflective questions that will help build a macro mindset:

1. Being anti-carceral

• What is your professional relationship with the institutions of the state?

• How are you connecting with others (including your clients) to work against the harm created by the state?

• How are you standing outside the state to build or support ‘communities of care, safety and interdependence’ as alternative ways to meet clients’ needs?

• How does your practice provide non-punitive, harm-reducing support to people subject to policing (both actual and social), and monitoring?

2. Centring systems, structures and ideologies as the problem

• This is about mindset, presence and intention.

• What do you know about the intersecting oppressions that your clients experience? How can you find out?

• How attentive are you to the political context for your agency and area of practice (funding structures, legislative, regulatory and policy frameworks?

• How do you bring this into your interactions with your clients?

• How are you able to challenge dominant metrics of success and failure in your work with clients?

• Where are you able to shine a light on systemic oppression and raise awareness for your clients?

3.       Solidarity, not charity

• How much have you put aside the humanitarian view of social work and invested yourself in working with others to disrupt and redistribute power?

• Where are you creating coalitions of advocacy with like-minded professionals across disciplines and organisations to challenge the concentration of power?

4. Building life affirming institutions and relationships

• What is the presence you bring to your work with people?

• How are you able to care for your own well-being?

• When working towards radical possibilities, where have you been able to operate from a place of joy and hope, and to celebrate relationships and cultural shifts as wins?

5.       Self-determination and autonomy

• How is your agency and your work accountable to the people you serve?

• Where are they and their views included? In policy? In leadership?

• How does your work connect clients with others who have similar struggles?

6.       Non-punitive approaches to harm and abuse

• In what ways does your work challenge and disrupt punitive service delivery approaches?

• How do you include restorative and healing practices in your social work with people and families?

• How can you find out about these practices as they are relevant to your client group?

If this resonates and you are looking for aligned supervision please DM me lynne@allenacoaching.com