Emotions are central to our humanity and yet, when it comes to social work, the experiences of joy are often forgotten or overlooked, while ‘difficult’ emotions like shame, anger, disgust, fear, and sadness are often dismissed as unprofessional.
This groundbreaking book challenges the taboo around emotion in social work. The first of its kind, it uses international research and hundreds of practitioner interviews to explore emotions in social work, and to demonstrate how embracing all emotions can enhance practice, prevent emotional burnout, and strengthen motivation.
Accessibly written and with a strong practical element, this book is an invaluable tool for turning complex and emotionally charged situations into rich opportunities for learning, enhancing resilience, and developing personal and professional growth.
Alessandro Sicora is full professor at the Department of Sociology and Social Research, University of Trento
From Introduction (pagg.1-3)
Emotions have been a subject of interest in social work and social work training for decades. However, a detached attitude towards service users is still considered in some organisations as a requirement for being a good practitioner in any helping profession. This idea oversimplifies a more complex reality in which empathy, intuition and other ‘non-rational’ components are, on the contrary, key ingredients of many successful helping interventions. Nevertheless, some social workers, and – especially – social work students, still consider their emotions to be sources of shame rather than means to enrich their understanding of the world around them.
This book aims to highlight the importance of a mindful use of emotions in social work practice, education and supervision, and to suggest some strategies and tools with which to do so. Emotions, such as shame, anger, fear, disgust, sadness, and joy, can be seen as ‘messengers’ able to enhance the quality of any reflective process that social workers may develop. What makes social workers ashamed, angry, scared, disgusted, sad or happy? What can emotions reveal? How can they support assessment, decision-making, intervention, supervision and education in social work?
The answers to these questions will be explored in this book, which combines insights from the current literature with original research involving social workers and student social workers in Italy, Israel, England, Scotland, South Africa, and the US. Using a form of synthetic reflective writing, termed ‘bonsai’ or ‘micro stories’, the book presents real-life experiences of emotions in the practice of social work. The most impactful micro-stories are offered as case studies to show the positive outcomes that can arise when social workers reflect on their professional experiences that have involved strong emotions. By showing this technique in practice, the book evidences the value of reflecting on emotions in social work for supporting and protecting the well-being of social work practitioners and service users. This is particularly the case in situations of crisis or unexpected events when difficult emotions are more frequent.
A conscious, mindful, and shared listening to emotions can enhance the quality of actions to support service users. At the same time, it can maintain and increase the personal motivation to be a social worker. Paying attention to experiences of joy and satisfaction is important for motivation. Moreover, in order to cope with emotions of any kind, especially the ‘difficult’ ones, it is useful to accept, identify, and name them before advancing to interpret the significance of the experience.
This is true at both individual level and within a team (also an interprofessional one), and even in the entire professional community. In fact, social work and social services are empowered when the professional and organizational cultures consider emotions as opportunities and are willing to listen to them. Building a common understanding on emotions may strengthen social workers and enhance their mutual understanding, as well as their work engagement and well-being at work.
In line with these considerations, this book, written for social workers but also social work students, aims to:
• describe the role of emotions in social work and their connections to various dimensions of study on the interplay of emotions and social work practice;
• explore why the emotions of social workers are important for good and effective assessment, decision-making, and intervention;
• identify and describe the major events and circumstances triggering shame, pride, anger, fear, sadness, disgust, and joy in social workers in light of new research on this issue;
• counter the reluctance widespread among social workers to talk about their emotions, and promote an organizational culture able to recognize and enhance the role of emotions;
• argue that learning from experiences involving strong emotions is a crucial feature of reflective practice;
• suggest some conceptual tools with which to examine and grow from professional experiences involving strong emotions;
• discuss the importance of a mindful and self-compassionate use of emotions for the well-being of social workers;
• help social work supervisors and teachers in the operationalization of their support and education functions;
• support social work students in cultivating openness to reflective practice and awareness of their emotions, enabling them to navigate field practice effectively and maximize their learning experiences.This is not a manual on how to manage emotions but rather on how to listen to the messages that they convey, because paying attention to our emotions provides us with an invaluable resource with which to gain better understanding of both our inner world and the world around us. For this reason, this book includes numerous real-life stories written by social workers in different parts of the world. These stories are not presumed to represent the entire spectrum of social workers' experiences; instead, they illustrate some of the circumstances that may evoke emotions among them.
Readers are invited to reflect on these stories, identify parallels or differences with their own experiences, see if they resonate, recall similar situations, and listen to the practical wisdom that they offer. This approach emphasizes the importance of recognizing and discussing emotions in order to enhance the quality of social work. It can furnish greater awareness of emotionally intense experiences and help social workers understand that “we are all in this together” or, more figuratively, that "we are all in the same boat”, encouraging a more mindful approach to their own experiences, even those that initially cause discomfort. While individual positions within that metaphorical boat may differ, the emotional challenges and triumphs shared in it bind social workers across countries and fields. Acknowledging this shared experience is a vital step towards cultivating self-kindness, particularly when confronted with emotions that are distressing or disproportionately intense. This shared understanding reinforces the importance of self-care and mindfulness in navigating the emotional complexities of social work, as well as creating opportunities to reflect on and savour joyful experiences. The latter not only provide valuable learning but also recharge energy and renew enthusiasm for the social work profession.
The topic of emotions in social work is certainly highly controversial; and some of the statements in this book may raise doubts or provoke disagreement. The debate on the subject is animated, and any type of reaction can contribute to increasing awareness about, and stimulating discussion of, the issue of emotions. Ultimately, what truly matters is to acknowledge, engage with, and learn from emotions, rather than ignoring their presence or dismissing their significance.
Courtesy by Policy Press