Conversation Starters

Recently, I met up with a friend of mine from MSASS and had an incredible four hour lunch where we caught up on our lives and talked about what's teaching us these days.  Near the end of our time together, my friend was talking about how she sometimes falls into this "therapist" role with people to help them "solve their problems."  And I smiled at her and said, "Let me throw this at you and see how it sticks: what if, instead of the problem-solution model, you used Asset Based Community Development?  What if instead of deficits, you thought about strengths?" My friend grinned at me because she knows my affinity for ABCD, so she indulged me as I explained: "I think in my own life, I've struggled a lot with this idea that I should 'get over stuff.'  That there's a pressure to 'get over' a relationship or a traumatic event or really anything.  What does that even mean, 'get over it'?  Who does that language benefit?  ...

Establishing Some Ground Rules   No matter what sort of social interaction we humans engage in, be it playful, professional, familial, romantic, or other , there are “norms” associated with most standard categories of connection.  The social work profession is no exception to this sense of order.  Being able to follow guidelines or work within boundaries allows for a stronger sense of what the goal of the practice is, both for social workers and their clients.  Clarifying not only the purpose but the role of both parties paves the way for what hopes to be a successful outcome, wherein the “success” is defined by both practitioner and client.  The guiding body for social workers is the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and so they have outlined a Code of Ethics to which both students and licensed professionals in the field should strive to uphold. Because of the “grey area” that frequently peppers a social worker’s radar, NASW takes care to note that ...