Emotional Support Animals: An Overview of Practical and Legal Issues for Social Workers

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sur Ah Hahn ◽  
Jennifer Hinton ◽  
Ann Hallyburton
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Intrinsic Nature ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Client Assessment

Abstract Limited literature exists to guide social workers in the effective and ethical use of emotional support animals (ESAs) in practice. This article deals with practical issues these professionals face in dealing with requests for ESA authorization. The article provides an overview of relevant U.S. regulations (as of mid-2019) governing housing, travel, workplaces, and higher education; examines the uses, efficacy, and special concerns regarding ESAs; and presents recommendations for the use of ESAs in social work practice. Ethical implications for social workers dealing with client assessment and ESA authorization are discussed. The authors also address the intrinsic nature of human and ESA well-being and its relevance to client-centered social work practice. In addition, the authors discuss opportunities for incorporating ESAs into social work education.

scholarly journals Incorporating community development into social work practice within the neoliberal environment

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 38-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Aimers ◽  
Peter Walker
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Community Development ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Community Work ◽  
Core Subject ◽  
Work Education

Community development is a core subject in social work education, yet social work discourse often places community development at its margins (Mendes, 2009). This article considers the location of community development and community work within the current neoliberal environment in New Zealand and how such practice can be sustained by social workers in the community and voluntary sector. Community development is a way of working with communities that has a ‘bottom up’ approach as an alternative to State (top down) development. Over recent years, however, successive New Zealand governments have embraced neoliberal social policies that have marginalised community development. In addition the term ‘community work’ has been used to describe activities that have little to do with a bottom up approach thereby making it difficult to define both community development and community work. By applying a ‘knowledge intersections’ schema to two New Zealand community and voluntary organi- sations we identify where community development and social work intersect. From this basis we challenge social workers to consider ways in which community development can be embedded within their practice. 

scholarly journals Degrowth for transformational alternatives as radical social work practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 417-433
Author(s):  
Meredith C.F. Powers ◽  
Komalsingh Rambaree ◽  
Jef Peeters
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
Ecological Justice ◽  
The World

Historically, and in modern times, social workers have been culpable in perpetuating the very systems of oppression that we seek to eliminate. This happens as we are part of cultures and economies that operate out of the growth ideology. Acting in accordance with the growth ideology does not lead to the outcomes that we strive for as professional social workers. Rather, the growth ideology results in growing social inequalities and increasing ecological injustices around the world. Social work can, instead, embrace an ecosocial lens and promote degrowth approaches for transformational alternatives. Rather than reinforcing the existing systems of injustice and oppression, radical social work can take an activist role and bring about urgent and radical changes to promote ecological justice through social and ecological well-being. Examples from radical social work in local and international communities demonstrate the possibility of degrowth for transformational alternatives as radical social work practice.

Time and change: UK social work and comparative European welfare policies since 1990

2020 ◽  
pp. 21-42
Author(s):  
Linda Bell
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Welfare Regimes ◽  
Welfare Policies ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Background History ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Work Education

This chapter gives a brief contextual background history to ‘social work’. It emphasises the years after 1990. This period encompasses many policy and political changes and theoretical developments in the UK and internationally, which affect social work practice and education. This is the time period encapsulating the author's involvement with social workers and social work education. The chapter presents some comparative geographical locations partly to reflect aspects of this involvement with social work and contacts with social work and social workers in those places, as well as to reflect different kinds of welfare regimes and to indicate some different kinds of welfare professionals.

Biculturalism in Social Work Practice

2019 ◽  
pp. 375-385
Author(s):  
Elias Paul Martis
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Medical Model ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
Knowledge And Practice ◽  
Helping Process ◽  
Work Education

Social work education and practice has primarily been dominated by a medical model worldview. Traditional social work frameworks and medical models have focused on deficits or psychopathology and limited wellness to bio-psycho-social dimensions. In 2005, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa (TWOA) introduced a social work degree that incorporates Māori holistic models of well-being and practice. The degree was further developed into a four-year degree in 2016. This chapter looks at the contribution made by this bicultural social work degree to social work education and practice. This innovative and bold initiative by TWOA accords privilege to Māori and other indigenous bodies of knowledge and practice frameworks equal to those of western theories and frameworks. The bicultural degree argues that an indigenous approach to social work education and practice frameworks are not in competition or antithesis to western frameworks but are complementary and complete the helping process.

Is social work a green profession? An examination of environmental beliefs

2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry V Shaw
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional

• Summary: Social work has developed to meet the needs of an industrializing society. As environmental concerns have increased, national, and international social work organizations have called on social workers to incorporate issues of the environment into their professional practice. Although there is a small body of literature related to social work and the environment, the profession has not fully embraced the need to incorporate these issues into social work education or practice. This cross-sectional survey in the United States of a random sample of National Association of Social Workers (NASW) members ( n = 373) was designed to gauge the environmental knowledge and attitudes of social work professionals. • Findings: Though social work shares many of the same underlying tenets of groups interested in environmental justice, results suggest that social workers as a profession are no more, nor less, environmentally friendly than the general population. • Applications: By failing to incorporate ecological issues facing the United States and abroad, our current social policies are at best not sustainable, and at worst dangerous for our continued social well-being. Social workers can play a leading role through an understanding of the interrelationship that exists between people and the environment, the integration of environmental issues into their social work practice, and advocating for vulnerable populations.

scholarly journals Traditional medicine in social work practice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Holoff
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Traditional Medicine ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Western Medicine ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
World Health

This partial grounded theory study explores the topic of Traditional medicine in social work practice in Toronto, Canada. Given the dearth of knowledge in this area, I wanted to explore the contrapuntal nature of two social workers’ practice who refer to Traditional Medicine, and to conceptualize further on this approach. Social work literature and practice has paid little attention to this topic despite the field’s purported commitment to equity and social justice. This is largely a reflection of how greatly we take for granted the bias towards Western medicine in our public health care system and in the social work referral system that is aligned with it. The World Health Organization defines Traditional medicine as: “Health practices, approaches, knowledge, and beliefs incorporating plant, animal, and mineral based medicines, spiritual therapies, manual techniques, and exercises, applied singularly or in combination to treat, diagnose, and prevent illnesses or maintain well-being” (Fokunang et al., 2011). Such approaches, which are based on Indigenous and non-Western ways of knowing are not covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP), and thus remain largely inaccessible to the most financially marginalized. This is a problem for those who cannot afford to pay out of pocket for their health care. It is a grave disservice to those whose culture does not align with Western medicine; those whose health conditions have not been helped by Western medicine; and those who require a combination of Western and Traditional approaches to bring them to full health. This research explores the knowledge, experience, and processes of two social workers in Toronto who refer clients to Traditional medicine in spite of the structural bias towards Western medicine and its approaches. Key Words: Traditional medicine, social work practice, contrapuntal approach, decolonization, the Medicine Wheel, Toronto

scholarly journals Importance of play therapy in social work practice with children

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 1137-1148
Author(s):  
Esra Kılıç Ceyhan
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Play Therapy ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
English Summary ◽  
Professional Lives ◽  
Verbal Abilities ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Work Education

If we can find ways to hear and understand children, they have a lot to say, tell and teach us, adults. Children who do not have extensive verbal abilities like adults can express themselves through playing. It has been proven by research that the best method by which they can convey their feelings, thoughts and problems is play therapy. At this point, it is important that professionals working with children are equipped with the knowledge of play therapy. Social workers who frequently come into contact with children in their professional lives should be involved in the field as play therapy practitioners. However, when the literature is examined, it is seen that there are very few practices and studies on the subject in Turkey. This study presents the place and importance of play therapy in social work practice with children in the light of the researches and applications in the literature, and highlights the importance of the use of play therapy as a method by social workers working with children. It has been observed that play therapy needs a wider coverage in social work practice and research. Suggestions have been made for popularizing play therapy in the relevant social work education, research and practices. ​Extended English summary is in the end of Full Text PDF (TURKISH) file.   Özet   Çocukları duymaya, anlamaya ilişkin yollar bulanabilirse, onların yetişkinlere söyleyecekleri, anlatacakları, öğretecekleri çok şey vardır. Yetişkinler gibi geniş sözel yeteneklere sahip olmayan çocuklar kendilerini oyun yoluyla ifade edebilmektedirler. Onların duygularını, düşüncelerini, sorunlarını aktarabilecekleri en iyi yöntemin oyun terapisi olduğu araştırmalarla kanıtlanmıştır. Bu noktada çocuklarla çalışan profesyonellerin oyun terapisiyle ilgili bir donanıma sahip olması önem arz etmektedir. Mesleki yaşamlarında sıkça çocuklara temas eden sosyal hizmet uzmanları, oyun terapisi uygulayıcısı olarak alanda yer almalıdır. Ancak alan yazın incelendiğinde konuyla ilgili ülkemizdeki uygulama ve çalışmaların çok az sayıda olduğu görülmüştür. Çocuklarla sosyal hizmet uygulamasında oyun terapisinin yeri ve öneminin literatürdeki araştırmalar ve uygulamalar ışığında sunulduğu bu çalışmada, çocuklarla çalışan sosyal hizmet uzmanlarının oyun terapisini bir yöntem olarak kullanmalarının önemine dikkat çekilmiştir. Oyun terapisinin sosyal hizmet uygulama ve araştırmalarında daha geniş yer almaya ihtiyacı olduğu görülmüştür. Konuyla ilgili sosyal hizmet eğitim, araştırma ve uygulamalarında oyun terapisinin yaygınlaştırılması için önerilerde bulunulmuştur.   

Infusion of Gerontology Content: An Ethical Imperative

2007 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Roberts ◽  
Rosemary Blieszner
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Ethical Practice ◽  
Age Bias ◽  
Work Area ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education

The infusion of aging content into the social work curriculum has been the subject of recent discussion by social work researchers. Aging content is needed for ethical social work practice because demographic trends demonstrate that social workers will treat older people regardless of work area preference. Age bias precludes ethical social work practice. However, the infusion of gerontological subject matter may decrease age bias and may thereby promote ethical practice. The authors' research demonstrates that age bias exists among social workers despite attention to the phenomenon, lending support to recommendations for infusion of aging content into baccalaureate social work education. Baccalaureate social work education is an opportune venue in which to introduce work with elders.

Discrimination and injustice against older people in Uganda: Implications for social work practice

2019 ◽  
pp. 002087281985874
Author(s):  
Charles Kiiza Wamara ◽  
Maria Irene Carvalho
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Older People ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Professional Regulation ◽  
Work Education

This article highlights how older people in Uganda experience discrimination and injustice. It discusses the legal framework for their protection, while acknowledging that not all professionals are aware of or have access to the legal mechanisms meant to safeguard older people’s interests. It also discusses the role social work can play in protecting older people’s rights. It further recommends that social workers work to increase solidarity between generations and bring about social justice and respect for diversity. It concludes by highlighting the need to bring anti-discriminatory social work into mainstream social work education and the professional regulation of social work.

scholarly journals ‘The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name’: The Role of Compassion in Social Work Practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 1688-1705
Author(s):  
Denise Tanner
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Emotional Health ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Education Practice ◽  
Cognitive Components

Abstract The concept of compassion has little prominence in social work literature or in social work curricula, in contrast with those of nursing. This is despite compassion being a valued attribute of social workers from the perspectives of service users. This article considers the meaning of compassion, possible reasons for its absence from social work parlance and its potential contribution to social work practice. Whereas empathy is seen as comprising affective and cognitive components, compassion is defined in terms of affective and behavioural elements. More specifically, compassion is perceived as comprising both of ‘feelings for’ the person who is suffering and a desire to act to relieve the suffering. The desire to act is distinct from the act itself. Focusing primarily on the ‘desire to act’ component of compassion, the article suggests that the emotional health and mental well-being of social workers may be enhanced, rather than jeopardised, by acknowledging, facilitating and nourishing compassionate relationships with service users. It proposes that the emotional risks to social workers emanate not from the toll of feeling compassion for those in distress, but rather from a thwarting of their desire to act to alleviate suffering. It is argued that organisations have an important role in facilitating compassionate practice and possible avenues are considered to bring compassion into the fold of social work education, practice and research.

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