Solution Focused Gorillas
In 2006 Cadburys poisoned 37 people with Salmonella and the treasured British company was brought to it knees. Fined millions, reputation in the trash, hostile take over talk, how could it ever...
Month: February 2023
The Nocebo in Social Work – what can the COVID vaccine trials tell us about social work practice?
In the COVID Vaccine trails boffins at Oxford gathered 40,000 people (80,0000 arms) and split them into two groups. One would get the vaccine jab and the other a harmless placebo. The...
Getting to grips with theory: Biology – deterministic?
Philosophers forever have contemplated just where the mind is and how the mind relates to both brain and body. Descartes, a French philosopher from the 17th century, was closely associated with an idea...
Getting to grips with theory: Social Constructionism
In order to explore Social Constructionism, I feel we need to take a step back and we’ll do that by having a think about how we know what we know. Let’s start...
Getting to grips with theory: Social Learning Theory
I can’t help but think of this poem when I think about Social Learning Theory because I think it says what it is perfectly…. From the immense poet Philip Larkin – This Be...
Theory? Huh!?
There is no way to approach theory other than to be critical of it. I mean, you’ve got to understand it first before you can be critical of it. So, you have to...
Power & Autonomy
When we think of power, we usually think of hierarchical power exercised over us by those in certain positions. There is also power in culture. Harari, in his book Sapiens, says cultures have typical...
Social Care, Risk, COVID and True Uncertainty
The understanding and assessment of risk for social workers is as important as it is challenging. The current COVID pandemic has brought risk into the public spotlight with social care (and everyone...
Resilience – dirty word?
It sometimes feels like resilience is a dirty word. Whispered in hushed tones in corridors in case over heard. Or spoken out loud as a rallying call to try harder and be...
Empathy, Sympathy and Compassion
“Empathy Is Walking A Mile In Somebody Else’s Moccasins. Sympathy Is Being Sorry Their Feet Hurt”. (Rebecca O’Donnell) The nature of our work as social workers, (or any caring profession for that matter) is...