ABSTRACT

In this exploratory study, the professional socialization of 23 clinical social workers based in New England is examined. Building on a landmark framework for understanding professional socialization, this article extends the conversation to assess professional identity among the study participants as well. Findings suggest that clinical social workers identify throughout presocialization, formal socialization, and practice after formal socialization as much or more with clinical roles in social work, especially as a psychotherapist or clinician, than as social workers invested in justice-oriented activities. Although all participants in the study associated justice with being a topic introduced in some social work courses or in evidence in some elements of clinical practice, most participants said that policy-related advocacy, organizing, and encouragement are not primary objectives of their clinical work and in many cases raise questions of the ethics of talking to clients about political participation at all. This paradoxical understanding of social work practice suggests a need for further exploration particularly of formal and postformal professional socialization so that clinical social workers will embrace social justice as part of the work that separates their profession from psychiatry, psychology, and counseling.

摘要

在这项探索性研究中，研究了新英格兰的 23 名临床社会工作者的专业社会化情况。基于理解职业社会化的里程碑式框架，本文扩展了对话以评估研究参与者之间的职业认同。研究结果表明，临床社会工作者在整个社会化前、正式社会化和正式社会化后的实践中，与社会工作者在社会工作中的临床角色，特别是作为心理治疗师或临床医生的身份相同或更多，而不是社会工作者投入以正义为导向的活动。尽管该研究的所有参与者都将正义与一些社会工作课程中引入的主题或临床实践的某些要素中的证据联系起来，但大多数参与者表示，与政策相关的宣传、组织、和鼓励并不是他们临床工作的主要目标，而且在许多情况下会引发与客户谈论政治参与的道德问题。这种对社会工作实践的自相矛盾的理解表明需要进一步探索，特别是正式和正式的职业社会化，以便临床社会工作者将社会正义作为将他们的职业与精神病学、心理学和咨询分开的工作的一部分。