Abstract
Intended primarily for final-year social work students and newly qualified practitioners, the book’s starting point is that the recent focus on developing evidence-based practice (EBP) has distracted attention from the process of building and sustaining the relationship between the practitioner and service user (or, in the author's words, client). As each chapter shines a light on different aspects of the social work relationship, the author argues – drawing on research – that the effectiveness of social work practice owes more to the quality of this relationship than to specific techniques, models, or theories.
The tone of the writing is collegiate: inviting readers to engage in reflection and debate, aided by vignettes based on real experiences of social work students and qualified practitioners. It is good to note that readers are consistently encouraged to make use of professional supervision. After the issues have been explored, each chapter ends with a usefully clear list of practice guidelines.
The first four chapters introduce and explore key concepts. These comprise a discussion about using theory, alongside a detailed and wide-ranging overview of theoretical insights into the social worker-client relationship; the nature of professional and personal boundaries; a nuanced consideration of the ‘use of self’; and an empirical exploration of ‘the working alliance’ and cross-cultural competence (with reference to characteristics including but not confined to ‘race’, ethnicity and religion). Next come nine chapters dealing in depth with specific relationship situations: relationship ruptures; relationship endings; working with children and adolescents; feeling attracted to clients; managing negative feelings; developing relationships with people experiencing psychosis; approaches to physical contact; using humour; and using technology-assisted interventions. In my experience, many of these topics are only touched on by authors writing about communication and relationship building skills. Chapter 8, for example, goes beyond discussing the meaning of professional boundaries to consider situations where practitioners feel attracted emotionally and/or sexually to a service user, including illustrative examples of how breaches have been addressed (or not).
Although it is impossible to do justice to the book's breadth and depth in exploring each topic, certain chapters may illustrate the author's approach. Chapter 5 deals with repairing and resolving a professional relationship that has been ruptured by conflict or misunderstanding. A wide range of examples are discussed, including when a service user feels angry and betrayed by a social worker sharing confidential information. Chapter 12 presents a fascinating exploration of the advantages and risks of using humour with service users. This includes a potentially controversial – and thus thought-provoking – consideration of ‘gallows’ humour expressed within the confines of a professional team. While some of this makes for uncomfortable reading, it is good to see this topic out in the open and it could prompt a lively discussion for student and staff groups. Like the other chapters, this one ends with a set of principles to guide decisions about the appropriate use of humour. Technology-assisted interventions are debated in Chapter 13. The author takes account of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on social work interactions, whilst acknowledging that research evidence on the effectiveness of technology-assisted practices is only just beginning to unfold. This chapter would provide a useful springboard for readers to reflect on their own experience in developing this method of practice, including the importance of ethical considerations.
Written in the United States of America, the relational aspects of the vignettes are mostly easy to apply across a broader range of settings and statutory contexts. A particular strength is the author's extensive and consistent drawing on classic and current research evidence from North America, Australia, Northern Europe and the United Kingdom. With the growing interest in indigenous approaches (Shek, 2017), however, I would have liked to see some acknowledgment that the described interventions and research studies reflect a Western model of social work. That said, students, practitioners and social work educators will find in the book a wealth of thought-provoking material to extend and deepen learning. The book certainly meets its aim of exploring the nuances of the professional relationship and its influence on the effectiveness of social work interventions. It is likely that readers will find it a useful source of reference and inspiration to be returned to again and again.