Abstract
Laura Burney Nissen's Anticipatory Social Work: Foresight Approaches and Tools for Social Imagining and Collective Praxis appears at a time when social workers in various settings are dealing with rapid social, ecological, and technological changes. Rather than view uncertainty as a barrier, Nissen believes social work should develop the ability to imagine, analyze, and influence possible futures. Drawing from futures studies, design thinking, systems theory, and social work's long-standing focus on social justice and collective intervention, the book provides a thorough introduction to foresight approaches specifically designed for social work. The main contribution is the idea of “anticipatory social work” as both a frame of mind and a set of participatory tools for broadening imagination and practice.
The book covers conceptual foundations, methodological guidance, and practical examples. Nissen explains concepts from futures and foresight studies, including signals, trends, scenarios, worldbuilding, horizon scanning, and backcasting, linking them to social work issues, ethics, and historical traditions of social care. The text transitions from theoretical approaches to concrete training, from individual reflective exercises to community-based foresight processes, and from professional development to organizational and policy-level applications. Nissen connects anticipatory practice with existing literature on transformative social work, abolitionist futures, and community-driven planning, considering foresight as a natural fit with social work's ongoing involvement in change through social movements.
Valuable for social work students, educators, practitioners, and leaders in organizations, the book provides structured techniques and methods to handle complexity and uncertainty, including global crises such as climate change, migration, and technological disruptions. Policymakers and community organizers might find the participatory foresight approaches helpful to determine what from the past moves forward, what is currently morphing, and what is incubating.
Nissen equips social workers with frameworks and strategies to think about the future in ethical, participatory, and justice-focused ways. The book effectively makes foresight approachable without oversimplifying. One of its strengths is the insistence that futures work must prioritize equity, anti-oppressive practices, and community involvement. Envisioning the future is a political act that can either reinforce existing power structures or challenge them through collaborative shaping. Nurturing empathy for our future selves and channeling this feeling toward action in the now can be motivating to achieve the future that is desired.
Fourteen different foresight tools are included, with case examples, offering practical guidance on how this type of work can be integrated into real-world practice. Nissen highlights the need to center marginalized communities in futures work, arguing that those most impacted by structural inequities should be involved in creating preferred futures. This aligns with participatory and critical foresight research, which critiques technocratic or elite-driven futures planning.
The exercises and techniques provided are adaptable for different groups, though some readers might wish for more extended examples of foresight processes led entirely by community members instead of facilitated by professionals. One potential drawback is that the wide range of material and questions posed by Nissen may feel overwhelming for newcomers to foresight. While the book offers numerous tactics, some readers may want more guidance on how to choose and organize methods for specific practice contexts. Others may desire further insight into how to navigate power structures and resource limitations in actualizing forecasted ideas. Nonetheless, this breadth reflects the nature of the field and encourages experimentation instead of strictly following prescribed methods.
Anticipatory Social Work is a timely and important addition to the profession. Nissen makes a strong case for why social workers should engage in futures thinking and provides a toolkit for how to do so in ways that are engaging, critical, and justice-oriented. For social workers dedicated to creating equitable futures and supporting communities in imagining and shaping those futures, this book offers both inspiration and practical methods. It is likely to become a foundational resource for incorporating foresight into social work education, practice, and action.
