Shame and Social Work: Theory, Reflexivity and Practice

For many social work users and social work professionals, shame is an ongoing part of their daily experience.

This book provides an in-depth examination of the complex experiences of shame and stigma for social work practitioners and service users, explores key contextual issues and theoretical approaches to understanding shame and demonstrates how social workers can ameliorate its impact through sensitive, reflective and relationship-based practice. Using original international research, it provides the tools to effectively challenge service user shame and includes innovative examples of writing by practitioners, who detail their personal experiences of how shame can be traded for resilience across diverse organisational and policy contexts.