Social Work is the professional application of knowledge, skills and values. Social Work education is the process of teaching and learning knowledge, skills and values and how and when to apply them in context. Given the nature of our work. and its contextual variability, it would be practical to start with the assumption that any and all of our material is potentially unpleasant and/or uncomfortable to some (and sometimes maybe all) students. The problems and dilemmas we face are daunting and so the geography of our inquiry is, by necessity, often unsanitary. Further, it is also important to acknowledge that socialization to the profession and its work is a major piece of Social Work education. Field education has been described as the "signature pedagogy" of Social Work education, and it is often times there, more than in class, where students experience unpleasant and/or uncomfortable material. So, it would appear that a "universal" approach to "trigger warnings" be applied to all Social Work classes by acknowledging  that any and all topics can be potentially upsetting and that students need to use the class (particularly seminars) to process their issues and concerns as part of their socialization in preparation for the massive amounts of unpleasant discomforts they will be challenged to face for the rest of their professional lives.    

Social Work is the professional application of knowledge, skills and values. Social Work education is the process of teaching and learning knowledge, skills and values and how and when to apply them in context. Given the nature of our work. and its contextual variability, it would be practical to start with the assumption that any and all of our material is potentially unpleasant and/or uncomfortable to some (and sometimes maybe all) students. The problems and dilemmas we face are daunting and so the geography of our inquiry is, by necessity, often unsanitary. Further, it is also important to acknowledge that socialization to the profession and its work is a major piece of Social Work education. Field education has been described as the "signature pedagogy" of Social Work education, and it is often times there, more than in class, where students experience unpleasant and/or uncomfortable material. So, it would appear that a "universal" approach to "trigger warnings" be applied to all Social Work classes by acknowledging  that any and all topics can be potentially upsetting and that students need to use the class (particularly seminars) to process their issues and concerns as part of their socialization in preparation for the massive amounts of unpleasant discomforts they will be challenged to face for the rest of their professional lives.    

Interesting! I am just wondering as I begin to socialize myself to this profession again...lol. And I am not sure what you are getting at, Dr. Hanna. Do you feel instructors should offer such warnings to this effect as students enter the graduate program, provide them each time something comes up, or perhaps once at the beginning of each semester, etc? Or not at all? If so, should it be required in writing, as part of the syllabus, according to university policy, as some schools are proposing? 

I address it not so much as a warning as a condition of working in the field. So, the issue is framed as a normative expectation of professional practice experience. And, since our professionalism is mindful, purposeful, and intentional, our capacity to engage the content and processes we encounter necessitates managing unpleasant and uncomfortable feelings, thoughts, behaviors, attitudes, opinions, policies, procedures, biases, (intra-personal and inter-personal). Therefore, I frame it as the normative expectation of the classroom experience. Students that might have a sensitivity to trauma need to self identify with their advisers and instructors, yet the effects of secondary trauma also needs to be addressed in practice classes.        

I have long thought that social workers suffer from PTSD dependent upon their experiences in the field and their internalization of client's suffering.

I have worked in the field of social work since 1973 and now teach continuing education classes for social workers who need accreditation in the State of Ohio. This topic has come up in my classes, but so far it has only been speculative.  

 It would be interesting to see if any research has been done regarding PTSD occurrences  of Social Workers.

This may sound somewhat unprofessional, but I would say that "trigger warnings" as a whole, are poorly thought out forms of censorship. As far as social workers- Would you shield nurses from the sight of blood? Just my off-the cuff response.

@Karen Weletyk, I have a colleague who is interested in a similar issue. And, yes, it would be interesting to establish empirically that all social workers share some level of PTSD, if it has not already been examined. Great research question.

There is a great deal of literature and research about secondary trauma in Social Workers. Not all of it reaches the level of PTSD, but existing research indicates that it does in in more than a few. I am sure that a review of the research would indicate a need for more to be done in this area. Crisis workers have been aware of this for many years and crisis care providers have included issues of secondary trauma, burn out, and PTSD in their training and in their debriefings of worker involved in traumatic and high stress events.

From an educational perspective, this whole conversation evolves around the concern about self-care, self reflection (via awareness), and self management. Relating it to the original question, my approach is as stated above. Of course, this conversation is also germane to my research on critical thinking which I believe to be essential to problem solving and emotional differentiation. I am teaching this now in my seminars at the BSW and MSW levels (i.e., the "Cognitive Emotional Methodology") with continued positive results. I hope to release another paper in the Spring relating it to clinical supervision.

I respect each point of view. The views are valid and eloquently spoken. As I read each response, I find myself  reflecting on my undergraduate training at OSU in the Social Work Program, (field experience as well as classroom). The emphasis in the classroom was the text we used: NASW's Encyclopedia of Social Work. I thought of it as my bible. The subject of non-judgmentalism stood out. I vowed to be non-judgemental with my clients. Of course this is impossible, because, as humans, we all have our biases. In my 45 year career in Social Work, I recognized two prejudices to which I own up to - hillbillies and child molesters. Of course, it is important to know your weaknesses  so you can guard against them in practice. So social work practice is a never ending process of self-awareness . The field experience was different from the classroom theory. How do you apply what one learns in a classroom to everyday, real life experiences? That is the crux (and beauty) of the social work profession.

What an interesting discussion.

I am aware that language, though shared, does not always translate across the Atlantic. The idea of trigger warnings, separated from the notion of the need for developing self-awareness and the importance of skilled supervision (one to one and peer/group supervision) seems somewhat to separate us from our clients, the "them" and "us". when in fact I suspect we all work to reduce this distinction.

Notwithstanding this of course we do work in challenging environments and situations, often when harm or significant harm has been caused, we rarely walk into situations where there is a right and easy answer. Most of my work is finding the least wrong answer I feel.

So students are likely to benefit from knowing that their task and their learning will confront them significantly and will affect them emotionally. Rather than avoid this our shared task is to teach them how to recognise the impact this is having and what to do about it? What supports social workers and social work students to develop suitable resilience to the ongoing, sometimes low level but cumulative impact of trauma?

In the UK I perceive this is made worse by the status of the profession and its representation in the mainstream media which is nearly always universally wholly negative.

Good luck with your thinking and your endeavours. 

I really like the reflexive nature of your insight Karen. I have identified certain populations I am resistant  to as well. It is hard work to try to maintain your ideas of fairness in light of certain aspects of the work. The answers, and the history of any given situation are vast and complex. As social workers, our duty is to hold that complexity rather than reducing reality to the lowest common denominator. Sometimes, it is our own prejudices that be the reductive element. 

I think students should be told about the type of material, that will be covered, at the start of their training, If there is any aspect of it, which is likely to cause them stress then perhaps they have some work to do before they commence training. They may need to consider their own personal development, or psychotherapeutic work, to get them to a position in which they can engage with any social work topic in a useful way. No one is going to offer trigger warnings in practice, they need to be able to get on with it.