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The Relationship Between Social Work and Psychoanalysis: the Future Impact of Social Workers

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The Relationship Between Social Work and Psychoanalysis: the Future Impact of Social Workers Clin Soc Work J (2009) 37:7–13 DOI 10.1007/s10615-007-0090-8 ORIGINAL PAPER The Relationship Between Social Work and Psychoanalysis: The Future Impact of Social Workers Eda G. Goldstein Published online: 23 June 2007 Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2007 Abstract Because social workers are likely to have a theory of personality and human problems that helped them more expanded role within organized psychoanalysis than to understand their clients’ often entrenched problems in previously, it seems timely to consider the numerous new ways (Woodroofe, 1971, pp. 8–51). Social work challenges and opportunities ahead with respect to social practitioners, many of whom eagerly sought psychoana- workers’ impact on the practice of psychoanalysis. For lytic treatment and supervision, began to use many those who become social work psychoanalysts, in partic- psychoanalytic techniques with their clients. Numerous ular, a pivotal issue is the degree to which they retain their social work practice models incorporated psychodynamic core identity as clinical social workers. It is important for principles and treatment techniques. them to integrate and balance the diverse aspects of their There have those who viewed the early Freudian influ- dual identity, to participate in our social work organiza- ence as leading to excesses and ‘‘wrong turns’’ in the tions, to contribute to developing psychoanalysis, and to profession (Meyer, 1970, pp. 36–53). Gordon Hamilton work to keep the teaching of contemporary psychoanalytic (1958), an early proponent of the use of psychodynamic theories alive in social work education. knowledge and a major contributor to the Diagnostic School, wrote that ‘‘it was one of the aberrant features of Keywords Psychoanalysis Á Social work psychoanalyst Á the attempt to carry psychoanalytic principles and tech- Clinical social work practice Á Professional identity niques into casework that treatment became so preoccupied with the inner life as almost to lose touch with outer reality and the social factors with which social workers were most The relationship between social work and psychoanalysis familiar’’ (p. 23). has usually been approached from the perspective of how Subsequently, others have echoed Hamilton’s senti- psychoanalytic thinking has influenced social workers. ments. Criticisms of social work’s reliance on psychoana- Using this lens, it is clear that psychoanalysis has an lytic theory increased particularly as clients seemed enormous impact on social work practice. As early as the ‘‘harder to reach’’ and presented with many personal and 1920s, it played a major role in the professionalization of environmental problems. The push toward equality, social social work. Psychoanalysis provided social workers with a justice, and freedom from oppression on the part of people of color, women, and gays and lesbians also contributed to challenging the place of psychoanalytic/psychodynamic An earlier version of this paper was part of the panel, Clinical Social theory in social work practice. The concepts and associated Work and Organized Psychoanalysis: A Troubled Past and An Exciting Future. 9th National conference of the National Membership practices stemming from psychoanalysis were associated Committee on Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work, New York, with a general distrust of the medical model and its view March, 2004. that people who were different were deviant. They also lacked an empirical foundation so that there was insuffi- & E. G. Goldstein ( ) cient evidence supporting their efficacy (Goldstein, 1996). New York University School of Social Work, New York, NY, USA Despite the evolution of psychoanalytic knowledge and e-mail: [email protected] its broadened thrust and application over the years, as 123 8 Clin Soc Work J (2009) 37:7–13 recently as 1994, Specht and Courtney, two prominent roots, with a central core...Identity can never be wholly social work educators, added their voice to the anti-clinical achieved through imitation or me-too identification; nor is chorus. They wrote that clinical social work based on it achieved by the denial and cutoff from one’s sources’’ psychodynamic theories was too narrowly psychothera- (Perlman, 1989, pp. 92–104). peutic rather than psychosocial and focused on treating the Culling from a number of different sources, it is possible concerns of the ‘‘worried well’’ rather than clients pre- to consider that the following components constitute the senting with difficult problems (p. 15). These criticisms core of clinical social work (Ewalt, 1980; Goldstein, 1996; reflect the attitudes that have contributed to the ever- Swenson, 1995; Waldfogel & Rosenblatt, 1983): diminishing place given to psychoanalytic/psychodynamic • the importance of person-in-situation in assessment concepts and techniques in social work curricula and to the • an emphasis on genuineness and realness in relation- massive reduction in full-time faculty who can teach such ship and the use of the clinician’s self as core to the content. treatment process An ironic development has occurred (Meyer, 2000, pp. • being where the client is 355–368). The relationship between the social work • respect for the client’s self determination profession and psychoanalytic theory and its associated • the need for self-awareness about the impact of the practices has changed from closeness, if not outright ide- clinician’s personality, values, and background on the alization, to distance, if not overt condemnation. At the treatment process same time, the relationship between organized psycho- • engagement and treatment as a collaborative process analysis and the social work profession has moved from a • the importance of reaching out to ‘‘hard to reach’’ or position of exclusion to one of greater acceptance. so-called ‘‘difficult’’ patients Previously, the psychoanalytic establishment, composed • respect for cultural and other types of diversity of mainly medically trained clinicians, differentiated • a commitment to working with those who are econom- themselves from other mental health practitioners. Enjoy- ically disadvantaged and/or who are the targets of ing their position of higher authority and status compared discrimination and oppression to psychologists and social workers, they did not accept • the mobilization of a client’s strengths, the development even those social workers who had managed to obtain of insight, the creation of reparative experiences, and the psychoanalytic training as true colleagues. They prevented fostering of new learning and behavioral change them from obtaining official recognition by and member- • an appreciation of the impact of and work with the ship in by psychoanalytic accrediting organizations and for social environment, including advocacy the most part, excluded social workers from admission to • a commitment to social justice psychoanalytic institutes. The times are changing, how- ever. Social work psychoanalysts will be accepted into the However reasonable it is to assume that clinical social major psychoanalytic training centers and associations and workers will bring this core with them into their diverse psychoanalytic institutes are courting social workers in work experiences and further training, it is nevertheless large numbers. They are likely to have an expanded role true that not all practitioners subscribe to this core. Even within organized psychoanalysis in the years ahead. Con- those who do may succumb to other influences in the sequently, it seems timely to consider the impact of social course of their professional pursuits. workers on the future of psychoanalysis? Will Social Work Psychoanalysts Identify as Social Is There a Core Social Work Identity? Workers? A major question to be asked in considering the future Thus, a second and related set of questions that has to be impact of social workers on psychoanalytic practice is raised in considering the future impact of social workers on whether those there is a unique clinical social work identity psychoanalytic practice is whether those social workers that is based on a core of values, knowledge, and skills? ‘‘If who enter psychoanalytic training and/or become social we accept the obvious fact that in many ways clinical work analysts will identify as clinical social workers? social workers are like many other people-helping thera- Alternatively, will they abandon their social work identity peutic professionals, are there ways or areas in which we for one that seems to have higher status? Will students who are different? Do we have particular functions, skills, and enter schools of social work with the intent of pursuing responsibilities? ...What, in brief, is our unique, differen- psychoanalytic training identify with social work? Instead, tiated, core identity? To know and feel a secure and stable will they merely try to get by in order to obtain a necessary identity there must be a sense of continuity with one’s credential? 123 Clin Soc Work J (2009) 37:7–13 9 In an important study, Perlman (1994a, b) addressed the Raphael, & Roberts, 1993). A national study of graduate identity of social work-psychoanalysts. He cogently de- social work students, however, showed that the beliefs scribed the potential conflicts inherent in possessing a dual about ‘‘students flight from traditional social work values identity, stating, ‘‘a dual identity, like a dual citizenship, into entrepreneurial, private practice orientations have been may be a source of conflict when the interests of one overestimated.’’ It presented evidence
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