Both and neither: Navigating the Experiences of Recent Social Work Alumni who Experience Mental Health Disabilities and/or Madness

Abstract

While Canadian social work education has increasingly moved towards a dominantly anti-oppressive practice (AOP) approach (Larson, 2008), major gaps continue to persist in the universal application of AOP principles and values (Gormley & Quinn, 2009). This is particularly true of conceptions of mental health/illness, which have largely remained biomedical, ultimately encouraging an “us versus them” mentality between social workers and service users (Reid & Poole, 2013). This dichotomy creates challenging experiences for social work students who experience mental health disabilities and/or Madness, existing “in the hyphen” (Probst, 2014, p. 25), occupying both spaces at different or overlapping times in their lives. Despite this, there is limited research about these social work students, therefore, it was of interest to hear their stories and insights, learn more about their own identity formation, as well as their experiences in the classroom, field practicum, and early in their careers. This project takes a critical social work theoretical approach, incorporating elements of anti-oppressive practice (AOP) and Mad studies to better understand and analyze participants’ experiences. Similarly, an eclectic methodological approach was employed, incorporating elements of critical social work research, narrative approach, anti-oppressive practice, and Mad studies. In total, four semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were completed, and a thematic analysis was conducted to highlight both the commonalities and differences between participants’ experiences. From this, seven major themes emerged including feelings of unworthiness as a barrier to accessing support and the challenges of negotiating an invisible disability. Suggestions for future directions and next steps are presented, including mandatory mental health education for professors and students, and the creation of a more supportive and inclusive mental health culture within social work education.