On a theology of social work: Historical teachings in contemporary clinical applications

ABSTRACT

A Christian identity, coupled with clinical social work, can offer a unique lens through which continued clinical work around trauma and healing is both informed and directed. I have leaned heavily on a theology of social work, which fuses clinical knowledge with Christian teachings on healing, sin, and grace. Of paramount importance, however, has been the translation of traditional understandings of these concepts into modern comprehensions and contemporary language, based on well-informed developmental interpersonal neurobiology research, and nearly twenty years of clinical encounters. Through clinical vignettes, a clarified perspective and application of historical Christian teachings is offered, one that esteems relationality and the therapeutic alliance, prioritizes the intersubjective experience, contextualizes contemporary culture, and embraces the principal tenants of attachment theory as foundational to our understanding of the lived experience of grace and healing clarified in the scriptures.

KEYWORDS:

• Theology of social work
• attachment
• phenomenology
• clinical social work

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Narratives presented in this paper are composite accounts of several clients. Names and other identifying information have been changed to protect confidentiality.