The pedagogy and principles of teaching therapeutic practice with children and young people.

Bolger, Janine

Abstract

Technical approaches suggesting that systematically produced, generalized, and scientific knowledge are the most solid foundations for practice present significant challenges for the social work profession, in which the decisions faced often are not technical but rather moral, requiring the application of ethically based and intuitive skills. Meanwhile, the command, control, and measurement of outcomes in social work practice also present significant conundrums for the delivery of relational person-centered social work and social care. With a focus too often on efficiency rather than on effectiveness, this managerialistic approach frequently fails to acknowledge the complexity inherent in the act of caring. In this context and framework, teaching therapeutic practice with children draws a balance between traditional systematic teaching methods and use of creative media including art, play, and music. This article outlines the positive contribution to professional social work practice that the teaching of therapeutic approaches to child care can make.

Citation

BOLGER, J. 2019. The pedagogy and principles of teaching therapeutic practice with children and young people. Journal of teaching in social work [online], 39(2), pages 181-188. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2019.1581122

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 29, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Apr 3, 2019
• Publication Date: Apr 30, 2019
• Deposit Date: Apr 11, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 4, 2020
• Journal: Journal of Teaching in Social Work
• Print ISSN: 0884-1233
• Electronic ISSN: 1540-7349
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 39
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 181-188
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08841233.2019.1581122
• Keywords: Therapeutic child care; Therapeutic approaches; Relational working; Creative media; Practice contexts
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/236364
• Contract Date: Apr 11, 2019