Nurturing the Intersubjective Capacities of Social Work Students

Abstract

While navigating numerous pressures as they work with vulnerable clients and communities, social workers are expected to use their emotional responses intentionally rather than to be ruled by them. Social work accreditation competencies require that students demonstrate regulation of their own affective processes, but their ability to do so will vary. This paper explores methods that instructors can take to support this developmental growth through the concept of intersubjectivity within the relational theory framework.