The subject of frontline clinical and supervisory practice in mental health setting is slowly moving away from the biomedical and positivist framework and towards post-modernist perspectives rooted in social justice. According to LeFrancois, Menzies, and Geoffrey (2013), the root of oppression in modern mental health settings comes from the insistence on using socially-approved and constructed definitions of sanity.
Since it is the dominant parts of the hierarchies defining what is to be considered sane and what is not, clinical and supervisory practice can be used as a tool against them (LeFrancois et al., 2013). These findings correlate with the writings by Joseph (2013), who concurs with LeFrancois in that social work and supervision, in its current interpretation by most social workers, is oppressive and discredited towards women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ. Based on these findings, it could be concluded that
Social justice leadership is meant to become the remedy and the ideological, political, and medical opponent of the dominant positivist biomedical paradigm. Morley (2003) highlights the fact that frontline clinical and supervisory practices not only have the most effect on individuals in questions, but also the most interaction. Therefore, they have the potential to become the locomotive of change for patients and the industry.
The implications for social justice leadership and frontline supervision are that social care and social work have to be the first to realize the flaws and inconsistencies of the positivist biomedical framework and start promoting social justice values and post-modernist approaches within their own ranks. The absence of critical thought in the widespread acceptance of sanist and positivist approaches is to be fought against by viewing, contrasting, and assessing alternative points of view that could answer the questions that the current dominant paradigm cannot. Postmodernist and critical assessment of practices and approaches is to be endorsed in order to gain trust of patients and promote social justice values. The attitude towards the patients is to be changed as well, from the supervisor seeing their role as corrective, towards nurturing, empowering, and supportive, with respect to a patient’s voice and worldview.
References
Joseph, A. J. (2013). Empowering alliances in pursuit of social justice: Social workers supporting psychiatric-survivor movements. Journal of Progressive Human Services, 24(3), 265-288.
LeFrancois, B. A., Menzies, R., & Geoffrey, R. (2013). Mad matters: A critical reader in Canadian mad studies. Toronto, Canada: Canadian Scholars’ Press.
Morley, C. (2003). Towards critical social work practice in mental health: A review. Journal of Progessive Human Services, 14(1), 61-84.