Social Work: Now More Than Ever

by Michael S. Kelly, PhD, MSW

     There’s something I heard a pastor say a few years ago that seems to be attributed to lots of people, but it generally goes something like this: “If you ever wondered what you would be doing at a significant crisis point in history (e.g., U.S. during slavery times, 1930s Germany, the Civil Rights Era), you are doing it right now.”  These are deeply serious and consequential times, and while nobody knows where things are going, many of us sense that there are huge shifts happening in our social contexts - locally, nationally, and globally. We’re entering a new time, and social work is here for it. 

     While this can be frightening and even paralyzing to sit with, to me, there has never been a more exciting time to be a social worker. Our skills, our smarts, and our passion for justice are what this time needs. And while we need to give ourselves shout-outs and recognition this month, we can’t do it alone, either. Our skills working with groups and communities are vital if we’re going to respond to the harms being done to so many of our clients right now. And we can’t delude ourselves that we’re going to be the answer or savior to the many distressed communities that are under siege right now. From my specific spots on the social work map (working with school social workers and looking at the intersection of faith and spirituality for helping clients heal), there is a huge need for the work we’re doing and for us to continue to challenge ourselves to do it from an anti-racist, trauma-informed, and evidence-informed vantage point. 

     Together with our social work colleagues, clients, and communities, we can do this.

Michael S. Kelly, Professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work, has written more than 80 articles, books, and book chapters on school social work, evidence-based practice, and the intersection of faith and spirituality with social work practice. He is the editor-in-chief of the open-access International Journal of School Social Work and co-editor of the popular sites SSWN (schoolsocialwork.net) and SSWNetwork.