Biopsychosocial-Tech Assessment: Navigating With Humility

by Alexis Speck Glennon, DSW, LCSW-R

     The digital landscape is ever-changing and evolving at a rapid rate. Social workers are on the front lines of digital spaces as we observe and process with people about their digital experiences. Although social workers have a unique perspective built on trusting relationships, they often feel overwhelmed with technology. In many of my digital literacy training sessions, social workers express these feelings and state that they need help understanding social media and the newest technology. And I tell them that you do not have to be a tech expert, but you must remain curious and ask deep questions about what clients do online. We are practitioners who embrace the person-in-environment perspective, and digital environments are part of this perspective.

     To help create a framework for social workers in hopes of helping decrease the feelings of being overwhelmed, we can use two frameworks that are already important to our work.

Cultural Humility

     Cultural humility is a concept coined by Tervalon and Murray-Garcia in 1998. It refers to the lifelong commitment to self-evaluation, self-criticism, ongoing learning, and humility related to others' cultural identities to improve relationships. This approach to care requires social workers to be open to learning from their clients as well as being aware of how their own culture and experiences impact views, reactions, and responses. Therefore, as we expand into digital spaces with clients, we are committed to learning and being open to understanding people’s digital experiences while continuing to be self-reflective and evaluate our own countertransference and transference.

     Embracing cultural humility in clients’ digital experiences allows social workers to collaborate with clients as they journey through digital spaces. Embracing this approach makes room to explore digital use and experiences through the biopsychosocial-digital approach authentically.

Biopsychosocial-Digital Model

     Alireza Ahmandvand created the biopsychosocial-digital model used in medical settings, based on George L Engel’s biopsychosocial model to incorporate people’s rapidly growing digital interactions. Social work practice could benefit from adopting and adapting this updated biopsychosocial-digital model. This current biopsychosocial-digital model embraces asking critical questions about people’s digital environment, thus requiring social workers to engage in conversations that require cultural humility.

     The digital portion of this assessment model was added to highlight the importance of asking people questions about their digital experiences. It takes humility and self-assessment to understand that we do not need to know everything about technology to have these conversations.

     Some examples of these questions are:

• Do you have access to high-speed internet at home? If not, where do you have access?
• What platforms or apps do you use? What devices do you use to access these apps?
• Have you thought about privacy settings on the apps you use?
• Do you share your location with people? If so, with whom and why?
• How do you participate on platforms or apps? Just scroll? Post?
• How many friends do you have online that you have not met in person?
• Do you find it easier or harder to socialize online?
• How do you feel when you are engaging online?
• Do you ever worry you are on your devices too much?
• Do you lose track of time while on your devices?
• Are you bullied online? Do you experience discrimination or racism online?
• Do you ever participate in bullying, discriminating, or being racist online?
• What type of information have you searched for in the past week? In the past month?
• What have you learned? How has it impacted your thinking? Actions?

     By expanding our definition of cultural humility into the digital spaces, social workers can develop a deeper commitment to asking clients questions about their digital experiences without feeling as if they must be tech experts. 

     Remember, you do not have to know everything, and you will make mistakes. Apologize when you do, work to be self-reflective, and continue to learn from your clients about their digital experiences!

Alexis Speck Glennon, DSW, LCSW-R, is an assistant professor at Colby-Sawyer College and has a clinical practice specializing in treating trauma and increasing digital literacy skills for clients. Her research area is digital literacy skills for social workers and the social work profession’s role in tech justice.