Transformative Social Work Practice: Providing Meaningful Support to People Living with Mental Health Challenges

Social workers around the globe are seeking to better understand the needs of people living with mental health challenges. Drawing on learning from social work practice and support partnerships, this article explores current thinking on recovery processes and the factors that contribute to effective support for people living with mental health challenges. The article presents a framework for practice which is informed by current thinking on recovery and support and draws on the key elements of transformative social work practice. Transformative practice involves support at an individual level and interventions at multiple levels (organisational practices, community contexts, and policy development) to enhance capability and achieve sustained and enduring change. Relational approaches are a cornerstone of transformative practice which promote respectful and trust-based partnerships that enable people living with mental health challenges to create meaning in their lives and receive meaningful support and resources. Central to this practice is critical reflection; social workers reflect on their practice and their role in challenging the systems and practices that prevent people living with mental health challenges from determining their own recovery pathways.