<p>Social workers interact with clients, colleagues, policies and organizational structures regularly in their practice. There are times throughout a social worker’s field experience that she or he may encounter a difficult or challenging practice moment. Although there is an existing literature about ‘critical incidents’ in practice, there is minimal exploration of how social workers describe, experience, reflect upon and understand these difficult practice moments. What happens when we encounter difficult moments? Do we feel prepared and confident in our abilities? Do we experience it as a learning opportunity? How do these moments impact our practice moving forward? This study is based on six one-to-one, narrative-based interviews with social workers from various fields of practice and seeks to better understand how social workers experience difficult practice moments. I explore the personal ways in which the social workers chose to share their stories to demonstrate the significance of the moment to them individually. I also explore themes identified by the social workers including: emotional journeys, working through the moment, discomfort with uncertainty and theoretical versus practice wisdom. The themes identified by this particular group of social workers reveal the complexities and impacts of experiences with difficult practice moments. Furthermore, the social workers’ narratives revealed that a shift in language from ‘critical incident’ to ‘moment of tension’ would better conceptualize the fluidity of these experiences. Because social workers will continue to experience challenging moments in practice, it is essential that we enhance our understanding of these experiences. We must also appreciate the significance of these moments to social workers and promote the inclusion of their voices in further exploration of moments of tension in practice.</p> / Master of Social Work (MSW)

No description available.

En réadaptation en déficience physique, les intervenantes psychosociales utilisent plusieurs types de savoirs, mais la relation entre ceux-ci est peu étudiée. Ce projet regarde quelle place ces intervenantes accordent à différents types de savoirs dans leurs pratiques. Nous distinguons savoirs théoriques, produits scientifiquement, savoirs pratiques, produits par l’action et l’expérience, et savoirs existentiels, englobant croyances et valeurs. Les données recueillies qualitativement par huit entrevues semi-dirigées auprès d’intervenantes psychosociales en réadaptation ont été codifiées et analysées horizontalement et verticalement. Ceci démontre que tous les savoirs ont une place dans l’intervention et qu’ils devraient être égaux et complémentaires. Ils remplissent des fonctions influençant divers aspects de l’intervention ou s’adressant à différents acteurs, à différents moments de l’intervention. Ce projet a permis de construire des savoirs pratiques et des savoirs théoriques qui ont des retombées sur la pratique et la recherche, mais laissent plusieurs points en suspens à reprendre ultérieurement. / Social workers practicing in the physical rehabilitation field work with different types of knowledge, but only a few studies looked into the relationship between them. The present research project aims at understanding the place these social workers allow different types of knowledge in their practice. We distinguish theoretical knowledge, produced scientifically, practice knowledge, built from action and experience, and existential knowledge, like beliefs and values. The information collected qualitatively from eight semi-directed interviews with these social workers was codified and analyzed horizontally and vertically. This demonstrates that all types of knowledge have a place in practice and are equal and complementary. They fulfill different functions either addressed to specific actors, and moments in intervention, or to many of them at once. This project produced both practical and theoretical knowledge that have an impact on practice and research, but that leave some unresolved questions to get back to in the future.

En réadaptation en déficience physique, les intervenantes psychosociales utilisent plusieurs types de savoirs, mais la relation entre ceux-ci est peu étudiée. Ce projet regarde quelle place ces intervenantes accordent à différents types de savoirs dans leurs pratiques. Nous distinguons savoirs théoriques, produits scientifiquement, savoirs pratiques, produits par l’action et l’expérience, et savoirs existentiels, englobant croyances et valeurs. Les données recueillies qualitativement par huit entrevues semi-dirigées auprès d’intervenantes psychosociales en réadaptation ont été codifiées et analysées horizontalement et verticalement. Ceci démontre que tous les savoirs ont une place dans l’intervention et qu’ils devraient être égaux et complémentaires. Ils remplissent des fonctions influençant divers aspects de l’intervention ou s’adressant à différents acteurs, à différents moments de l’intervention. Ce projet a permis de construire des savoirs pratiques et des savoirs théoriques qui ont des retombées sur la pratique et la recherche, mais laissent plusieurs points en suspens à reprendre ultérieurement. / Social workers practicing in the physical rehabilitation field work with different types of knowledge, but only a few studies looked into the relationship between them. The present research project aims at understanding the place these social workers allow different types of knowledge in their practice. We distinguish theoretical knowledge, produced scientifically, practice knowledge, built from action and experience, and existential knowledge, like beliefs and values. The information collected qualitatively from eight semi-directed interviews with these social workers was codified and analyzed horizontally and vertically. This demonstrates that all types of knowledge have a place in practice and are equal and complementary. They fulfill different functions either addressed to specific actors, and moments in intervention, or to many of them at once. This project produced both practical and theoretical knowledge that have an impact on practice and research, but that leave some unresolved questions to get back to in the future.