More on my treatise of "why" social work. (An exploration of interdisciplinary studies)

In my last post I talked a little about how social work found me. My relationship with social work is not so one sided, I am drawn to social work and continue to have a great passion for the discipline. I have most days my mind is a sponge for all topics, I just enjoy taking in information, whether it be formal education, learning about new people and their passions or out learning how to do something practically. Social work however, really gets me fired up. Working with people from unique backgrounds and circumstance from a respectful and social justice perspective just makes sense to me and the way I look at the world. What really intrigues me about the practical side of social work is the potential to take part in interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary teams.


I want to take a moment and make a clear distinction between interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary. One of my favourite books on this subject is Tanya Augsburg's Becoming Interdisciplinary. It's a textbook but a darn good one and easy to read. I actually really, really enjoyed it during an undergraduate methodology class and draw upon it on the regular. In her text, is a detailed history, description and delineation of interdisciplinary studies. Interdisciplinarity is a product of the twentieth century and involves the combination of disciplines. This is more than just an understanding of let's say law and economics. Two completely different discplines. Interdisciplinarity is an appreciation of each discipline, drawing upon them and being critical to assess the potential for solving problems or addressing questions. This gives, hopefully a deeper understanding of issues and allows interdisciplinary perspectives to overtake a single discipline.


Multidisciplinary work would look very different from the above. Yes, more than one discipline is being used at a time but they exist in parallel to each other. Meaning an eclectic insight won't be established, the disciplines may interact with one another but remain untouched and still mutually exclusive. I can see the value of multidisciplinary work in professional settings as interdisciplinarity doesn't bode well with command and control type situations where individuals with authority are trained in one discipline working with individuals who have less power in other disciplines. For example, a medical doctor who oversees, supervises or has the final word in a multidisciplinary team that includes nurses, support workers, social workers and other healthcare professionals.


Participating in an environment that allows me to research, come up with new ideas, think creatively and critically about what I'm working on, like the aforementioned studies into interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary work really appeals to me. I would love to hear from social workers practicing in these teams to hear about their experiences.


Other areas I see an intersection of interdiscplinarity and social work. Well, specifically in my studies of sociological theories, social learning theory or symbolic interactionism for example. Taking these theories and applying them to an understanding of clients experiences could be valuable. Further to this studies in philosophy lend to being a better researcher, thinking critically about epistemological questions and asking myself, how do I know what I know? Are my beliefs correct? Philosophy may also offer insights into answering metaphysical questions, what does it mean to be a person? Do I have a soul? Is there meaning in life? What does it mean for me to be conscious and mindful?

Why social work?

Once in your life you may feel a great sense of responsibility. Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel called this duty, “the duty of our generation as we enter the twenty-first century - solidarity with the weak, the persecuted, the lonely, the sick, and those in despair. It is expressed by the desire to give a noble and humanizing meaning to a community.” Marcus Aurelius, last of the "Five Good Emperors” of Rome and, a brilliant philosopher, did not regard this as duty but love. The meek will quote Frederick Buechner “a calling is the place where your deepest gladness meets the world's deepest need.” The truth about a calling is that you don’t do it because you have to, someone asks it of you, you do it because you truly want to.

Let me start by saying social work discovered me. I was a full time musician, on tour and was asked to take part in working with the Ontario Early Years Learning Center to help develop a music program for families. As a performer it's common to supplement your income with teaching which I had been doing for many years so it wasn't a stretch for me to get off the road and take some time away to commit myself to a project like this. At the time my parents were also becoming involved as foster parents. I had left the nest a few years before to venture out on my own, discover myself and pursue a career in music and they brought children into their home which to me made perfect sense, I had (and still have) amazing parents with a lot of love in their hearts. 


By the time I was working on this new music program, my parents became foster parents to seven kids. This really opened my eyes to a completely new world. Each child had their own story and especially their own experiences they brought to the family unit. Immediately I recognized that the people who mattered most and made the greatest positive impact to them were the ones who were simply there. So, this sense of duty, love or calling didn't crop up overnight. It took some time to cultivate it but at this point it's been six years in the making. Regardless, I feel it everyday now. Social work has become my passion.

Allow me to introduce myself.

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tim and this blog is going to be my home for some time. I'm a Canadian student (BA Interdisciplinary Studies) pursuing my Master of Social Work. I also work full time. I want to tell you that I am a musician but I don't want to say "used to be". I still love music and do not play often enough although, I do still play concerts once in a while. My life has taken a different direction and I find far more fulfillment in social work than I ever did as a performer or music teacher. I'm very politically involved and consider myself to fit in the activist column. I volunteer religiously with a variety of organizations but we'll probably talk all about that another time. Religion is something else, I was raised Catholic but do not identify myself as religious. I am however, spiritual. I do yoga every morning and meditate for as long as I can.


Two years ago I made the decision to pull up my proverbial socks and go back to school full-time. I enrolled an undergraduate program, it was enlightening. A much different experience than the college/diploma post-secondary experience.


So, what can you expect from this blog? I wanted to keep track of my thoughts, share ideas and generally get myself "out there". That will certainly involve academic pursuits, political discussions and essays (or rants), ideas about professional development, networking and conferences. It may even mean you having to endure personal interests from books and electronics to yoga gear and daily life. I feel very inclined to call this a lifestyle blog but I'm also inclined to say that "lifestyle blog" sounds like it's for a!%holes. So, how about we just call this the infinitely awesome diarium of Tim.