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Does Social Worker Bias Impact Client Treatment?

V. Nikki Jones, DSW, LCSW, LMFT

August 16, 2021

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Question

Does social worker bias impact client treatment? 

Answer

Social worker biases may also impact what we (social workers) regard as appropriate, acceptable and inappropriate treatment. For some clients/consumers, involvement of traditional healers or homeopathic medication, herbs and vitamins versus allopathic or mainstream meds are preferred.

It is important that we embrace native healers and other forms of treatment modalities that are outside of mainstream medicine. It is also important in social work we have more knowledge of what is outside of mainstream and what is acceptable, because who decided that a particular type of a treatment was acceptable. 

 

 

This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the webinar,  Culturally Aware Social Work Practice, presented by V. Nikki Jones, DSW, LCSW, LMFT.


v nikki jones

V. Nikki Jones, DSW, LCSW, LMFT

V. Nikki Jones, DSW, LCSW, LMFT, is a scholar-teacher-practitioner who currently serves as an Assistant Professor and the BSW Program Coordinator at Middle Tennessee State University. Dr. Jones teaches undergraduate and graduate social work courses, and her main research and publication interests are social determinants of sleep disparity among non-majority groups, minority stress and gendered racism, social work education, and issues impacting the LGBTQ community. In addition, Dr. Jones has provided direct services to couples and families in private practice and behavioral health settings. 


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