Emotions in Social Work Education: Tools and Opportunities

Social work students, especially because of their commitment to internships, are on average under greater emotional pressure than students on other degree courses, and they often believe that the emotions which they feel are ‘wrong’ in terms of intensity and/or quality. The support provided by supervisors, tutors, or practice teachers is central to learning how to reflect on emotions in classrooms and internship locations and share experiences and learning with one’s study colleagues. Emotions are often blamed by students when they make mistakes during their field practice. A reflective approach considers experiences of shame, anger, disgust, fear, sadness, and happiness to be powerful opportunities for learning in a structured manner with the aid of reflective tools like reflective frameworks and writing. It is accordingly important to help social work students handle their emotions with acceptance by naming them before investigating the meaning of what is felt. The ‘bonsai stories’ (a form of very concise narrative) in this article exemplify some of the most common circumstances in which social work students feel strong emotions during their field practice.