Social work in times of crisis: making of dialogue and ‘spaces in between’

In this article, we discuss whether new practices or tools are needed in social work during times of crisis. We describe what we call ‘a culture of anti-dialogue’, characterized by an inability or impotence to address the specific ‘social’ aspects of social work in our times. Is there space to act towards hope and dialogue to drive structural change? We question whether new methods are needed in social work. Our aim is to cultivate knowledge among students that enables them to build trust and foster togetherness in diverse social spaces and communities as future professionals. We argue that dialogue and community-building tools are essential elements of social work and should be integrated into education and practice.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nordic Social Work Research
Published
2025-12-05
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/2156857x.2025.2599348
Primary Topic
Social Work Education and Practice
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Social work in times of crisis: making of dialogue and ‘spaces in between’

Inger Helen Midtgård, Berit Bareksten
Nordic Social Work Research
Social Work Education and Practice
article

Social work in times of crisis: making of dialogue and ‘spaces in between’

Inger Helen Midtgård, Berit Bareksten
article en

Abstract

In this article, we discuss whether new practices or tools are needed in social work during times of crisis. We describe what we call ‘a culture of anti-dialogue’, characterized by an inability or impotence to address the specific ‘social’ aspects of social work in our times. Is there space to act towards hope and dialogue to drive structural change? We question whether new methods are needed in social work. Our aim is to cultivate knowledge among students that enables them to build trust and foster togetherness in diverse social spaces and communities as future professionals. We argue that dialogue and community-building tools are essential elements of social work and should be integrated into education and practice.

Nordic Social Work ResearchVol. 16(1)
Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (NO)
Openalex Percentile: Top 53%
Social Work Education and Practice
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