Confronting Privilege and Discomfort: Exploring Students’ Engagement with Sensitive Social Work Topics

Sensitive topics such as mental health, child protection, domestic and family violence, racism, colonization, and professional ethics are central to social work education often evoking emotional, cognitive, and relational responses from students. Although approaches to teaching sensitive content have been discussed, far less is known about how students themselves experience learning about these issues and what support they find most effective. This mixed-methods study explored Australian social work students’ perspectives on learning sensitive topics. Quantitative survey data identified areas students experience as challenging, while qualitative responses provided deeper insight into how educators can better support students’ engagement with sensitive topics. Findings highlight that students struggle with confronting content and with navigating their own social and cultural positioning, as well as a lack of time to dedicate to their studies whilst meeting the requirements of their course. Social work students emphasized the importance of supportive pedagogies, clear communication and guidance from staff, and opportunities for critical reflection during their learning. This study contributes to our understanding of students’ experiences of learning sensitive topics in social work, offering guidance for educators seeking to foster safer, more effective, and engaging learning environments which enhance students’ preparedness for practice.