Fostering Critical Relational Teaching in Social Work Education
Reflections on Shifting Pedagogy to Address the Current College Mental Health Crisis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2501744 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gio Iacono (0000-0001-5285-7020, corresponding author), Emily K Loveland (0000-0002-2107-0652, California State University System) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 114-127 |
| Publication date | 2025-07-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Advances in Social Work (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1527-8565 • E-ISSN: 2331-4125 |
| Publisher | IU Indianapolis University Library (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.18060/28052 |
| OpenAlex | W4412165426 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 13 |
The U.S. is experiencing an unprecedented mental health crisis among college students as they return to classrooms from the COVID-19 pandemic. Social work students may be at an elevated mental health risk given their interest in the profession, often shaped by experiences of trauma and belonging to marginalized and excluded communities. This critical reflexive paper aims to draw on critical relational pedagogies, underscoring relationship-building and the co-creation of socially just spaces. We explore the fusion of relational and critical social justice approaches informed by bell hooks and Paulo Freire, examining their potential to shape social work education by centering power-sharing and love. We find utilizing a critical relational pedagogy enhanced our classroom experiences and learning, fostered stronger and more authentic relationships between students and instructors, and held space for the difficult but important generative conversations that often take place in social work classrooms. This paper includes pragmatic strategies to enhance teaching informed by this critical pedagogical framework. Adapting a critical relational pedagogy can help mitigate the negative effects of the U.S college mental health crisis and COVID-19. Doing so may help students experience a sense of belonging in the classroom and know that their voices are valued
Engineering ethics · Medical education · Pedagogy · Political science · Project commissioning · Public relations · Publishing · Sociology · Engineering · Medicine · Psychology · Social Work Education and Practice · Social Work
Trends in college student mental health and help-seeking by race/ethnicity
Social Work Education and the Neo-Liberal Challenge
Effects of Covid-19 on College Students’ Mental Health in the United States
Relational‐Cultural Theory
Will someone knock on my door? Covid-19 and social work education
Social Work Educators’ Opportunities During Covid-19
Pandemic pivoting
Canadian reflections on the Covid-19 pandemic in social work education
Creating spatial, relational and cultural safety in online social work education during Covid-19
Promoting activism through critical social work education
Relational Learning and Teaching with BME Students in Social Work Education
Lessons learned from Covid-19
Effectively Teaching Social Work Practice Online
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |