Riding Out the Pandemic: Social Work Practice during COVID-19: Navigating Client Needs and Boundary Changes

Abstract

While information and communication technologies (ICTs) permeated social work practice long before the onset of COVID-19, the abrupt need to close non-essential workplaces resulted in unparalleled incorporation of digital technology and a radical change in social work practice across the globe. Facing the pandemic, Prof. Mishna investigates social workers’ informal use of ICT with clients. Analysis revealed that the COVID-19 context led to a paradigm shift in practitioners’ ICT use, with two key themes: (1) boundary challenges; and (2) clients’ diverging ICT needs.

Biography

Prof. Faye Mishna (PhD, MSW) joined the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto in 1999. She has over 20 years of experience in children’s mental health including Clinical Director. She was Dean of the Faculty from 2009 to 2019. She is cross appointed to the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. Her program of research focuses on bullying and cyberbullying, sexting and online sexual harassment among youth; and the informal use of digital technology in clinical practice.