The Social Work Stories Podcast

Latest Episodes:

A Conversation with Lis & Mim: Storytelling in Supervision - Ep. 75 Dec 27, 2022

Show notes

It's the end of another year, and to mark this space together, Lis and Mim sit down to have a conversation together about sharing stories in the supervision space. Our hope is to offer a different idea about the use of narrative reflection can bring a new richness into supervision, and can create a fresh value in this space.

In the midst of the holidays, busyness and newness of a fresh year, we hope this brief conversation and a few moments of reflection are enjoyable and engaging for you.

From the SWS team to you, happy holidays, and may 2023 be a year of joy for you!

We'd love for you to join the conversation on this, so make sure you reach out to us on the socials (see links below), or otherwise on email at socialworkstoriespodcast@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you!

Follow our Facebook Page at: https://www.facebook.com/SocialWorkStoriesPodcast

Credits:

Hosts - Lis Murphy and Dr. Mim Fox

Producers - Justin Stech and Dr. Ben Joseph

Social Media Coordinator - Maddison Stratten

Social Work Stories©️ (Copyright 27 December, 2022)

Contact us online at www.socialworkstories.com, follow our facebook page and LinkedIn, or use the handle @SOWKStoriesPod on twitter or instagram.

Therapeutic Social Work in the Home Visit: LIVE SHOW - Ep. 74 Nov 29, 2022

Show notes

A very special episode of Social Work Stories - a recording from our very first LIVE SHOW!

As part of the ANZSWWER Symposium in early November, the team hosted a recording session of the podcast in front of a live audience, and we had such a great time. We're so excited to share this with you, and hope it's the first of many.

Join Lis, Mim, and a live audience as we hear from an anonymous social worker, who is an accredited Mental Health Social Worker, and who shares a story from a therapeutic space with a child, in context of regular visits to the home to carry out her work. Listen to the theories and principles that are interwoven into the work this social worker carries out, and try to keep count of just how many you hear mentioned! This is an excellent story for anyone working with children, families, in a therapeutic space, or really any person-focused role! As always, Mim and Lis then discuss the practice story and delve into what was happening beyond the spoken words of the social worker.

Following the episode recording, we also had our Producers Ben and Justin join Mim and Lis on stage for a Q&A session. If you're keen to hear the recording from this Q&A, where we answer questions about why we podcast, our experiences, and many other interesting topics, drop us a line to let us know you'd like to see it in the podcast feed!

We'd love for you to join the conversation, so make sure you reach out to us on the socials (see links below), or otherwise on email at socialworkstoriespodcast@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you!

Credits:

Hosts - Lis Murphy and Dr. Mim Fox

Producers - Justin Stech and Dr. Ben Joseph

Social Media Coordinator - Maddison Stratten

Social Work Stories©️ (Copyright 29 November, 2022)

Contact us online at www.socialworkstories.com, follow our facebook page and LinkedIn, or use the handle @SOWKStoriesPod on twitter or instagram.

School Social Work: An Emerging Field of Practice - Ep. 73 Oct 25, 2022

Show notes

Ever heard from a social worker with an ongoing position in a school before?

How about a social work student with an intensive field placement in a school?

In this episode Mim & Lis sit down with Professor Myfanwy Maple of the University of New England (Australia) to talk through what might come from the opportunity of having social workers and social work field placements in schools. Enjoy the chat and expand your thinking as you listen along to this fantastic episode. We absolutely loved it.

You can find out more about Myf's work in this space through the following link:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Myfanwy-Maple/publications

Follow our Facebook Page at: https://www.facebook.com/SocialWorkStoriesPodcast

Credits:

Hosts - Lis Murphy and Dr. Mim Fox

Producers - Justin Stech and Dr. Ben Joseph

Social Media Coordinator - Maddison Stratten

Social Work Stories©️ (Copyright 25 October, 2022)

Contact us online at www.socialworkstories.com, follow our facebook page and LinkedIn, or use the handle @SOWKStoriesPod on twitter or instagram.

Narrative Therapy and Intensive Outreach- Working with Mothers Whose Children Have Been Removed - Ep. 72 Sep 27, 2022

Show notes

Join Mim and Lis as we listen to a story about narrative therapy, disenfranchised grief, and intensive work with mothers whose children have been removed. Hear about the importance of documenting people’s stories, working for justice, and navigating the politics of storytelling. Mim and Lis share their thoughts and reflections about this unique and fascinating practice space.

We also put a call out to social workers doing this type of intensive outreach work - we’d love to hear from you! Please send us an email or reach out via social media.

Articles mentioned in this episode:

Flaskas

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-6427.2007.00381.x

Denborough

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gXnye6fbgfXmS-3d8_uwhTmfqo45-_2k/view?usp=drivesdk

Have any burning thoughts after listening, or just want to say hello? Send us an email on socialworkstoriespodcast@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you!

Follow our Facebook Page at: https://www.facebook.com/SocialWorkStoriesPodcast

Credits:

Hosts - Lis Murphy and Dr. Mim Fox

Producers - Justin Stech and Dr. Ben Joseph

Social Media Coordinator - Maddison Stratten

Social Work Stories©️ (Copyright 27 September, 2022)

Contact us online at www.socialworkstories.com, follow our facebook page and LinkedIn, or use the handle @SOWKStoriesPod on twitter or instagram.

Companioning in End of Life Care - Social Work Education for Students and Practitioners - Ep. 71 Aug 30, 2022

Show notes

Join Mim and Lis as they sit down with Jo McIlveen for an in-depth conversation about social work in the bereavement space. Jo discusses companioning in end of life care, and brings in her extensive knowledge of research in the death & dying space that informs her practice in this area. Lis and Mim also share their own experience in this space, providing a rich discussion which will no-doubt bring a new lens to this topic area.

This conversation is oriented as an educational piece, aimed at equipping both practitioners and students alike. The discussion is both deep and approachable, and will be perfect for your next journal club, reading group, or other learning spaces. We'd love if you would reach out and let us know how you use it!
If you want to connect more with Jo, you can follow her on Twitter.

Have any burning thoughts after listening, or just want to say hello? Send us an email on socialworkstoriespodcast@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you!

Follow our Facebook Page at: https://www.facebook.com/SocialWorkStoriesPodcast

Credits:

Hosts - Lis Murphy and Dr. Mim Fox

Producers - Justin Stech and Dr. Ben Joseph

Social Media Coordinator - Maddison Stratten

Social Work Stories©️ (Copyright 30 August, 2022)

Contact us online at www.socialworkstories.com, follow our facebook page and LinkedIn, or use the handle @SOWKStoriesPod on twitter or instagram.

Acute Care, Spiders, and Small Acts of Resistance - Ep. 70 Jul 26, 2022

Show notes

You're on the ward, it's late at night, and your job is to assess the patient's belongings as part of hospital protocol. You open up a container that you find in the person's bag, and there staring back at you is a large, hairy, creepy spider... This story is sure to have you listening with keen ears to find out how it is that social workers can find even the smallest moments to practice respect for persons, offering dignity, trust, and a sense of control.

Join Mim & Lis once again as they listen to this tale, and learn some fantastic lessons along the way on how to stand up to systems of power from the micro to the macro.

Have any burning thoughts after listening, or just want to say hello? Send us an email on socialworkstoriespodcast@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you!

Follow our Facebook Page at: https://www.facebook.com/SocialWorkStoriesPodcast

Credits:

Hosts - Lis Murphy and Dr. Mim Fox

Producers - Justin Stech & Dr. Ben Joseph

Social Media Coordinator - Maddison Stratten

Social Work Stories©️ (Copyright 26 July 2022)

Contact us online at www.socialworkstories.com, follow our facebook page and LinkedIn, or use the handle @SOWKStoriesPod on twitter or instagram.

A Covid Death: Moral Injury and Burnout in Social Work Practice - Ep. 69 Jun 28, 2022

Show notes

Join Mim and Lis as we explore a harrowing story from a hospital social worker who was on the front lines of Covid-19 work, supporting families in a dedicated Covid ward. Listen as she shares her experience throughout wave-after-wave of variants, and the way this shaped the work she carried out. Remember to breathe as you listen - it could be easy to hold your breath as this practice story unfolds, feeling the deep emotion of the loss of life, the weight of the journey, and the way a team of hospital professionals pull together to bring meaning and care in the last hours of their patient's life.
After the story, Mim and Lis unpack things further, exploring the impact of burnout over a long pandemic, the poignant moments throughout, and even a few interesting concepts discovered, such as 'reverse memory-making'.

As mentioned in the episode, have a listen to Episode 46, "Professional Grief and the Wilderness of the Soul" to hear a story with similarly deep, practice-rich themes.

Have any burning thoughts after listening, or just want to say hello? Send us an email on socialworkstoriespodcast@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you!

Follow our Facebook Page at: https://www.facebook.com/SocialWorkStoriesPodcast

Credits:

Hosts - Lis Murphy and Dr. Mim Fox

Producers - Justin Stech & Ben Joseph

Social Media Coordinator - Maddison Stratten

Social Work Stories©️ (Copyright 28 June 2022)

Contact us online at www.socialworkstories.com, follow our facebook page and LinkedIn, or use the handle @SOWKStoriesPod on twitter or instagram.

Social Work and Narrative Therapy in the Drug and Alcohol Space - Ep.68 May 31, 2022

Show notes

Share some time with Mim & Lis as we listen to a piece by Julaine Allan together. Julaine talks about her work in the Drug and Alcohol space, focusing on the power of Narrative Therapy, the importance of language, and the value of holding other perspectives in social work practice.
Julaine shares wisdom and stories from her practice in an approachable and compelling segment. Mim and Lis discuss their thoughts and reflections, drawing on their own practice-backgrounds to explore the themes Julaine laid out for us.

As mentioned in the episode, you can read more about Julaine's work here.

Have any burning thoughts after listening, or just want to say hello? Send us an email on socialworkstoriespodcast@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you!

Follow our Facebook Page at: https://www.facebook.com/SocialWorkStoriesPodcast

Credits:

Hosts - Lis Murphy and Dr. Mim Fox

Producer - Justin Stech

Contact us online at www.socialworkstories.com, follow our facebook page and LinkedIn, or use the handle @SOWKStoriesPod on twitter or instagram.

A Good Death in Hospital and the Social Work Role - Ep. 67 Apr 26, 2022

Show notes

Death and dying... how do you prepare for the end of life?

Join Mim & Lis as we listen to a long-view story of death in a hospital. We explore what the social worker does over the course of two admissions, firstly helping to facilitate conversations with the elderly patient and his family members about what a good death looks like; and secondly exploring the actual end-of-life journey. This is a fantastic and compelling story told by a very experienced social worker - there are many practice lessons to be learned no matter what area of social work you happen to be in.

After the story, Mim and Lis break down some of the bigger picture ideas and thoughts from their own experience. We discuss the role of a hospital social worker in the death space, and how we can take steps in our personal life to help us prepare to walk alongside families as they say goodbye to their loved ones.

As mentioned in the episode, you can read more about the work of Dr Alan Wolfelt here.

You can also explore the End of Life planning kits on the NSW Health website.

Have any burning thoughts after listening, or just want to say hello? Send us an email on socialworkstoriespodcast@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you!

Follow our Facebook Page at: https://www.facebook.com/SocialWorkStoriesPodcast

Credits:

Hosts - Lis Murphy and Mim Fox

Producer - Justin Stech

Editing - Dave Scilly

Contact us online at www.socialworkstories.com, follow our facebook page or use the handle @SOWKStoriesPod on twitter or instagram.

Private Practice Social Work in a Pandemic and Beyond - Ep. 66 Mar 29, 2022

Show notes

Have you ever thought about going into private practice social work? Are you already working in this space? Have you never even considered it?

Join Mim & Lis as they have a conversation with Dr. Josie McSkimming, a clinical social worker and author, exploring her experience of engaging in therapeutic relationships in the midst of a pandemic. Josie shares the way she sustains herself in her practice, how she builds boundaries to support herself and her clients, and her gained wisdom for those wanting to enter the private practice space. We also discuss the emotional balance of in-the-room vs over-Zoom, the challenges of poor WiFi connections, and how a pandemic changes the whole dynamic of therapy.

Whether you're in the private practice space, aspiring to work in this space in the future, or not thinking of this area of social work practice at all, we think most everyone will find helpful reflection and useful pieces of this episode to take with them.

You can connect with Dr. Josie McSkimming on Twitter.

*Your producer would also like to note a small correction to something mentioned in the episode: Lis claims her parents are the "Number 1 Fans", while empirical evidence shows that this title actually belongs to Judith K. We apologise for any misunderstandings and welcome all Number 1 Fans to the podcast.

Have any burning thoughts after listening, or just want to say hello? Send us an email on socialworkstoriespodcast@gmail.com - we'd love to hear from you!

Follow our Facebook Page at: https://www.facebook.com/SocialWorkStoriesPodcast

Credits:

Hosts - Lis Murphy and Mim Fox

Producer - Justin Stech

Contact us online at www.socialworkstories.com, follow our facebook page or use the handle @SOWKStoriesPod on twitter or instagram.