Broken-heartedness and Social Work, Part 2

This is a second discussion of broken-heartedness and social work where more detail is provided in how to think deeply about the causes of broken-heartedness and ways to respond to it. Social work knowledge and skills, when aligned with a love ethic, can inform a wide range of love practices. In turn these love practices align with nonviolence and doing no harm. The power of love in professional practice can challenge, resist and change the use of violence and lovelessness. Minority status groups’ experience of injustice can show as stigma and discrimination, possibly even as blaming them for the issues. Social workers can stand with people experiencing injustice and stigma and support stigma resistance. This will enable people to understand and protect themselves from the internalising of blame. At the same time the causes of broken-heartedness are typically beyond the impacted peoples’ sphere of control. Thus, social workers need to enable critical thinking about any form of violence and hold the powerful people and groups responsible. Love as actions towards the highest good possible in a situation, always matters no matter how small the action.