The Social Work Café
The Social Work Café is a light-hearted educational series that combines coffee and conversations with passionate social workers. Designed for social work students and practitioners worldwide, it offers professional development in a relaxed format. Hosted by Dr. B, the podcast invites listeners to brew their favorite drink and join the discussion.
Episodes
How do we achieve workforce stability in social work?
Welcome back to the Social Work Café! You are in for another treat this episode, as I chat with Ali Trewhella about her wonderful career as a social worker, and her recent completion of a Churchill Fellowship which focused on recruitment strategies, workforce stability and attraction to the profession. Her passion for psychosocial safety, reflectivesupervision, and leadership really shines through
How can you Thrive as an Emerging Social Work Leader?
Welcome back to the Social Work Café! In this episode, Ichat with the dynamic and passionate Jody Bell. We explore how emerging leaders in social work can thrive when they are well supported in the workplace. We also discuss her burnout resource and her hopes for progressing professionalregistration in Australia. It’s an energising and inspiring conversation that highlights the importance of susta
How can Social Workers Support Young Widows?
Welcome back to the Social Work Café! I haven't disappeared. I just took a little unscheduled hiatus. I’m thrilled to return with a brand new episode featuring the fabulous Nicole Okimura! In this celebratory chat, Nicole and I talk about a recent co-publication (open access) we created together, which is based on her Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) research. While grief and loss can be a we
How are social workers supporting people with intellectual disabilities and mental health distress?
In this episode, I sit down with Jasmin Lagaali, a specialistsocial worker in NSW Health. Jasmin shares insights into her work in a unique consultation service for individuals with intellectual disabilities and mental health distress. We discuss the challenges of working within a system thatoften prioritises speed over quality, the importance of holistic and multidimensional assessments, and the n
How do you Define your Professional Identity as a Newly Qualified Social Worker?
In the first episode of Social Work Café Season 3, Kasey Henshaw returns to share her experiences from her first year as a qualified social worker. We discuss the transition from student to practitioner, the challenges of professional identity, and the importance of reflective practice. Kasey highlights key lessons, including setting boundaries to prevent burnout and finding joy in small moments.
Season 03 Launch Trailer - How can we make social work better?
Welcome to Season 3 of the Social Work Café podcast! I'm Dr. Bernadette Moorhead, your host, and I'm thrilled to have you join us for another season of insightful conversations over coffee. This season, we're introducing a new theme: "What is one thing about social work that you would change to make it better?" Each of our ten guests will delve into this question, offering th
How can Social Workers be Politically Active?
In this bonus episode I am joined by a very special guest, Denis Ginnivan, a social worker who has lots of experience working at the grassroots level to facilitate political engagement of citizens. Denis talks with me about his fascinating social work career and how he became involved with local politics as a founding member of Voices for Indi, which has led him to share his experiences and expert
What Does Social Work Practice Look Like in the Defence Forces?
Welcome back to the Social Work Café. This week I am
joined by another former study buddy, the fabulous Sim Rajkumar, who is an experienced social worker, especially in the area of Defence. This is a field of practice that employs a number of social workers and yet does not get much focus or coverage in our social work programs. It’s time to pull back the curtain and learn more about social work p
What Does Reflective Supervision Really Look Like?
Welcome to the latest episode of the Social Work Café. Supervision is a highly regarded professional development activity in social work. Yet, it is often reduced to an administrative or managerial task. I talk with an experienced social work supervisor, Jazmin Pursell, about how the supervision relationship can be set up so that critical reflection is central to the process and can be mutually be
How Does Social Work Identity Change Over Time?
Welcome back to the Social Work Café, where this week
we return to my favourite topic – professional identity in social work. In this episode, one of my dear colleagues, Garth Norris is joining me in the café for some reflection on his career and ever-changing social work
identity. Garth has enjoyed a whole range of jobs, and is now straddling his academic hat with his leadership hat as CEO of End
How are Social Workers using Digital Technologies?
Welcome back to The Social Work Café, where this week we go digital. When it comes to using digital technologies, the global pandemic has shifted a lot of perceptions and sped up the transition to online practice. While going online comes with a lot of benefits, there are
also a range of ethical and practical challenges that social workers need to carefully navigate. To explore this exciting space
How do social workers practice in rural health roles?
Welcome to the latest episode of the Social Work Café. In season 1, we covered social work in the health sector. This week we return to that topic by looking at social work practice in rural health settings. I speak with an
incredibly experienced social worker, Liz McRae, who has done just about any health role. Liz shares her wisdom about health social work and how she achieves our professional o
How do trauma-informed social workers support their communities?
Welcome back to the latest episode of the Social
Work Café. One of the most popular episodes of season 1 was about trauma-informed social work. So, let’s dive deeper into this topic by taking a closer look
at a new trauma-informed hub that was launched in early 2024 in Albury-Wodonga, Australia. The hub is directed by two experienced social workers, Emilia Barrow and Cassandra Cuttler. They both j
How can field placement develop disruptive social workers?
Welcome back to the Social Work Café. Field placement is essential for students to develop their professional identities and social work practice framework. It is also an ideal setting to learn how to become a disruptive social worker! To explore this tantalising topic, I am joined by the
fabulous Dr Shirley Ledger who did her PhD in this area. We explore disruptive social work practice and the wa
How are Social Workers Changing Youth Mental Health Practice?
It is not uncommon for some people to be deemed too “complex” or “difficult” to treat in the mental health system. In this episode of the Social Work Cafe, we meet a passionate social work therapist and advocate who is determined to address those outdated ideas. Alex Wilson is an experienced practitioner with her own private practice, Mindful Recovery. Alex shares her social work perspective on wo
Wilderness Therapy: Does Social Work have a Wild Side?
Episode summary
Dr Will Dobud is back in the café to explore the wild side of social work! He survived chatting with me about feedback-informed treatment in season 1. This time he is going to speak with us his number one passion of wilderness therapy. Will is going to clarify some terminology in this field, as well as explain the theory and practice methods that are common to this field. Be sure t
Season 2 Launch Trailer
Welcome to the launch of season 2 of the Social Work Café
podcast. I’m your host, Bernadette Moorhead, aka Dr B. In this brief trailer, I reveal what’s in store for season 2, including the question that each guest will answer. Whether you are a social work student or practitioner in any part of the world, this podcast is for you. So go brew your favourite drink and join me in the Social Work Café
Season 1 Review - So, What is Social Work?
For our last episode for 2023, I’m joined in the Social Work Café by Kasey Henshaw, a dedicated listener who is about to graduate! We’re going to talk about what she has gained from listening to season 1 of the podcast and how she would answer that all-important question: What is social work? Dr. B will chime in with her very own answer as well.
How you can get involved
Become a friend of the pod
Is Social Work Feminist Enough?
Welcome back to the Social Work Café. As a profession largely consisting of women, it is no surprise that many social workers embrace a feminist worldview. We are passionate about liberation, class struggle, and addressing gendered injustices, which are exemplified in the UN Sustainable Development Goals. With this in mind, does contemporary social work adequately centre feminist theory and practi
What Makes Social Work a Global Profession?
Episode summary
The International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) plays a key role in promoting our profession at a global level, especially through the international definition of social work. But what is it that makes social work a global profession? In this episode, I speak with Dr. Sebastian Cordoba, an Australian social work educator at RMIT and member of the IFSW Asia-Pacific Regional Re
What is the Social Work Perspective of Mental Health?
Welcome back to The Social Work Café. Within the vast field of health, is the equally vast field of mental health. Social workers have a lot to offer the mental health space, but we have some work to do when it comes to promoting a social work perspective of mental health. I have the perfect guest to speak on this topic, my fabulous colleague, Dr. Fredrik Velander, who is an experienced social wor
How do we get Social Workers to be Passionate about Working with Older Adults?
I often come across social work students who baulk at the idea of working with older adults, which is a shame because it is a group that desperately needs us. Joining me in the Social Work Café is the fabulous Dr. Belinda Cash, whose passion for working with older adults is utterly infectious. In this episode, Belinda explains the many ways that social workers can make vital social justice and hum
BONUS EPISODE: IFSW Europe Conference Adventure
Welcome to this very special bonus episode of the Social Work Café, where the usual format has been thrown out the window for now. I’m joined by the amazing Jac McNamara, a field education coordinator at Central Queensland University. I have the great pleasure of co-supervising Jac for her PhD, and even more exciting is that we
both attended and presented at the International Federation
of Social
How do you Become an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker?
Welcome back to The Social Work Café. From time to time, students and newly qualified practitioners ask me how they can go about becoming an accredited mental health social worker in Australia and whether it is worth undertaking at all. I have not been through the process myself, so it is shrouded in mystery for me. Fortunately, Ashton Hayes has her own podcast on this very topic! Ashton is an exp
What Does Trauma-Informed Social Work Really Mean?
Episode summary
Welcome back to the Social Work Café dear listeners. Have you heard? We are all trauma-informed these days! In this episode, joining me in the café is experienced practitioner, researcher and academic, Dr. Andreia Schineanu. We chat about trauma-informed social work at the practice and organisational level to get a better idea of how these ideas can be of benefit to social work, ra
Private Practice: How can Social Workers go Private?
Episode summary
Welcome back to the Social Work Café. Have you ever been sitting in another pointless meeting that could have been an email? Perhaps this has prompted you to flirt with the idea of becoming your own boss? In this episode, I have the perfect guest to talk about the journey of becoming a private practitioner. Cass Fletcher is an experienced social worker, therapist, and early-career
How can newly qualified social workers set themselves up for a long career?
Episode summary
Welcome back to the Social Work Café. In this episode, Vicki Shevlin joins me for an exciting conversation about newly qualified social work. Vicki started her own podcast to give practical advice and support to newly qualified social workers in the UK. She shares those insights with us, which I am sure will be helpful to social work students, new graduates and even experienced pra
Is self-care in social work only about hot baths and tea?
Episode summary
While I love a steaming hot bath and a chill session on my couch, self-care in social work is so much more than what you do as an individual outside of work. Today I am chatting with an amazing and experienced social worker, Mikaela Higgins, who works in the child welfare sector. Mikaela gives us important insights into workplace self-care and how necessary it is for organisations
Can you be a social worker in any job?
Episode summary
Can you be a social worker in any job, even if you work outside of the human services industry? I have the perfect guest joining me in the café to explore this question. Karise McNamee has enjoyed a fascinating social work career across government, non-government, and private practice, including outside of the human services world. Karise shares insights from her captivating career
Is evaluation in social work FIT enough?
Welcome back, café dwellers. Joining us in the Social Work Café is my adventurous colleague Will Dobud, aka Docbud (or even Dodobud). In this episode, we examine how social workers can get FIT, without putting on spandex. Evaluation is an important part of social work practice, but are we doing it in a meaningful way that invites genuine feedback we can use to improve? Docbud explores this questio
Environmental social work: Should social workers be tree huggers?
There has been a green explosion of social work literature on environmental social work. To help us make sense of what this all means for social work practice, the wonderful Associate Professor Heather Boetto and social worker, Laura Fletcher are joining us in the café. Heather and Laura have been researching, teaching, and doing community projects in this exciting area for a number of years. Toge
Why are social workers hanging out in public libraries?
Social workers are being increasingly employed by public libraries. I am incredibly excited to learn more about this burgeoning field of practice. Joining me in
the café is the first library social worker in Texas, Patrick Lloyd. He has been writing and presenting on library social work for a number of years and has a
lot of wisdom to share. You will learn how library social work is taking form an
Does social work have its own practice framework?
What does a social work practice framework look like? In this episode, we have the perfect guest to explore this question. Sue Wilkins is an experienced practitioner, academic, and early-career researcher. Like me, she has an enduring passion for social work developing and promoting our collective identity. In our conversation, Sue inspires us to think about the components of a social work practic
Sexual health: Is social work sexy enough?
Episode summary
Let’s talk about sex. No, put the 80s crimping iron down! Sexual and reproductive health issues are rarely addressed in social work education and practice. It’s time to examine these taboo subjects and the role social workers can play in this field. Our guest is the wonderful Katie Murrell-Orgill, another very dear friend and former study buddy. Katie is now an incredibly experienc
Does anyone know what social workers do in the health sector?
Episode Summary
Today our guest is my dear friend and colleague, Cat Crutchett, who is a senior social worker in health. We studied together, and across her career, Cat has been employed in a number of exciting hospital and community health roles. In this episode, I talk with Cat about social work practise across the health sector, as well as how perceptions of social work are finally shifting in
How is the AASW promoting social work identity?
Episode summary
There are some really intriguing changes going on at the Australian Association of Social Work (AASW). To find out more, we are joined by the fabulous Cindy Smith, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the AASW. Cindy reflects on her journey as CEO and how she has made it her mission to promote professional identity through the AASW. Her passion for this topic is infectious, so tune in
What is social work?
Welcome to the very first episode of the Social Work Café. We start this exciting journey with the main question of season 01: what is social work? Joining me in the café is a very dear colleague, Katrina Gersbach. I ask Katrina about how she discovered social work and determined it was the right profession for her. She shares some great insights that can help students and practitioners explain so
Launch Trailer - Season 01
Welcome to the launch of the Social Work Café podcast. I’m your host, Bernadette Moorhead, aka Dr B. In this brief trailer, I tell you more about season 01 of this exciting educational series, and how you can become a friend of the podcast. Whether you are a social work student or practitioner in any part of the world, this podcast is for you. So go brew your favourite drink and join me in the Soc
