Journal of Social Work Practice: psychodynamic approaches to health, welfare and the community
Call for Papers: Special 2007 Issue on Art, Creativity and Imagination
Both social work and art often work at the borders of the sayable, the thinkable, the knowable. Imagination and creativity are often needed to open experiences of trauma, mental illness, and everyday confusion to recognition, exploration and communication. Because it is so very personal, artistic expression strengthens the sense of self and self-esteem. It mobilises energy and passion, and acts as an effective means of intercultural dialogue and appreciation.
Current practice in health and social care abounds in experimentation with dance, drama, story-telling, creative writing and art of all kinds, photography and film. Evaluation of such work is a challenge, especially since 'imagination' barely appears in social science. Psychodynamic thinking is well-placed to describe creative work, and to understand and explain what makes it effective as social practice.
This special issue of the journal welcomes sensitive descriptions, theoretical reflections and accounts of research and evaluative methods on any aspect of art, creativity and imagination in social interventions. Please note that articles should accord with the distinctive remit of the Journal of Social Work Practice towards strengthening a specifically psychosocial knowledge base and psychodynamic approaches to practice and policy. The editors (see below) welcome initial declarations of interest and will be pleased to comment on abstracts and drafts sent in advance to any of the addresses below. For those able to attend, there will be a contributors' afternoon seminar in late January or early February 2007 to discuss work in progress, beginning with lunch at 1pm at the Tavistock Clinic in London. Please indicate your interest by the end of September.
Suggested topics
1.. Subjective and inter-subjective processes involved in mobilising and engaging with creativity and imagination
2.. The benefits, difficulties and complexities of interventions involving forms of creative art
3.. Health and welfare practice as an art form, and the implications for training, policy and/or research
4.. Modes of data collection, interpretation and presentation congruent with creative interventions
5.. Inter-subjectivity in research processes eg observation, transference and counter-transference
6.. Aesthetic dimensions of care and interpersonal responsiveness
Deadline for first drafts March 1st 2007. Article length approx 5000 words.
Editors of Special Issue:
Prue Chamberlayne - (away July 20-October 8) <[log in to unmask]>
Lynn Froggett - <[log in to unmask]>
Martin Smith - <[log in to unmask]>
Editorial policy (more details on <www.tandf.co.uk/journals>):
The Journal of Social Work Practice publishes high quality refereed articles devoted to the exploration and analysis of practice in social welfare and allied health professions from psychodynamic and systemic perspectives. This includes counselling, social care planning, education and training, research, institutional life, management and organisation or policy-making. Articles are also welcome that critically examine the psychodynamic tradition in the light of other theoretical orientations or explanatory systems. The Journal of Social Work Practice is committed to a policy of equal opportunities and actively strives to foster all forms of intercultural dialogue and debate. The journal thus aims to:
1.. provide a unique forum for the application of current understandings of conscious processes to social work practice with individuals, couples, families and communities;
2.. relate these ideas to institutional life and social policy formation
3.. link the psychodynamic tradition with other theoretical orientations
4.. foster intercultural dialogue and debate.
Lynn Froggett
Reader in Psychosocial Welfare
Dept. Social Work, Faculty of Health
University of Central Lancashire
Preston PR1 2HE
