(Photograph courtesy of Tim Marshall)
On March 4, 2020, Clay Drinko of Psychology Today published an article highlighting how tenets of theatrical improvisation can help social workers co-create meaning with clients.
There are significant intersections between social work and improvisation, a crucial one being the fact that engaging in an improvisational structure allows social workers to better meet their clients where they are at. This framework of collaboration through improvisation is rooted in deep listening and reserving judgement.
According to Drinko, “Though social workers follow shared theories and methods, improv helps them adjust to a given situation when they find themselves interacting on-the-spot with their clients.” Improvisation collectives and workshops have been engaging in training social workers and therapists in using elements of improvisation to deepen their professional practice.
Co-Director of the SIM Lab and Director of Carleton University’s School of Social Work Sarah Todd emphasises the connections between improvisation and social work with regards to social worker training. When adding elements of improvisation in social work student training, Todd found that social work students were better prepared to construct meaning with clients rather than seeking forms of prescriptive truths.
According to Todd, “When our worries about uncertainty become loud in our head, we have a tendency to limit our listening and our exploring and instead push for solutions. I think if we wait longer, explore more, and listen more we create increased opportunities for the people we are working with to come up with their own solutions and to work collaboratively with us to create solutions that are a better fit with their reality and, thus, more sustainable.”
Through improvisation, social workers can collaboratively create meanings and better meet clients where they are at.