Calculating All of Our Losses: Writing Real-World Therapy Experiences in Child Welfare

Abstract

In the child welfare system, child maltreatment prevention and intervention are of primary focus. Yet when working from a multi-systems perspective, both the child and parent systems are of vital importance while aligning with caseworkers goals, and adhering to court orders in a larger community context. Although we adhere to a strengths-based perspective, the systemic narrative of trauma takes precedence over certain progressions within family life. As a result, we provide an autoethnographic account of our experiences as feminist family therapists working with multiple systems and the multiple gains and losses experienced by all involved parties.