Does past life matter? Social workers' views on biographical approaches

Abstract

The article discusses the application of biographical approaches in social work practice and aims to identify issues that may need to be taken into account when implementing these approaches. The essays of 16 Finnish social workers, working in psychiatry, addiction treatment, rehabilitation, gerontology, pre-adoption counselling and vocational education, were analyzed regarding the respondents’ views on the benefits of biographical approaches, especially biographical interviewing (BI). Qualitative content analysis was used. The results indicate that biographical approaches can create a space for user reflection and social worker listening as well as provide a better understanding of service users’ situation. However, concerns regarding limitations of the approach, ethics and necessary professional competencies were raised. The conclusions drawn are that social work practice can benefit from BI done with awareness and ethical sensitivity and that ‘biographical lenses’ as a metaphor for a general attitude can be applied in most practice situations. The paper draws on a wider literature on biographical approaches in the social sciences.