MY FUTURE PRACTICE 

MY FRAMEWORK~MY WAY

Let’s be real—if theory doesn’t make room for real life, it’s useless!!

I don’t do surface-level social work. My practice will be rooted in truth-telling, Person Centered, trauma awareness, decolonization, real harm reduction, and Anti-oppressive practice. I will use these alongside, Critical Theory/Critical Social Work, Strength Based/Lived Experienced Centered, Feminist Therapy,Biosocial Theory, And ACE'S  

These are the theories-beliefs-Practices I carry—not just from textbooks, but from my own personal walk through fire.

MY FRAMEWORK ~MY WAY

Anti-Oppressive Practice 

I believe social work should challenge power, not protect it.

 

AOP reminds me that my job is to stand with clients, especially when systems stand against them.

 

It pushes me to ask:

Whose voice is missing?

Who’s being centred?

Who’s being silenced?

Decolonizing Social Work

My work will be grounded in the understanding that colonial systems still shape education, policy, and practice.

 

Decolonizing social work means I don’t ask clients to “fit in”—I meet them where they are, with culture, ceremony, and respect.

 

I uplift Indigenous teachings like the Seven Sacred Teachings, not as an “add-on,” but as the foundation of healing.

Harm Reduction Theory

In my practice I will  always meet people where they are at, without judgment.I believe harm reduction is not only a philosophy — it’s a human right.

 

In my work, I support things like safe consumption sites, needle exchanges, non-judgmental spaces, and policy reform — because no one should die for using drugs.

 

I challenge workplaces, institutions, and fellow practitioners who still cling to shame-based models.

 

I push for a world where someone can say, “I use” and still be housed, employed, in school, or parenting — without fear of punishment or surveillance.

 

 

 

 

MY FRAMEWORK ~MY WAY

Strengths Based & Lived Experience-Centered

I don’t see clients as broken. I see survivors, fighters, and wisdom-holders.

 

I use my lived experience as a compass, not a liability.

 

I will always validate people’s truth—even when it makes others uncomfortable.

Trauma-Informed

I don’t throw the words “trauma-informed” around like a catchphrase.

 

It means I see behavior as a reflection of survival.

 

It means I will listen with compassion before assuming, labelling, or diagnosing.

 

It also means I centre the impact of systemic trauma, especially on Indigenous families.

Critical Theory & Critical Social Work

Focuses on power, oppression, and systemic injustice.

 

Encourages practitioners to challenge dominant narratives and work toward structural change.

 

Informs advocacy-based, anti-oppressive practice.

MY FRAMEWORK ~MY WAY

Person Centered Therapy

I believe in creating a space where people feel safe, respected, and unconditionally accepted. This approach centers the client as the expert in their own healing and assists them in becoming aware of obstacles to growth.

 

My role is not to “fix” people but to offer a relationship where growth, self-trust, and personal meaning can flourish.

 

 

Feminist Therapy

Equalize the power dynamic between client and therapist — I walk with clients, not above them. No pedestal, no hierarchy.

 

Contextualize distress — I won’t pathologize people for reacting to oppressive systems. I’ll ask, “What happened to you?” not “What’s wrong with you?”

 

Deconstruct gender roles and internalized oppression — especially for clients shamed for not fitting the mold. That mold was never made for us anyway.

 

Use gender-role and power analysis to help clients identify where their suffering intersects with systems like racism, colonialism, and patriarchy.

 

Biosocial Theory

I will integrate skills from DBT (founded on Biosocial Theory) including distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.

 

I meet clients where they’re at — especially those who’ve been labeled “too much,” “manipulative,” or “noncompliant.”

 

This model affirms what I know from lived experience: we don't heal by being told we're wrong — we heal when someone finally says, "I believe you," an "I understand."

 

 

How ACEs Tie into My Practice Framework 

My social work practice will be/is rooted in trauma-informed care, harm reduction, anti-oppressive practice, cultural safety, and the unflinching belief that people are more than their trauma. Both Paper Tigers and Beyond Trauma breathe life into my framework. Their message is clear: hurt people don’t heal through punishment — they heal through connection, safety, and support.

 

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

ACEs are the foundation of how I assess and understand behavioral patterns, emotional regulation, and coping strategies. They explain not what’s “wrong” with someone — but what happened to them (Strategies, n.d.). In Paper Tigers, students with high ACE scores were constantly punished until staff shifted their approach. By introducing trauma-informed support, those same students started to heal, grow, and succeed (Redford, 2015). This is exactly the shift I advocate for in every space I enter.

 

Critical Theory & Critical Social Work

The ACEs framework doesn’t just tell us what trauma is — it reveals how systems fail to protect the most vulnerable. Paper Tigers and Beyond Trauma expose the harm caused by punitive policies and systemic neglect. My practice uses critical theory to question and disrupt these systems — and critical social work to build new ones rooted in justice, not judgment.

 

Strength-Based & Lived Experience-Centered Practice

Where ACEs spotlight damage, I spotlight resilience. I believe healing begins by recognizing what people have survived — not just what they’ve endured. Beyond Trauma emphasizes building on protective factors, and I honor the strength in lived experience as expertise that can guide the helping relationship.

 

Decolonizing Social Work

ACEs cannot be separated from colonial violence, especially for Indigenous communities. I decolonize my practice by naming the historical trauma that fuels ACE scores, by centering traditional knowledge, and by resisting systems that silence Indigenous voices (Strategies, n.d.).

 

Feminist Theory

Gender-based oppression is an ACE. Period. My framework includes feminist theory to challenge power imbalances, validate women’s voices, and ensure healing work accounts for the realities of gender, patriarchy, and the emotional labour expected of marginalized caregivers

 

Anti-Oppressive Practice

Paper Tigers makes it clear: punitive systems reproduce oppression (Redford, 2015). I reject approaches that blame or label. My practice uplifts anti-oppressive values by acknowledging systemic harm and working in solidarity with those most affected by structural injustice.

 

Person-Centered Therapy

You can’t “treat” ACEs without trust. Person-centered therapy aligns with trauma-informed principles by offering unconditional positive regard, empathy, and deep listening — all necessary to rebuild fractured self-worth and counter the shame many survivors carry (Strategies, n.d.).

 

Biosocial Theory

The science of ACEs reflects the same dance biosocial theory explains biology meets environment. Beyond Trauma confirms how toxic stress alters brain chemistry and behavior (Strategies, n.d.). I incorporate DBT-informed tools to help people understand and regulate their emotions without shame.

 

Guiding Beliefs and Values

  • Lived experience is valid expertise.
  • People are not problems to be fixed; systems often are.
  • Healing happens in relationship, not isolation.
  • Silence is often enforced by systems—truth-telling is an act of resistance.
  • Social work should be an act of solidarity, not rescue and redemption.
  • Safety, dignity, and autonomy are non-negotiable.
  • Change starts by naming what is being silenced.