REFLECTIONS ON TERTIARY TEACHING

By Mickey Skidmore, AMHSW, ACSW, FAASW

Tertiary teaching became part of my regular Social Work practice around 1990. A private practice colleague approached me in 1989 to assist her in teaching the remainder of an Intro to Psychology class at a local community college which she was unable to complete because of a medical issue. In 1991, I was approached by a small private college to teach several Sociology classes. I have been fortunate to include sessional teaching opportunities to compliment my clinical practice.

Initially, I saw this as an opportunity to diversify my revenue streams for my private practice. The main component: private clients (both for therapy and/or supervision). The second component: sessional academic teaching. And the third: clinical contractual consulting. Not only did this provided three distinct revenue streams, structurally it allowed the opportunity to use different parts of my brain. And indirectly, it eventually created some freedom from relying solely on one source of income.

Earlier in my career I emphasised being a diligent and sound diagnostician. This period of my career perhaps culminated in my invitation to be guest lecturer for the Social Work graduate program at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where I essentially taught the DSM for an adult mental health class. I was especially proud of this accomplishment given that previously, years ago, I was declined admission as a student to this same program. 

Over time, “diagnosing” became more of an insurance function for me, and I found myself gravitating more to clinical models and theories that showed promise and efficacy in their intervention process. While I recognise that many still find solace in a “diagnosis” (it confirms that what they are experiencing is real — not imagined; and that they are not alone in this experience). While I certainly possess the knowledge and skill set to diagnose mental health conditions, Social Work practice in Australia largely absolves me of such responsibility. (In fact, the accepted cultural convention is that Social Workers are not qualified to diagnose). This is of little consequence for me, as I have come to realise that regardless of whatever ailment or “diagnosis” people struggle with, they seek therapy simply because they want to feel better. Unless it is patently false or far from reality, I am comfortable with whatever label client prefer to use or identify.

It has becoming increasingly clear to me that the teaching component of my practice has only served to enhance my clinical work. Having a strong academic framework and background has reinforced and clarified the application of theoretical concepts in my clinical practice. Perhaps more importantly over the arc of a long career, I have clearer hindsight of being mesmerised by aspects of the medical model and embracing the value of the bio-psycho-social approach as a superior framework (that includes a lane for medical considerations) and more aligned with human rights principles and welcoming of cultural sensitivity. In short, the way that I have structured my private practice business model is to incorporate the academic theoretical frameworks into my clinical practice — which has contributed to profound sense of clarity and confidence for me.

So what began as a simple business model to diversity the revenue sources in a private practice; resulted in a structural opportunity to incorporate over time the application of academic theoretical frameworks into clinical Social Work practice. And while it enabled me to shift my intellectual focus from time to time; the most profound gift was how this application clarified the values, principles and methodology of the Social Work profession; enhanced my knowledge and clinical skills; and underscored my professional sense of self-confidence.

While I never intended for tertiary teaching to play a primary role in my professional efforts, I have come to see it a gift, that has truely made me a better Social Worker.