Toward a Critical Approach to Simulation-Based Social Work Education: Guidelines for Designing Simulated Client Case Scenarios

ABSTRACT

The use of simulation has become a staple in social work education in North America. Concerns have been raised, however, that this pedagogy, rooted in positivist views of professional competence, might be built on educators’ monolithic and stereotypical understanding of minoritized clients. In this article, I take on a position that simulation certainly advances social work education; yet there is a vital need for a critical approach that can mitigate concerns about authenticity, representation, and harm. I propose guidelines for educators, which consist of concrete steps, tasks, and reflective questions for how to develop case scenarios from a critical perspective. Finally, I outline remaining concerns and limitations that signal a need for continued advancement of simulation-based social work education.

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

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Notes on contributors

Kenta Asakura

Kenta Asakura, MSW, LICSW, PhD, is an Associate Professor and the Chair of Practice at Smith College School for Social Work in Northampton, Massachusetts. He also holds an Adjunct Research Professor position at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC.