3.3 Knowledge Justice in the Helping Professions: A Case Study
What does knowledge justice look like in practice? We use a case to further explore knowledge justice, a lens you might apply to your future work as a helping professional.
The case study scenario is relevant across many fields, whether you plan to be a nurse, allied health specialist, counsellor, or a librarian assisting someone in their search for evidence.
Case Study
You are supporting an eighteen-year-old client. The client in question is currently in the third trimester of their first pregnancy and is a refugee who recently relocated to Canada from Mombasa, Kenya.
Presently, the client resides in a two-bedroom apartment alongside nine family members. The client has expressed a desire for a larger living space to accommodate their immediate and extended family, but financial constraints limit their options. It is worth noting that several family members sharing the residence are undergoing the process of obtaining a “Canadian education” due to their professional credentials from Kenya not being recognized in the Canadian context.
Towards the conclusion of your consultation the client discloses that they currently share a twin bed with their thirteen-year-old sister and intend to have the baby sleep in the same bed. The client firmly believes that it is unsafe for an infant to sleep in a separate bed and contends that co-sleeping facilitates better breastfeeding initiation and maintenance.
You ask the client whether they would like your support, given your professional role. The client agrees.
Take some time to review the case study. We will refer back to it a few times in this Chapter, as well as in Chapters 4 and 5. We recognize that it may not directly apply to every reader. So, as you read it, consider:
- What kind of support might you be asked to take? Or, what support might you request should you find yourself in a similar situation to the clients described in the case?
All activities can also be found in a downloadable workbook. Visit the ‘Using this Resource‘ page to access the workbook in MS Word and PDF formats.
Slowing Down to Practice Knowledge Justice
As we’ve seen in previous chapters, our social identities and previous experiences influence our thinking, whether we realize it or not. So, an essential first step in using a knowledge justice lens is learning to stop and pause before making a decision or taking action. For example, we can easily find other people on the internet to agree with any opinion, even for views that cause harm or that are based in misinformation. But how did we reach those opinions? Are they based in truth?
Self-reflection helps us to identify any obvious or implicit biases in our thinking and encourages us to avoid confirmation bias and online echo chambers.
We can use these questions to guide our initial reflection:
- How do I feel about this case?
- What are my honest opinions about it?
- How did I form those opinions? Who influenced my thinking?
- Have I had similar experience(s)?
- Have I addressed my internal biases? For example:
- Where am I experiencing discomfort?
- What do I not understand?
- What assumptions might I be making? Where might I be imposing Euro-western values on my interpretation of this case?
- Am I remaining open to learning about other people and experiences?
Next, given this resource’s focus on the helping professions, we’ll want to reflect on our responsibilities towards the individuals in this case. Using a knowledge justice lens in the helping professions requires us to act with humility, open-minded curiosity, and care. Our role is not necessarily to have all the answers, but to support our clients in ways that honour who they are, including their lived experiences and cultural knowledges.
Stop and Reflect
Complete your initial reflection on our case study:
- How do I feel about this case?
- What are my honest opinions about it?
- How did I form those opinions? Who influenced my thinking?
- Have I had similar experience(s)?
- Have I addressed my internal biases? For example:
- Where am I experiencing discomfort?
- What do I not understand?
- What assumptions might I be making? Where might I be imposing Euro-western values on my interpretation of this case?
- Am I remaining open to learning about other people and experiences?
Then take some time to consider the following questions:
- From your professional perspective, what support does this client need most?
- For example, depending on your program or perspective you may identify that the individuals in this case need support with infant feeding, safe sleep practices, and mental health and wellness support.
- What steps might you need to take to provide the client with this support?
- For example, are you the right person to provide the support? Or would someone else be better positioned to help?
- Above all, what do you personally need to know or better understand when it comes to this client?
- What must you learn before taking action?
All activities can also be found in a downloadable workbook. Visit the ‘Using this Resource‘ page to access the workbook in MS Word and PDF formats.
To model this type of critical self-reflection, some of the authors share their thoughts in the video below.
The tendency to process information by looking for or interpreting it in a manner consistent with one’s existing beliefs.
An environment or ecosystem in which participants encounter beliefs that amplify or reinforce their preexisting beliefs by communication and repetition inside a closed system and insulated from alternative viewpoints.
