Transformative ecosocial work: Incorporating being, thinking and doing in practice

This chapter explores the emerging conceptualisation of ecosocial work and the need for transformative ecosocial change to challenge inherent modernist assumptions underpinning the philosophical base of conventional social work practice. By adopting a distinct philosophical base emphasising holism and interdependence with the natural world, the profession can reconceptualise an ecologically centred approach across ontological (being), epistemological (thinking) and methodological (doing) dimensions of practice. This chapter summarises the elements of transformative ecosocial change, and considers challenges faced by the profession in pursuing transformative change, including political and organisational constraints. Although a transformative approach enhances the profession’s capacity for a coherent and ethical response to environmental and social problems, it represents a starting point only, as the development of ecosocial work requires the collective efforts of practitioners, educators, service users and academics.