I've Been Thinking About This Community It's been a while since I last posted here, and I wanted to share a little about why. Like many of us, life became busy. Work demanded more of my time, I found myself juggling multiple projects, and I was also navigating loss and grief. I simply wasn't able to give this community the attention it deserved. I could have continued posting just to keep the page active, but that didn't feel right. During that time away, I kept returning to the same question. What is the purpose of The Social Work Circle? When I first created this space, I imagined it as a community where social workers could connect, learn from one another, and grow together. As I sat with that idea over the past few months, I realized that those words are easy to say. Almost every professional community promises connection, learning, and growth. So I began asking myself a different question. If someone chooses to spend an hour of their week here, what should they leave with? A new idea? A different perspective? A new connection? There is no shortage of information available to social workers. We have webinars, podcasts, conferences, books, journals, newsletters, and social media. We are surrounded by opportunities to learn. Yet I wonder whether information is what many of us are missing. Some of the most important moments in my own professional journey have not come from reading another article or attending another training session. They have come through conversations. Conversations that challenged my thinking, introduced me to perspectives I hadn't considered, or left me with a question that stayed with me long after the discussion had ended. Those experiences have changed how I think about this community. Going forward, I'd like The Social Work Circle to become a place for those kinds of conversations. I want us to explore the questions that shape our profession, our practice, and our development as social workers. I don't expect us to always agree. I think our profession is strengthened when we are willing to engage with different perspectives respectfully and thoughtfully. Some of the richest learning comes from conversations that encourage us to reconsider our assumptions, examine our reasoning, and remain open to new ways of thinking.

The Roots - What we bring into the moment

We are now moving into Week 3: Boundaries, Allyship, and Use of Self, of the Branches & Leaves-The Reflective Tree challenge. For this week, I want us to stay with the same kind of reflection, but shift the focus toward how we relate and respond in real time with others. Take a moment from your practice and think about how that may have been present. • How did you decide when to step in or step back? • How were you holding or sharing space in that moment? • How might your presence have shaped the interaction for the other person? Notice what felt natural, what felt difficult, and what influenced those choices. We’ll come together on Friday next week for a live chat.

Hi folks. Today we are going to have our second coffee hour and Chat about the Reflective Tree Challenge. Hope to see you all!