White Bear Syndrome: Recognizing Potential Roadblocks in Transitioning from Practitioner to Leader

Social work practitioners are ingrained with values that shape their professional selves and the activities they perform. A critical piece of clinical social workers' motivation involves relationships with clients. This firmly entrenched mindset can present barriers when practitioners become le...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Administration in social work 2017-08, Vol.41 (4), p.438-447
Main Authors: Hurst, Tamara E., Hurst, Philip W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Clinical social workers
Human service organizations
Leader
Leadership
practitioner
symptoms
transition strategies
white bear syndrome
Work values
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Social work practitioners are ingrained with values that shape their professional selves and the activities they perform. A critical piece of clinical social workers' motivation involves relationships with clients. This firmly entrenched mindset can present barriers when practitioners become leaders in human service organizations. Transitioning from clinical practitioner to leader requires a paradigm shift. To help understand and overcome internal conflicts, the authors use the white bear syndrome accompanied with symptoms and strategies to help pinpoint potential struggles. Key questions are provided to help clinical practitioners successfully transition into leadership roles.
ISSN:2330-3131
2330-314X
DOI:10.1080/23303131.2017.1281857