ABSTRACT
The first two principles in the National Association of Social Workers’ Code of Ethics are service and social justice (National Association of Social Workers, 2008). The code calls on social workers to “elevate” others’ needs above their own and fight to change systems that oppress clients. Sometimes this elevation occurs in a clinical context; for example, when clients are empowered to advocate for themselves with healthcare providers. At other times, social workers must engage in public policy advocacy or activism to promote wider social change, in order to meet professional ethical mandates and the needs of survivors of trauma.
