ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the concepts of professionalism imperialism, Indigenous ways of healing, decolonizing, and integrative healing in social work. Decolonization is a major academic framework in Native American/American Indian and Indigenous Peoples studies. It refers to understanding, undoing, and overcoming the myriad negative and disabling effects of colonialism. Colonial systems have shaped social work’s professional identity, practices, and the curriculum it uses to train future professionals. Further, it has defined ways of processing and understanding interaction and discourse. Decolonizing social work is considered as a means of interrogating the instruments and methods of contemporary social work practice. Integrative social work is a healing-oriented approach that recognizes that the well-being of the entire person depends on the incorporation and balance of three areas: (1) an individual’s lifestyle, experience, culture, and belief and values systems; (2) the access and interactions one has with human-designed structures, systems, and processes; and (3) the access and interactions one has with the natural environment, traditional knowledge, and decolonized Western and non-Western science. Integrative social work is inherently transdisciplinary and recognizes that all healing and helping systems are based on evidence-guided practice. Drawing on Indigenous sources, the chapter examines integrative approaches that seek to unify the diverse aspects of the self, nature, and society to promote personal and collective healing.
