Deconstructing the ‘Helping’ Professions to Do the Real Work of Liberation

Radical movement leader Grace Lee Boggs wrote that, “revolution … isn’t just about opposing the system… it’s about developing people capable of building something new.”

This course draws on the spirit of Boggs and invites learners to simultaneously consider the ways we oppose systems of oppression while challenging us to become people capable of building something new. Specifically, this course is designed for people who work in what are called the "helping professions" (e.g., social work, teaching, nurses, coaches). Many people are drawn to this work because of a strong desire to improve the lives of others, but too often our desire to “help” others leads us to be stuck in toxic work environments that strip-mine our idealism while they expect that we abandon ourselves in the process. And, this can lead to the toxic stickiness of savior-ism, which is disempowering for everyone involved.

This course is designed for:

-Social workers

-Teachers

-Nurses

-Coaches

• Anyone in a direct-service profession who has had a felt sense that something about their work does not align with their values but they may not be sure why.

Based on the demographic profiles of the people who work in these professions, the person taking this course may be white-bodied and a woman or femme-identified person; however, the course is open to all who think they would benefit from the content and experience. This course will empower students to get beyond the "nice" people-pleasing responses that are part of "savior-ism" and move them toward a more embodied, and truly reciprocal, practice of liberation within their professions.

Each student will craft a proposal for how they would like to reimagine and reshape their profession, both in their immediate workplace as well as the field as a whole.