Bodily Autonomy in Social Work: Ethics and Action for Justice Across Systems

Moderator(s)

Emil K. Smith, MSW, LCSW

Pre-Doctoral Fellow, PhD Candidate
University of Pittsburgh

Panelist(s)

AF

Ana Flores, MSW, PhD

Assistant Professor
New York University
Brianna J. Suslovic, MSW, LSW

Doctoral Candidate
University of Chicago
Carla Silva, MSSW (she/her/hers)

Doctoral Student
CUNY Graduate Center
Jama Shelton, PhD (they/them/theirs)

Associate Professor
Silberman School of Social Work

This panel engages social work scholars and educators from diverse research and practice areas to discuss bodily autonomy as a framework to deepen social work students’ understanding of the intersectional nature of social problems and to facilitate organizing across social issues, groups, and communities.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, attendees should be able to:

Explore ethical obligations in social work practice when bodily autonomy is restricted due to policy, institutional settings, or clinical decisions.
Connect seemingly disparate social issues (e.g., food sovereignty, disability justice, trans justice) through the application of a bodily autonomy framework.
Identify strategies and interventions for integrating a bodily autonomy framework into social work education, practice, and policy advocacy to support disability justice and cross-movement solidarity in our current social and political context.