Casework as Dialogue: A Story of Incest

Abstract

In a profession which seems more and more concerned about visibly and efficiently doing things to or with our clients, it can be easily forgotten that both speaking and listening are also actions (Searle, 1969). To be sure they are not separate activities but imply each other, although in any particular situation there may be more weight attached to the one or to the other. In social work this weighting has the classical form of the client speaking and the worker listening. But to what, or for what is the worker listening? What is the speech of the client which Lacan refers to and which requires the worker to hear in order for it to become present?

there is no speech without a reply, even if it is met only with silence, provided that it has an auditor; this is the heart of its function in analysis (Lacan, 1977, p. 40).

Although there are far too many acknowledgements to mention, I would like to record my special thanks to Walter Finn, Roger Weissman and Paul Zeal.