Experience, when used wisely, is a gift. Used recklessly, it can blur boundaries. The art of social work is not simply about having lived experience, but learning how to translate it into practice responsibly, ethically, and compassionately.
At its heart, social work is about humanity. And humanity is not found in textbooks or manuals; it is found in stories, scars, resilience, and the countless ways people survive. Lived experience is the most honest reflection of that humanity. It is not just another tool in the toolbox; it is the heartbeat of the work.
What makes lived experience so valuable is simple: it cannot be replicated, faked, or replaced. It is lived. And because it is lived, it carries an authenticity and power that transforms practice from being a service into being a relationship.
When social workers learn to honor lived experience of their own, their clients’, and their communities’—they don’t just become better practitioners. They become more human. And it is our humanity, above all, that heals.
