House

R O B E R T A   M O T I E C I E N E

I came to social work in 2004. I finished BA, later MA of social work and at the moment I am a PhD in social work at Lapland University. My research focus is family social work. Before I was invited to come to teach at Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania I was practitioner who worked with multiproblem families (in Lithuanian law called ‘social risk families’). It was exciting experience which changed my approach to social work and also it changed me as a person. During my maternity leave I understood that I want to deepen the knowledge and to create new knowledge about family social workers’ experiences in Lithuania.

I chose House because …

… it is realistic and not idealistic environment which I am exploring. In most cases family social work is done in poor home settings. In this picture I found my personal experience as a social worker, how to enter in a family house, how to create relationships, how to break barriers and to have a professional relationship and to work. If you will ask family social workers where they are working, they will answer to you “in clients’ home”. Sometimes, it became really very challenging to do this, because family members are not waiting near the doors and looking “where is my social worker?” – even if the door is open.