Till Örebro universitet

As societies face escalating inequalities, ecological crises, and the erosion of welfare systems, social work and psychology education must evolve to prepare future professionals for complex societal challenges. Despite comprehensive discrimination laws in Sweden, government policy requires only gender mainstreaming to permeate all levels of university work, allowing limited educational focus on broader social justice frameworks. This presentation explores how collaborative and participatory action research (PAR) can foster critical engagement, amplify student voices, and integrate social justice perspectives into social work and psychology education.

Drawing on a scoping review of Nordic social work curricula and focus groups with Swedish social work students, significant gaps are revealed in global, structural, and critical perspectives within professional training. While students recognize the importance of addressing systemic injustices, their education primarily emphasizes technical competencies at the expense of deeper engagement with power structures, marginalization, and intersectional inequalities. Similarly, an internal review of LGBTQI+themes in a Swedish psychology program further highlights the dominance of normative, individual-centered approaches. Importantly, students in both subjects describe feeling anxious about their limited knowledge and (in)capacity for critical reflection on the sociopolitical dimensions of mental health, identity, and well-being.

This study positions PAR as a model for fostering critical consciousness, student agency ,and collaborative, interdisciplinary knowledge production between social work and psychology students. By centering student experiences and voices, PAR bridges theory and practice, enabling students to co-create their education and critically examine their professional roles. This shift could equip future social workers and psychologists with theoretical and practical tools and strengthen their ability to challenge systemic injustices and drive transformative social change.