Insights from Selected Theoretical Approaches: Implications for Social Work Teaching and Field Education Following COVID-19

One of the first steps in reflecting upon the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for social work education is to underline the theoretical approaches to understanding the unique nature of this pandemic. In this chapter, we focus on three theoretical approaches to conceptualizing COVID-19: a) as a stress and coping process, b) as a traumatic event, and c) as a grief and bereavement response. We review the distinct COVID-19-related stressors and the response processes as delineated by each approach's different perspective and propose additional theories to extend our understanding of two unique features of COVID-19: uncertainty and shared reality. We conclude that combining the components of these theoretical approaches and their extensions contributes to a better conceptualization of the complexity of the COVID-19 pandemic. We recommend relevant ways to use these approaches in social work teaching and field training in order to prepare social workers for future crises of a similar magnitude.