Att kissa sig ut ur helvetet - Kontroll, hjälp och makt i behandlingsarbete

The purpose of this essay was to study power relations in social work and what happens when the client meets the system. The role of a social worker carries a two-sidedness, as to being a helper and a controller at the same time. Social work is often portrayed as an aid, and control and power is hidden. The study was done by looking into the care of adolescents with substance abuse problems. There were six interviews made with therapists at different treatment centers in an attempt to clarify how they reasoned about the use of drug testing. Before the study was made I thought that drug tests would be perceived as an obstacle to relations with the clients and that it would be problematic to implement them. I also thought that therapists would chose to describe the drug test as an aid rather than mere control. The results indicate that the therapists did not perceive drug tests as anobstacle in their relations to the clients, and that they did percive them as an aid rather than mere control. This is analyzed through the theories of Pierre Bourdieu and Michel Foucault. The analysis shows that the therapists need the control to be able to help their clients. It is indicated that drug testing can be of aid for a client, but if the client doesn't share the view of drug testing as an aid, the control becomes more prominent. It is also indicated in the analysis that the clients choises are somewhat limited. They can either chose to participate in the drug tests, or be seen as not willing to cooperate with risk of loosing their placement