'Social workers will never feel confident if they keep hiding behind imposter syndrome'

by Vicki Shevlin

As a trainer and consultant for newly qualified social workers, I regularly hear ‘imposter syndrome’ named as the barrier to them achieving confidence.

Often, this is linked to insecurity about their age, the amount of time they have been practising or the level of responsibility they are expected to hold in their job role.

When I first qualified, I also used to reference ‘imposter syndrome’ without thinking in depth about it. But after becoming a trainer, I started to question why this particular phrase had risen in popularity.

It seemed to me that it was being used to mask deeper issues; so, through my training, I started to question whether the phrase was doing more harm than good.

I now argue that we too readily use the term ‘imposter syndrome’ in social work. It is a phrase that has problematic origins and, when we use it to describe our experience, it risks missing the opportunity to dig deeper.

What is imposter syndrome? 

Imposter phenomena, also known as imposter syndrome, is defined as self-doubt over one’s skills and intellect and the inability to internally attribute success (Bravata et al, 2020).

It remains under-researched within the social work field, though a prevalent and complex issue, referenced across social work writings and reflections.

When interviewing 59 social workers for a paper published in 2017, Jessica Urwin found it to be particularly common among less experienced practitioners.

Yet while the term provides a way to name and recognise these complex feelings, it can also act as a barrier to addressing them.

Negative connotations

For one, the term ‘imposter’ holds negative connotations - it implies inadequacy and fraudulence.

‘Syndrome’ is, generally, a medical term often associated with long-term conditions. Using the term increases the risk that social workers will internalise that something is wrong with them without challenging it, which may lead to job dissatisfaction and burnout (Holmes et al, 2021).

I often find that the phrase ‘imposter syndrome’ is treated as a ‘full stop’, shutting down further reflection rather than being a starting point for it.

Though I work predominantly with newly qualified social workers, I have found this to be the case for practitioners at multiple levels. Some examples I’ve encountered include, “I’m struggling with imposter syndrome”, or, “I feel like I can’t do it because of imposter syndrome”.

Looking beneath the label to the deeper truth

But, to actually find solutions, we need to understand what lies underneath that label.

One technique I use is asking social workers to describe again the situation in which they feel stuck without using the phrase ‘imposter syndrome’. This not only encourages deeper reflection, as they are prompted to break the issue down, but also reduces the risk of internalising the problem as self-blame.

“I’m struggling with imposter syndrome” becomes “I’m struggling because I’ve just started out and this is new to me”. “I couldn’t chair the meeting because I had imposter syndrome” becomes “I was nervous because I really wanted to do a good job”.

By eradicating the phrase, we are forced to be specific about what is actually happening.

Finding solutions to increase confidence

With new social workers, when they can no longer use the term imposter syndrome, I might hear phrases like: “I haven’t done this before”, “No one has taught me this yet” or “I’m still learning”.

The exercise helps them understand why they are feeling insecure and enables us to develop a targeted solution to increase their confidence.

For example, I once worked with a newly qualified social worker who frequently labelled her feelings as imposter syndrome.

She consistently brought up legal planning meetings, and only through doing this exercise were we able to identify the root of the issue. She admitted feeling nervous because she was still unsure about aspects of the legislation, while everyone else appeared to know more than she did.

Once we moved beyond the label of ‘imposter syndrome’, it became clear that some of her feelings were linked to gaps in training and the wider processes around her.

Because of this, we were able to develop a plan of action to help her feel more prepared. We reviewed the meaning of different legal terms and acronyms, practised her presentation skills and explored examples of meeting preparation.

She also spoke to her supervisor, explaining she wasn’t familiar with the meeting process and seeking clarification.

Challenging the systemic issues behind self-doubt

On a broader level, systemic issues can underlie a practitioner’s self-doubt or insecurity.

Attributing such feelings to an imaginary ‘syndrome’ may lead social workers to internalise the blame, rather than challenge the systemic inequalities that could be at fault.

We have to wonder who benefits when a feeling of insecurity is labelled as ‘imposter syndrome’ rather than work being done to pinpoint the underlying issue. Problematic workplace dynamics – bullying, misogyny, racism, ageism – can sometimes be hidden behind this term, and will remain unaddressed unless we look deeper.

Everyone in the workforce has a responsibility to move beyond the narrative of ‘I have imposter syndrome’ and question how workplace conditions may be contributing to this social worker feeling this way.

‘When we know better, we can do better’

When we use the phrase ‘imposter syndrome’, we legitimise it. As a profession, we make an active choice to embed it in our psyche and allow it to have power over our experience. This impacts on our ability to build and develop confidence.

We so often talk about the use of language in social work and the power it holds. When we know better, we can do better, and we know in social work we are always learning new things.

Let this be an invitation to try something new: to challenge how we view imposter syndrome and to use our social work skills to critically reflect on and challenge harmful systems.

Vicki is a social worker, host of the Social Work Sorted podcast and founder of The Social Work Collective Academy. She provides training and CPD for social workers and safeguarding professionals. 

References

Apgar D & Zerrusen L (2024) 'Imposter Syndrome in Social Work Practice: Clinical Considerations and Implications' Clinical Social Work Journal

Bravata DM, Watts SA, Keefer AL, Madhusudhan DK, Taylor KT, Clark DM, Nelson RS, Cokley KO & Hagg HK (2019) 'Prevalence, Predictors, and Treatment of Impostor Syndrome: a Systematic Review' Journal of General Internal Medicine 35(4)

Clance PR and O'Toole MA (2014) 'The imposter phenomenon: An internal barrier to empowerment and achievement' in Treating Women's Fear of Failure (pp 51-64) Routledge.

Holmes  MR,  Rentrope  CR,  Korsch-Williams  A  &  King,  J (2021) 'Impact  of COVID-19  pandemic on  posttraumatic stress, grief, burnout, and secondary trauma of social workers in the United States' Clinical Social Work Journal, 49, pp 495–504

Carpenter J, Shardlow SM, Patsios D & Wood M (2015) 'Developing the Confidence and Competence of Newly Qualified Child and Family Social Workers in England: Outcomes of a National Programme' The British Journal of Social Work 45 (1) pp 153–176, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bct106

Bogo M, Regehr C, Baird S, Paterson J & LeBlanc VR (2017) 'Cognitive and Affective Elements of Practice Confidence in Social Work Students and Practitioners' The British Journal of Social Work 47(3) pp701–718

Munro, E (2019) Effective Child Protection Sage Publications Ltd

Urwin J (2018) 'Imposter Phenomena and Experience Levels in Social Work: An Initial Investigation' The British Journal of Social Work, Volume 48(5) pp1432–1446