Beyond Human Exceptionalism: Eco-Social Reorientations in Social Work Through Nature-Based Practice

Abstract

Climate change, biodiversity loss, and ecological injustice form a serious interwoven social crisis, yet social work has been slow to engage with this complex issue meaningfully. Although the past 3 decades have seen an increase in eco-social work literature, most contributions remain theoretical. Responding to the lack of empirical studies in this area, this dissertation explores three central research questions: (a) How are Ontario social workers engaging in nature-based practices (NBPs) with clients? (b) What do they know and believe about nature and the environment in connection to their practice? (c) What are possible future directions for practice, education, and research? This study is grounded in my dual ontological positions, drawing on realist and nominalist assumptions to recognize an empirical world that holds meaning and agency beyond human perception while also attending to the social construction of human knowledge and meaning-making. These foundations align with my theoretical framework, which brings together Critical Animal Studies, intersectional ecofeminism, and narrative inquiry. Methodologically, the study employed a sequential mixed methods design: Phase 1 involved a survey of 61 registered Ontario social workers, and Phase 2 consisted of narrative interviews with 15 participants. My findings revealed that NBPs were being implemented across diverse practice settings, including walking, gardening, animal-assisted practices, the use of natural objects indoors, and weaving metaphors into therapeutic conversations. These practices were not described as fixed interventions, but rather as relational and adaptive processes co-created with clients. Social workers often framed NBPs as acts of care and resistance, unsettling professional hierarchies, reconfiguring therapeutic spaces, and creating subtle openings for ecological and multispecies ethics. Collectively, the findings revealed a striking gap between what social workers are already doing and what social work education and regulation currently prepare them for. This dissertation makes an original contribution to eco-social work by offering empirical insight into how NBPs are practiced, interpreted, and negotiated by social workers in Ontario. To respond meaningfully to the intersecting realities of climate change and ecological injustice, I conclude that social work must undergo a paradigm shift: reimagining care, ethics, and practice as grounded in interdependence across human and more-than-human worlds.