social workers and imposter syndrome
- Clarify Thy Uniqueness Ltd
- Aug 4
- 3 min read
Own Your Expertise and Authority as a Professional
Over 65% of social workers experience imposter syndrome
You’ve trained hard, built trust in impossible situations, and carried the weight of other people’s pain on your shoulders more times than you can count. So why does it still feel like your voice disappears the moment you're in a meeting with doctors, psychologists, legal personnel or senior managers?
That inner dialogue may go like this:
📌"They know more than me."
📌"I’m just a social worker."
📌"I don’t want to say the wrong thing."
📌"Just agree and don’t mess up."
Sounds familiar? This is called imposter syndrome, and you’re not the only one fighting it.
Especially in social work, where the work is emotional, complex, and often invisible to those outside the profession, feeling like a fraud is a painfully common experience. But it doesn’t have to define you. Social workers know the day-to-day reality of children and families. “You are the only one who actually knows what’s going on inside that family.” You understand the unspoken inter-generational trauma, systemic and cultural barriers that affect children and families.
A survey in 2022 by the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) found that over 65% of UK-based social workers reported experiencing imposter syndrome; 72% said they often felt “undervalued” or “talked over” in professional settings.
This is not just about lack of confidence, it has real consequences such as:
⛔Missed opportunities to influence care planning
⛔Reduced visibility in multidisciplinary decisions
⛔Emotional exhaustion and burnout
Feedback from a Frontline social worker, London surveyed shared that “Sometimes it’s not that I don’t know what I’m doing, it’s that the room isn’t used to hearing voices like mine.”
The System trains us to SHRINK. It’s not your imagination. Many social workers are conditioned to feel “less than” in multi-agency contexts. The big question is WHY?
👉🏿 Medical professionals are often seen as the “real experts.”
👉🏿 Social work is rooted in relational knowledge, which isn’t always measurable.
👉🏿 Historical underfunding and policy shifts have pushed social work into a reactive rather than empowered role.
👉🏿 The negative portrayal of social workers by the media.
You can reclaim your voice. Your skills are high-level, deeply effective, and critical to system-wide outcomes. Dr. Treisman (2017) in her book 'A Therapeutic Treasure Box' states that “Social workers bring a type of expertise that no other profession can replicate. They understand how systems affect people and how to navigate those systems compassionately.”
You know more than you think you do. Remind yourself of evidence such as, you:
🌟 Advocated for children no one else would listen to.
🌟 Made sense of chaotic family dynamics.
🌟 De-escalated violence, calmed fears, and held space for grief.
None of that is accidental. That’s professional expertise.
In fact, research by the Social Work Policy Institute (2023) shows that social workers are critical to improved safeguarding outcomes, especially when they assert their perspectives clearly in multi-agency settings. But to make the impact you’re capable of, you need to believe you belong.
Start Owning Your Expertise
💡 Step 1: Reflect on Your Achievements
Write down THREE moments in your career that made a difference, such as a family you supported, a policy you influenced, a moment of advocacy that mattered. These are your evidence.
💡 Step 2: Prepare to Share
Choose ONE achievement and think about how you can share it briefly in a team meeting or peer discussion. Even if it feels uncomfortable. Especially if it does. This is not to brag, but to take up space with integrity. For example, “when I worked with that family last year, we noticed a similar pattern of disengagement just before school exclusion. I think we may be seeing that again here.”
💡 Step 3: Ground Yourself in Your ‘WHY’
Before you speak, remind yourself: “I have trained for this. I know this family. I understand the context. My contribution matters.”
Now Speak ONE Truth with Confidence
The next time you’re in a meeting and feel that hesitation rise, take a deep breathe, pause, and speak.
Say the thing you’ve been holding in. Ask the question others are avoiding. Offer the insight only you can see.
You don’t have to be the loudest. But you do have to show up.
“Don’t shrink to fit places you’ve outgrown” by Michaela Coel.
You are a professional. You are enough. You are needed. Own your space. Let your voice be heard.
Ref:
British Association of Social Workers Survey (2022).
Bravata et al., Journal of General Internal Medicine (2020).
Social Work Policy Institute Report (2023).
Dr. Karen Treisman (2017), Clinical Psychologist & Trauma Specialist. “A Therapeutic Treasure Box.
🤦♀️🤦♂️If you identify as struggling with imposter syndrome, we are here to help.
Comments