Intersectional Social Work Practice: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis of Peer-Reviewed Recommendations

Abstract

In the past decade, the use of intersectionality in social work scholarship has grown tremendously. Various applications of intersectionality theorizing have led to new approaches in social work research and, ultimately, have informed implications for practice. In this study, we used critical interpretive synthesis to explore how social work scholars articulate practice implications of an intersectional framework. Seventeen peer-reviewed journal articles that applied intersectionality and included implications for practice were identified. Findings were organized into two domains: (a) implications for practitioners and (b) implications for practice across levels. We discuss the importance of integrating intersectionality theorizing into practice implications in specific and robust ways, and some of the limits of how intersectionality is currently informing practice recommendations within peer-reviewed literature.