LB Klein, PhD, MSW, MPA
@lbklein.bsky.social
Violence prevention and anti-oppressive practice researcher. Social work educator. Twin parent.
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Sadly, the Northwest Network's amazing website is now defunct, but here is a link to the advocacy tools in their archive. There's a one page resource in particular on self-determination vs. safety. www.nwnetworklgbtq.org/advocacy-tools 7/7
Advocacy Tools | NW Network LGBTQ Archive — NWNetworkLGBTQ.org
Downloadable tools and guides from the original NW Network of Bisexual, Trans, Lesbian, & Gay Survivors of Abuse, created to support LGBTQ survivors, build survivor-centered advocacy, and advance anti...
www.nwnetworklgbtq.org
September 11, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Sadly, the Northwest Network's amazing website is now defunct, but here is a link to the advocacy tools in their archive. There's a one page resource in particular on self-determination vs. safety. www.nwnetworklgbtq.org/advocacy-tools 7/7
Our role is to accompany survivors, to honor their choices, and to create the conditions for empowerment and healing. 6/
September 11, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Our role is to accompany survivors, to honor their choices, and to create the conditions for empowerment and healing. 6/
Centering self-determination does not mean ignoring safety—but we cannot have safety without agency. As advocates, social workers, helping professionals, and peer supporters, our role is never to rescue. 5/
September 11, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Centering self-determination does not mean ignoring safety—but we cannot have safety without agency. As advocates, social workers, helping professionals, and peer supporters, our role is never to rescue. 5/
When we prioritize safety over self-determination, we risk recreating the same power dynamics that survivors experienced from those who harmed or are harming them. 4/
September 11, 2025 at 1:04 PM
When we prioritize safety over self-determination, we risk recreating the same power dynamics that survivors experienced from those who harmed or are harming them. 4/
What we know, though, is that safety is a highly subjective concept. Self-determination must come first. Survivors are the experts on their own lives. Supporting survivors means helping create space for choices as they define what healing and safety look like for them. 3/
September 11, 2025 at 1:03 PM
What we know, though, is that safety is a highly subjective concept. Self-determination must come first. Survivors are the experts on their own lives. Supporting survivors means helping create space for choices as they define what healing and safety look like for them. 3/
I teach this in the lineage of Connie Burk, who developed tools that explain basic principles of survivor advocacy. Conversations about survivors of harm frequently start with a focus on the survivor’s safety. 2/
September 11, 2025 at 1:03 PM
I teach this in the lineage of Connie Burk, who developed tools that explain basic principles of survivor advocacy. Conversations about survivors of harm frequently start with a focus on the survivor’s safety. 2/
How do you navigate due dates in your classes? How do you balance high expectations and humanity? 10/10
September 8, 2025 at 4:21 PM
How do you navigate due dates in your classes? How do you balance high expectations and humanity? 10/10
I know that this policy won't work for every class structure, but for me it has helped establish trust and increase work quality. It has also eliminated late night panicked emails waiting for me to let them know that they don't need to write their assignment from the emergency department. 9/
September 8, 2025 at 4:21 PM
I know that this policy won't work for every class structure, but for me it has helped establish trust and increase work quality. It has also eliminated late night panicked emails waiting for me to let them know that they don't need to write their assignment from the emergency department. 9/
I will always remember submitting a subpar paper while having a miscarriage because I had a professor that did not accept late work under any circumstances. 8/
September 8, 2025 at 4:21 PM
I will always remember submitting a subpar paper while having a miscarriage because I had a professor that did not accept late work under any circumstances. 8/
This policy is also personal for me. I can think of many moments when a policy like this would have radically shifted my own mental health, pain management, and balance of school with caregiving or crisis intervention work. 7/
September 8, 2025 at 4:21 PM
This policy is also personal for me. I can think of many moments when a policy like this would have radically shifted my own mental health, pain management, and balance of school with caregiving or crisis intervention work. 7/
I’d rather collaborate to find a path forward than have someone disappear because they’re struggling alone. 6/
September 8, 2025 at 4:21 PM
I’d rather collaborate to find a path forward than have someone disappear because they’re struggling alone. 6/
If students need more than that extra week, I ask them to reach out to me before the extended due date to develop a plan. I don't need to know what they are going through (though I am always happy to listen/support/provide resources), but I do want them to know I'm committed to their success. 5/
September 8, 2025 at 4:20 PM
If students need more than that extra week, I ask them to reach out to me before the extended due date to develop a plan. I don't need to know what they are going through (though I am always happy to listen/support/provide resources), but I do want them to know I'm committed to their success. 5/
I want to give students space to negotiate that delicate balance without feeling like I get to decide what is worthy of accommodation or not. 4/
September 8, 2025 at 4:20 PM
I want to give students space to negotiate that delicate balance without feeling like I get to decide what is worthy of accommodation or not. 4/
Students in social work are navigating multiple classes, their internships, jobs, caregiving responsibilities, and maintaining their lives and self- and community-care. 3/
September 8, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Students in social work are navigating multiple classes, their internships, jobs, caregiving responsibilities, and maintaining their lives and self- and community-care. 3/
I want students to have a structure to the semester, but I also want to provide flexibility. I don't want to vet why a student might need more time and to be in the position for them to need to disclose beyond their comfort zone or make something up. 2/
September 8, 2025 at 4:20 PM
I want students to have a structure to the semester, but I also want to provide flexibility. I don't want to vet why a student might need more time and to be in the position for them to need to disclose beyond their comfort zone or make something up. 2/
What makes a reflexivity or positionality statement feel meaningful (or not)?
How can we help new researchers navigate what to disclose and what to omit in their work?
8/8
How can we help new researchers navigate what to disclose and what to omit in their work?
8/8
September 7, 2025 at 3:47 PM
What makes a reflexivity or positionality statement feel meaningful (or not)?
How can we help new researchers navigate what to disclose and what to omit in their work?
8/8
How can we help new researchers navigate what to disclose and what to omit in their work?
8/8
The brief reflexivity or positionality statement in a manuscript is only a small window into that process — but it’s also a public one, with real implications for relationships, credibility, and employment. 7/
September 7, 2025 at 3:47 PM
The brief reflexivity or positionality statement in a manuscript is only a small window into that process — but it’s also a public one, with real implications for relationships, credibility, and employment. 7/
What does it look like, in this sociopolitical moment, for emerging scholars to discern what they share and what they withhold? Professional hierarchies, identity, safety, and credibility all factor into what we carry into our work. 6/
September 7, 2025 at 3:47 PM
What does it look like, in this sociopolitical moment, for emerging scholars to discern what they share and what they withhold? Professional hierarchies, identity, safety, and credibility all factor into what we carry into our work. 6/
Although I’m pre-tenure, I’ve long been open about aspects of my identity and lived experience. (For example, I've been openly queer for 20 years). Much of who I am and why I do this work is documented in publications and other public spaces. This calculus is different for new researchers. 5/
September 7, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Although I’m pre-tenure, I’ve long been open about aspects of my identity and lived experience. (For example, I've been openly queer for 20 years). Much of who I am and why I do this work is documented in publications and other public spaces. This calculus is different for new researchers. 5/
The latter feels particularly fraught right now. 4/
September 7, 2025 at 3:46 PM
The latter feels particularly fraught right now. 4/
Who we are is crucial to the research process. It shapes how we ask questions, listen, analyze, and share what we’ve learned. There’s an internal process of reflecting on ourselves and our teams, and an external process of reporting those reflections in publications. 3/
September 7, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Who we are is crucial to the research process. It shapes how we ask questions, listen, analyze, and share what we’ve learned. There’s an internal process of reflecting on ourselves and our teams, and an external process of reporting those reflections in publications. 3/
This orientation process has me reflecting on reflexivity, positionality, and power. 2/
September 7, 2025 at 3:46 PM
This orientation process has me reflecting on reflexivity, positionality, and power. 2/