Dr Jean Carruthers

Dr Jean Carruthers, PhD, is a Lecturer of social work in the School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences – College of Human and Social Futures, at the University of Newcastle. Jean is a passionate advocate for socially just, critically reflective and activist practices in social work education and practice. Before starting her career in academia, Jean practiced in diverse areas within social work, including domestic and family violence, sexual assault, community development in rural communities and family law. Further to her work in direct practice Jean has been heavily involved in social activism, community education and research working collaboratively with community groups such as the Justice Dance Project and Applied Theatre Project and industry partners such as The Romero Centre, Wesley Mission Queensland and Metro North Mental Health, QLD.

In November 2020, Jean completed her PhD titled, "Performance as a platform for critical pedagogy in social work education". Her research focused on using the arts, particularly drama, to expose novel and innovative directions in teaching critical social work practice and has led to several publications. 

Her teaching scholarship is informed by a diverse range of theories, pedagogies and practices such as critical social theory, critical pedagogy, critical clinical social work, response-based practice. Social justice, emancipatory social change and valuing Indigenous, lived experience and Queer knowledges and perspectives is at the centre of her approach. Additionally, Jean draws on educational pedagogies with an arts-based, critical and or philosophical orientation which supports transformative, simulation-based and embodied approaches to teaching and learning. 

More recently, Jean's research program has shifted to a focus on mental health and whether transformative wellbeing practices can be used to address gaps in the sector. Using collaborative co-production and performance ethnography, Jean seeks to explore ways to reinvigorate the mental health sector by exploring the use and value of Indigenous populations knowledges and perspectives, lived experience perspectives, critical and restorative practices, arts-based, non-deliberative and activist practices, mind-body-spirit, place-based and environmental approaches. Her current research program titled, "The Missing Middle: Reinvigorating Mental Health using transformative wellbeing practices" is an opportunity to raise awareness of how transformative Wellbeing practice could play a larger role in providing much needed relief for those who do not fit into the system as it currently operates, for their families, and for the workforce, to redress systemic harm and reinvigorate the sector more broadly.