Fiona Gardner

Associate Professor Fiona Gardner is currently Discipline Lead for Social Work and Social Policy at the Rural Health School, La Trobe University, based in Victoria, Australia. She worked as a social worker in both the UK and Australia in a range of roles from direct practice with individuals and families, community work, program and policy development, research and management for twenty years. As an academic, she has been particularly interested in the use of critical reflection as a theory and process for understanding and changing practice. Her PhD took this further developing a framework for critical spirituality which encourages practitioners to see the spiritual (what makes life meaningful) as a key aspect of practice. She has published on critical reflection, critical spirituality and working in human service organisations as well as writing and co-editing books with Jan Fook on critical reflection. Her current research is focused on establishing the value of spiritual care in health settings and on the use of critical reflection in education to change the classroom experience.