Faculty Spotlight: New Book by Dr. Tracy R. Whitaker

The School of Social Work at Howard University is thrilled to celebrate the release of Transformational Empathy: Erasing the Space Between Us and Them written by Associate Professor Tracy R. Whitaker, DSW, ACSW. 

This book is a courageous invitation to pause, reflect, and examine how we show up for the people we serve. Dr. Whitaker confronts the divisive notion of “they’re not like us”—a sentiment that has been used to justify discrimination, exclusion, and dehumanization. She challenges social workers and helping professionals to reflect honestly on how this mindset can show up, even unintentionally, in systems meant to support individuals experiencing criminal justice involvement, substance use disorders, homelessness, and poverty.

She introduces transformational empathy, a way of practicing that centers authenticity, intentionality, and our shared humanity. Rather than creating distance between “us” and “them,” this approach asks us to imagine ourselves in our clients’ circumstances and to provide care rooted in dignity, respect, and what we would want if the roles were reversed. 

Through personal narratives, case scenarios, and reflective discussion questions, Transformational Empathy invites readers to critically examine their core beliefs, values, and assumptions, and to actively participate in creating more inclusive, welcoming, and humane relationships, communities, and institutions.

When asked how Transformational Empathy will help advance the profession, Dr. Whitaker shared:

“Social workers bring skills, knowledge, and passion to their work. That work is too valuable to have ‘blind spots’ that contribute to client harm. I hope this book will inspire conversations among social workers to re-examine our assumptions about client populations and to re-imagine our services.”

We congratulate Dr. Whitaker on her new publication and hope this important work is adopted in social work curricula for generations to come. This book challenges current and future social workers to become better practitioners and more effective policy change agents. At its core, Transformational Empathy calls us to be more humane, more self-aware, and more deeply connected to the individuals and communities we serve.

Learn more and purchase the book here:
https://naswpress.org/product/transformational-empathy/