Peer support and experiential knowledge as a strategy to mend gaps in social work education and practice

This article examines how experiential knowledge—i.e., knowledge based on personal experiences of overcoming social and psychological challenges—can be systematically integrated into social work education. The focus is on an innovative model known as gap-mending courses, in which students learn alongside service users who have previously faced similar challenges. The goal is to reduce institutionalized power and knowledge gaps between professionals and service users. Three central aspects are addressed: (1) the development and institutional embedding of peer support structures in training, (2) the recognition of students’ own vulnerability and experiential knowledge as a resource for reflection and professional practice, and (3) the challenges and contradictions that arise when attempting to overcome traditional role models and academic hierarchies. Drawing on examples from Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands, the article demonstrates that such teaching practices open up new forms of mutual recognition and participatory knowledge production while simultaneously generating organizational and emotional tensions. Finally, the article proposes ways in which universities can develop sustainable structures for integrating experiential knowledge into teaching and research.