Side-lined by the Side Eye: Exploring the Effects of Nonverbal Communication in 2SLGBTQI+ Clinical Social Work Encounters

Drawing on a subset of the research data from the Queer Queering and Questioning Project (QQQ), a qualitative study examining client and provider perceptions of good quality healthcare for people who identify as 2SLGBTQI+, this paper presents the significance of non-verbal communication in shaping client experience in clinical social work settings. Using data from individual interviews and focus groups, thematic coding, concordance analysis and grounded theory approaches (Charmaz (Developing grounded theory: The second generation 127–193, 2016), Baldry & Thibault (HERMES - Journal of Language and Communication in Business, 21(41), 11–41, 2008)) are used to reveal the effects of unconscious negative non-verbal communication on client experience. The findings highlight the effects of these communication events by social work clinicians and the systems in which they work. The prevalence of negative non-verbal communication experiences as reported by clients suggests the need for greater training and critical reflection/reflexivity by clinical social workers as part of formal education and professional development activities.