معرفی
Mari Kivistö is a University Lecturer in the Faculty of Social Sciences at University of Lapland, specializing in social work with persons with disabilities in Finland. Her research focuses on professional discretion, narrative approaches, and structural aspects of disability social services.
Her primary research interests include:
- Social work practices with persons with disabilities
- Professional discretion in social services
- Narrative analysis of client-worker interactions
- Ethical decision-making frameworks
- Structural approaches to disability social work
- Finland-specific social service implementation
Recent research publications demonstrate a consistent focus on understanding how legal, professional, and organizational discourses intersect in disability social work contexts. Her work examines both practitioner and client perspectives on discretion, with particular attention to ethical considerations and narrative construction in service delivery.
Mari Kivistö has been actively involved in multiple significant research projects:
- RAVATTI project (2023-2025) on structural disability social work practices
- HaraVa project (2021-2023) on discretion in social work with persons with disabilities
- VamO project (2016-2019) as Principal Investigator focusing on participation and marginalization prevention
- National Master's education project (2018-2022) addressing workforce shortages
She regularly engages with the public through media contributions and conference presentations, translating academic research into practical insights for social work practice. Her work demonstrates strong connections between theoretical frameworks and real-world social service implementation in the Finnish context.
