Category Archives: cultural competency

Cultural Humility: A Lesson Plan for Social Work

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By Sarah Richards-Desai, MSW

 

The UB School of Social Work has developed a new resource to assist students, faculty, and practitioners in their understanding of cultural humility. Conversations about Culture: Video and Lesson Plan  introduces students, practitioners, and the public to the concept of cultural humility. This module includes a 12-minute video, containing interviews and content designed to raise questions and introduce the concept of cultural humility in social work. There are additional resources, a lesson plan, and some possible activities to try on your own or in a classroom setting.

Video for the UBSSW Cultural Humility module

Video for the UBSSW Cultural Humility module

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After Orlando / #PulseOrlando: #MacroSW Chat – Open Mic 06-23-16

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This mass shooting reveals some of the most complex social problems of our era: homophobia, racism, hate crimes and gun violence.

(The edited version is by Pat Shelly, who was using the handle @officialmacrosw for this chat.)

In the wake of the Orlando shooting (we will use #PulseOrlando as our hashtag for this chat), we feel heartache, sadness and anger. We may be left wondering why this happened and how we can prevent…

a memorial black ribbon has rainbow stripes in th ellop and Pulse nightclub logo on one edn witha pink heart around the logo

credit: kyliesoniquelove

 

 

Source: After Orlando / #PulseOrlando: #MacroSW Chat – Open Mic 06-23-16

The Age of #DigitalLiteracy and the Media Revolution

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By Pat Shelly

 

Where do you get most of your news of the world?
What are skills needed for digital literacy?
Do you use social media for any part of your school or professional work?
Will universal digital literacy lead to world peace?

 

 

The Age of Digital Literacy is Now

 

The University at Buffalo observed the 2016 International Education Week with lectures, film, student events, exhibits and a keynote: “The Media Revolution: What it Means for You” by Geneva Overholser.

 

She has worked as an editor, ombudsperson, journalist at many top papers, including the New York Times and the Washington Post. She lived in and wrote from Paris and Kinshasa over a period of five years.

 

Overholser spoke of the radical change from traditional, or “legacy” media – newspapers, radio, network television, cable TV – to new media technologies. These include social networking, instant messaging, blogs (coined from “web” and “log”), internet video (YouTube), digital media sites (Vice, Vox, Gawker), radio podcasts, political news outlets (Politico, Democracy Now!), social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr). All are accessible from the palm of the hand through smart phones and other mobile devices.

 

The cost of such technology is becoming less and less expensive. One survey she cited found that Africa is leading the world in the rate of  adoption of mobile internet use.

 

Photo credit: Kainan Guo, The Spectrum

Photo credit: Kainan Guo, The Spectrum

Ms. Overholser spoke to the necessity of being literate in this new realm of media. “[N]ow, thanks to new technology, EVERYBODY owns a press.” We are our own reporter, editor, and publisher. “… thanks to social media, each of us has a limitless, unmediated space for communicating with one another.”
We both consume and contribute to this public space.

 

 

 

 

What’s in your diet?

Living in the digital age also means maintaining an healthy diet while consuming media, and avoiding too much of the media junk food. This diet comes from “countless numbers of sources – a cacophony of information that runs the gamut from useless to reliable, from base to inspiriting.” She warned that anything anonymous lacks accountability. Regulating one’s diet has another dimension: sometimes we need to refrain from consuming toxic elements.

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Trauma-Informed Care – Join the #MacroSW Chat

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by Pat Shelly

Note: A summary of the chat can be found here
https://storify.com/UBSSW/trauma-informed-care-macrosw-twitter-chat-9-10-15

All the new resources mentioned in the chat summary can be found below the list of suggested readings at the end of this post.

What: Macro Social Work Twitter Chat
When: Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015  at 9pm ET / 6pm PT
Why: Knowledge of trauma and its impact, assessment and treatment are essential to the future of social work practice, and social work education.*
How: Follow #MacroSW  (see here for live twitter chat tips by our chat partner @LaurelHitchcock)

Photograph: Images.com/Corbis

Photograph: Images.com/Corbis

During this #MacroSW Chat, we will be focusing on Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) and Social Work.

September 10 is the eve of the 14th anniversary of 9-11, which resulted in trauma to a nation, a city, communities, families and individuals; 9-11  (see #NeverForget_911) joined #OklahomaCityBombing as synonyms for “acts of mass murder by terrorists.”

This is also #SuicidePrevention Week. Trauma is obviously part of what both suicide attempt-survivors and suicide loss-survivors experience.

It’s been 10 years since #HurricaneKatrina devastated New Orleans.

Current traumas in the news include the #refugee crisis in Europe, and the ongoing issues of racist violence in the U.S. as seen in #BlackLivesMatter #SayHerName #Ferguson #Charleston.

Please join us, with our guest experts from the Institute on Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care, @UBSSW professors Sue Green @UBittic and Tom Nochajski @ubthn.

We’ll want to hear about your experiences with trauma-informed care and thoughts on how this enriches our profession.
*Knowledge of trauma and its impact, assessment and treatment are essential to
the future of social work practice, and social work education.
Check back on September 11th, when a summary – including a list of references and resources – will be posted.

Questions for discussion:   1. What is trauma-informed care? /  2. How does trauma-informed care (TIC) fit into macro social work? / 3. Have you had any experiences with TIC? / 4. What is already happening around TIC in social work and in the macro areas? / 5. What special training is needed to become a social worker / agency / policy that is trauma-informed?

The links and resources that were mentioned in the chat can be found below this reading list

Suggested Reading: (an incomplete list – we welcome your comments and additions)

Bloom, S.L., Farragher, B., Restoring Sanctuary: A New Operating System for Trauma-Informed Organizations, (2013) New York: Oxford University Press

British Colombia Provincial Mental Health and Substance Use Planning Council. (2013, May). Trauma-Informed Practice Guide.

Carello, J. and Butler, L. (2014). Potentially Perilous Pedagogies: Teaching Trauma is not the Same as Trauma-Informed Teaching. In J. Trauma & Dissociation.  Retrieved from:   http://www.academia.edu/9331463/Potentially_Perilous_Pedagogies_Teaching_Trauma_Is_Not_the_Same_as_Trauma-Informed_Teaching

Fallot, R.D. and Harris, M. (2009) Creating Cultures of Trauma-Informed Care: A Self-Assessment and Planning Protocol
https://www.healthcare.uiowa.edu/icmh/documents/CCTICSelf-AssessmentandPlanningProtocol0709.pdf

Finkel, Ed. (2015). Problem-solving courts dig deep to acknowledge, and, sometimes, address trauma. ACEs Connection Network (April 16). http://www.acesconnection.com/blog/problem-solving-courts-dig-deep-to-acknowledge-and-sometimes-address-trauma

Harris, M. and Fallot, R.D., Eds. (2001). Using trauma theory to design service systems. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Kawam, E. (2015, Sept. 1). Trauma Informed Care and Social Work Education: A Case Study. Retrieved from:
http://www.socialjusticesolutions.org/2015/09/01/trauma-informed-care-ethics-social-work-education/

Kusmaul, N., Wilson, B., & Nochajski, T. (2015) The Infusion of Trauma-Informed Care in Organizations: The Experience of Agency Staff. Human Services Organizations Management, Leadership & Governance, Volume 39, Issue 1, January 2015, pages 25-37.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/23303131.2014.968749#.VfG6LX2iNdw

Richardson, S.A. (2014) Awareness of Trauma-Informed Care. Social Work Today, July 2014
http://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/exc_012014.shtml

SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach (2014, July). Retrieved from:
http://www.traumainformedcareproject.org/resources/SAMHSA%20TIC.pdf

SAMSHA. (2010). Creating a Trauma-Informed Criminal Justice System for Women: Why and How. Retrieved from:
http://www.traumainformedcareproject.org/resources/TIC%20criminal%20justice%20for%20women%20%282%29.pdf

SAMSHA. (2014, March). TIP 57: Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services. Retrieved from:
http://www2.jbsinternational.com/kap/TIP-57.htm

Singer, J. B. (Producer). (2013, April 29). An Overview of Trauma-Informed Care: Interview with Nancy J. Smyth, Ph.D. [Episode 80]. Social Work Podcast [Audio Podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.socialworkpodcast.com/2013/04/an-overview-of-trauma-informed-care.html

University at Buffalo Institute on Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care (ITTIC) Resources on #Trauma, #TraumaInformed Care:
Trauma Talks at UB ITTIC
http://socialwork.buffalo.edu/social-research/institutes-centers/institute-on-trauma-and-trauma-informed-care/trauma-talks.html

ITTIC’s expert Advisory Panel
http://socialwork.buffalo.edu/social-research/institutes-centers/institute-on-trauma-and-trauma-informed-care/about-us/expert-advisory-panel.html
You Tube Video’s podcasts at ITTIC
https://www.youtube.com/user/UBITTIC
Resource Center:
http://socialwork.buffalo.edu/resources/resource-center/resources.html?cat=1

Resources / Links that were recommended by Trauma-Informed Care #MacroSW chat participants:

Infographic on trauma and trauma-informed care:
http://socialwork.buffalo.edu/content/dam/socialwork/social-research/ITTIC/trauma-informed-care-infographic.pdf

Trauma-Informed Care: Top 10 Tips for Caregivers and Case Managers. By David Ott, Christina Suarez, LCSW and Kimberly Brien,  for Devereux Florida:
https://ncwwi.org/files/Evidence_Based_and_Trauma-Informed_Practice/Trauma_Informed_Care_-_top_10_tips.pdf

Top 10 Recommended Trauma-Informed Care Online Resources
http://www.crisisprevention.com/Blog/April-2012/Top-10-Recommended-Trauma-Informed-Care-Online-Res

National Center for Trauma-Informed Care at U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: http://www.samhsa.gov/nctic

The National Center for Trauma-Informed Care (NCTIC), National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors:
http://www.nasmhpd.org/content/national-center-trauma-informed-care-nctic-0

Trauma-Informed Care. National Council for Behavioral Health State Association of Addiction Services
http://www.thenationalcouncil.org/topics/trauma-informed-care/

Trauma-Informed and Trauma-Specific Services. Oregon.gov Addictions and Mental Health Services: (resources in and beyond Oregon) 
http://www.oregon.gov/OHA/amh/pages/trauma.aspx

Tarpon Springs, FL, first trauma-informed city, embraces messy path toward peace. http://acestoohigh.com/2014/09/17/tarponsprings/

NASW Maryland Chapter’s 2015 Annual Macro Conference, Sept. 25:
http://www.nasw-md.org/?page=MacroSocialWorkCo

Webinar- Building a Trauma-Informed Nation
Sept. 29 & 30, 2015
Free! Register at https://www.blsmeetings.net/traumainformednation/
Sponsor: The Federal Partners Committee on Women and Trauma

About the #MacroSW Twitter Chat Partners:

#MacroSW is a collaboration of social workers, organizations, social work schools, and individuals working to promote macro social work practice. Macro social work practice focuses on changing larger systems, such as communities and organizations. It encompasses a broad spectrum of actions and ideas, ranging from community organizing and education to legislative advocacy and policy analysis. The chats are held bimonthly on Twitter on the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 9 p.m. EST (6 p.m. PST). For more information, chat schedule, and chat archives check out https://macrosw.wordpress.com

       Our collaborators include:

  • Association for Community Organizing and Social Administration (ACOSA),
    @acosaorg
  • Karen Zgoda, MSW, LCSW, Instructor of Social Work at Bridgewater State University,
    @karenzgoda
  • Network for Social Work Management (NSWM),
    @TheNSWM
  • Rachel West, The Political Social Worker,
    @poliSW
  • University at Buffalo School of Social Work,
    @ubssw
  • Sunya Folayan, MSW, ACSW, founder/executive director, The Empowerment Project, Inc.,
  • @SunyaFolayan
  • Laurel Hitchcock, PhD, Assistant Professor of Social Work, University of Alabama at Birmingham, @LaurelHitchcock
  • Kristin Battista-Frazee, MSW, Author and Marketing Consultant,
    @porndaughter
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