final exam review.docx

[Special Topics in SSW] [Final exam review notes] **Week 7 - Pt 1. Refugee issues** US to Canada -- Refugee claims: - Feel unsafe, more refugees worldwide (over 21 million) - In US w/o permanent status -- unsafe due to anti-refugee & anti-Muslim measures - Travel ban (7 countries) --...

[Special Topics in SSW] [Final exam review notes] **Week 7 - Pt 1. Refugee issues** US to Canada -- Refugee claims: - Feel unsafe, more refugees worldwide (over 21 million) - In US w/o permanent status -- unsafe due to anti-refugee & anti-Muslim measures - Travel ban (7 countries) -- worried unable to reunite w/ family even if accepted as refugee in US - Some intended to come to Canada from beginning - Small increase in \# coming to Canda compared to lower \#s the past few years - Crossing irregularly -- avoid being sent back to US, not avoiding examination - Irregularly over illegally -- not illegal for refugees to cross border in this way, rights protected (flee to safety) - United Nations Refugee Convention and Canada's Immigration & Refugee Protection Act -- refugees mustn't be penalized for breaking immigration laws to enter country/seek asylum - Irregular-crossed immigrants must make claim inland -- weeks w/o access to govt services (incl. healthcare) Safe Third Country Agreement: - Applies to those who make claim at Port of Entry on US-Canada border - Canada & US designate each other as "safe" for refugees -- should seek protection in 1^st^ of 2 countries they reach - Limited exceptions - Canada -- send refugees back to the US, expect them to respect human rights, if not Canada also responsible for violating rights - Changes to Canadian refugee determination system -- claims made from within Canada cannot begin claim process til detailed forms filled, appt made (process takes weeks/months) - Suspension? -- would come to Canada either way Trump & refugees: - Executive orders -- travel ban & immigration enforcement measures - Key concerns: - Increased use of detention -- those in detention have low chances of securing refugee protection - Expanded "expedited removal" -- more subject to summary proceedings (deny access to refugee protection system) - Criminalization of refugees - Increased arbitrary enforcement in context of anti-refugee & anti-Muslim govt policies - Refugees not safe -- travel ban order suspended, 2 other EOs increase chances they will be sent back to persecution from US Security concerns -- Irregular border crossing: - Physical risk -- extreme cold/frostbite - Smugglers -- take advantage of desperation How to help: - Support local orgs who work w/ refugees Services & govt programs -- Refugees: - Legal aid - depending on province - Eligible for claim -- receive access from Interim Federal Health Program - Work permit - unless from Designated Country of Origin - Apply to province for social assistance while waiting for work permit - Not eligible for federally funded settlement services - Some provinces fund limited services **Part 2 - Experiential therapies** - Definition -- therapeutic technique uses expressive tools & activities to reenact & reexperience emotional situations from past & recent relationships - Ex. roleplaying/acting, props, arts & crafts, music, animal care, guided imagery, various forms of recreation - Client: - Experience helps identify emotions associated w/ success, disappointment, responsibility, self esteem - Can begin to release & explore negative feelings that may have been blocked/still linger (as they relate to past experiences) - Use -- treatment of trauma, eating disorders, anger management, grief, loss recovery, substance use, physical & behavioural addictions, compulsive behaviour, to free ppl from painful/unhappy feelings from past experiences, to change nature of current & future relationships, to live up to full potential - Offered -- individual, clinical, medical settings, recovery/treatment/rehab programs, in conjunction w/ different styles of traditional talk therapy - What to expect -- various types of hands-on interventions & experiences along w/ talk therapy - Therapist - focuses on awareness & perceptions of experience thru interventions & help explore meaning of emotions, convos may take place during activity or in private counselling session - How it works: - Perception determines behaviour -- reexperiencing & releasing past repressed negative emotions, client better able to experience positive feelings (i.e. love, forgiveness) & calm in present - Client-centred -- client's preferences for interventions respected Types of expressive therapies: - Drama therapy/psychodrama -- drama/theatre, including personal story or interacting w/ others, to achieve therapeutic goals - Music therapy -- number of techniques using music to instill positive behaviour changes - Art therapy -- images/creative artistic processes used to develop awareness & reduce negative experiences - Play therapy -- play used to resolve psychological difficulties - Poetry therapy -- use of literature/poetry to achieve personal growth - Animal-assisted therapies -- use of animals in process, i.e. equine therapy, dogs in therapy sessions, other forms of caring for needs of animals as actual therapeutic interventions - Helps reduce denial issues, foster cooperation in treatment, develop insight, develop positive approach in substance use disorder treatment - Using dogs in substance use disorder treatment groups can increase working bond between therapist & client (therapeutic alliance) \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-- - Equine therapy -- increases ability of those w/ substance use disorders to relate to people & progress in treatment - Adventure therapies -- active participation in events for therapy, i.e. co-op games, wilderness/outdoor expeditions, zip line/rope course, etc. - Opportunities to develop trust, learn problem-solving techniques, become better at self-expression **Week 8 -- Pt. 1. Oppressive & anti-oppressive systems practice within child welfare** Basic practices of anti-oppression: - Perspective requires understanding of dynamics of privilege, power, oppression, social location - Recognizes how social identities impact interactions w/ both service users & colleagues - Knowledge & skills required to recognize, analyze, respond to all forms of oppression - Commitment can transform child welfare structures & processes, i.e. engagement, assessment, service planning & delivery - Being a change agent & ally is integral to role of child protection workers - Organizational strategies required to create inclusive workplace which can support delivery of anti-oppressive services Child welfare system: - Implicated in oppression experienced by marginalized groups in society - Ex. 60s Scoop, stolen children, devastating impact continuing to today - Critical impacts & indicators of oppressiveness of CWS = over-representation of marginalized groups within system - Some argue nature of child welfare practice is oppressive - Child & Family Services Act -- workers must protect children, can apply sanctions if necessary, have support of other agencies (i.e. police & court) can be used to add further reinforcement to sanctions - Workers can create power-over relationship between self & service user if not critically examining own lens -- can be oppressive - Practice adopt power-over rather than power-with approach -- allows agencies to use positions to control power dynamics of relationships - Power-with approach relinquishes certain amount of power/privilege to allow for collaboration/open & empowering relationships - Workers forced to "play the game" to match agency (power-over) -- changes how caregivers provide info/answers to protect children/themselves from system (even if involves lying/deception) - Theorists -- CW's capacity to initiate investigations, remove kids, etc. preludes ability to have power-neutral relationship between agency & caregivers - Resources -- greater access than the children & families, workers able to control available info (prevents service users from challenging agency/legal system while reinforcing power exercised by workers/agency) Child welfare system, cont.: - Criticized for using dominant/mainstream values (further institutionalize marginalized groups) - Critics -- system capable? System intervenes as experts only after perceived parental failure - Those w/ different cultural values -- differences seen as "inferior" within CW, over-rep of marginalized in system direct result - Defining service users -- binary language i.e. good/bad, fit/unfit, safe/dangerous, normal/abnormal - Structure serves to reinforce oppression -- bureaucratic framework (formal rules control workers, set by management or govt.) Systems: - Impact of SS system on attempts by individual workers/systems to address oppression/make change - Constraints of conformity prevent workers from challenging status quo, reinforces oppression - manifest in forms of sanctions/discipline - Relationships between systems that struggle w/ oppression impacts outcomes - i.e. CWS receives referrals from education system -- racialized children negative perceived in both, thus negatively impacted - Bureaucratic culture -- criticism & challenge between services unwelcomed, systems remain unchallenged - CW structural & institutional issues must be addressed collectively & collaboratively for change to occur Child welfare transformation: - Ultimate measure -- ability to support new kind of engagement w/ families, better outcomes for children - New kind of practice -- work in partnership w/ marginalized & oppressed, recognizes & seeks to address structural roots of oppression **Pt. 2 -- Competent & professional practice promotion** Social work: - Definition: "Professional activity of helping individuals, families, groups, or communities enhance or restore their capacity for social functioning and for the creating of societal conditions favourable to that goal" (Baker, "The Social Work Dictionary", 1995) - Global purpose -- supporting social functioning (incl. social care & treatment), improving social conditions (incl. social justice) Knowledge of social conditions & issues: - Interrelatedness of human problems - Factors affecting quality of life - Governmental, political, economic issues - Polices affecting clients -- healthcare, child welfare, education, accessibility, poverty, aging, unemployment, etc. - Social programs available **Week 9 -- Contemporary issues in mental health** Recovery: - 3 elements for survivors to understand their recovery -- personal journey, social process (i.e. access to jobs, income, housing, safety, education), critique (push/pull from professionals to those impacted by mental distress) - Concept understood in many ways, no agreed-upon definition/framework - Difficult to foster within institutions that practice constraints/controls over does diagnosed w/ mental illness -- i.e. involuntary committal & mandated treatments - Mental Health Commission of Canada -- resulted from such inconsistencies - MHCC constrained in context of Canadian federalism & division of powers -- reinforce individual responsibility over recognizing role of social, political, cultural, economic context in recovery - History of psychiatry used as social control -- contain/constrain those seen to be disrupting social order (ex. women, racialized groups, 2SLGBTQ+ community) - "Myths of women's madness" -- little done to recognize "normal reactions to living in sexist culture (i.e. menopause, perinatal care, postpartum support) - US & UK literature -- black men & impoverished individuals more frequently diagnosed w/ schizophrenia & other mental illnesses Potential approaches to alleviate Ontario's mental health wait-times: - Role of peer-support workers - Social prescribing - More mental health training for medical & educational professionals - Task shifting - Write to your MP & get politically involved Effective task shifting: - Train community members to provide a range of healthcare interventions -- when short of specialized healthcare professionals - Idea moved from healthcare onto mental healthcare -- many examples globally - Risen out of lack of resources & high cost involved in healthcare - Large part of costs -- human resources - Healthcare has become extremely specialized & removed from local communities - Empowering -- local citizens caring for health of others & becoming guardians of their own health Task shifting tips: - Simplify the message - staying away from medical jargon that medicine has\ invented around itself - Unpack the treatment - smaller components that can easily transferred to less-\ trained individuals - Deliver it where people are at - closer to where people live, away from large institutions - Use affordable & available human resources - Use local community & citizens - Reallocation of specialists to train & supervise - capacity building & supervision **Week 10 -- Mental health within education systems** Statistics: - Global prevalence of MH problems affecting children & teens is 10-20% - Includes anxiety disorders, depression, conduct disorders, and hyperkinetic disorders (hyperactivity, ADD, \> impulsivity) - 1/3 of children who are acutely & chronically affected with MH issues are receiving medical treatment Reasons for underutilization of MH services by children & youth: - Inaccessible contact to providers from multiple disciplines - Stigma & fear of having a MH disorder (labels) - Uncertainty re: if behavioural/mood change requires medical attention/treatments - Little to no awareness of services - Language/cultural barriers Mental health & school: - School environment vital to child's health MH development - Only place children & youth spend significant portion of lives - Lots of pressure on children & youth - Uncertainty re: which school-related factors increase risk of developing MH issues - Interdisciplinary approach required - DSM-V classifies substantial problems in learning to read, arithmetic skills, & spelling under the specific learning disorders - Children often present with severe headaches & abdominal pain w/ no physical correlate upon medical examination - Anxiety was noted as significantly common w/ children with learning disorders Supports for learning disorders: - Multidisciplinary approach required -- i.e. child & youth worker, social worked, psychologist, educator, etc. - Access to assessment & treatment in timely manner - Parental support -- enhance help at home - Teacher training - School-based prevention programs Depressive disorders: - 4-5% prevalence of depressive disorders in boys worldwide, girls affected 2x as often - Symptoms -- difficulty w/ concentration, lack of self-worth, low mood, lethargy, loss of interests, social withdrawal, change in appetite, sleep disruptions, suicidal ideations & thoughts - Youth less likely to seek help - Psychotherapy & psychopharmacotherapy (medication), outpatient treatment recommended **Week 11 -- Intro to working w/ groups** - Group therapy: form of talk therapy (psychotherapy) that involves 1 or more therapists working w/ several people at once, available at a variety of locations, sometimes used alone but can be integrated into a comprehensive treatment plan including individual therapy & medication 11 principles of group therapy: 1. The instillation of hope -- different stages: seeing those coping/recovering gives hopes to those at the beginning of process 2. Universality -- being part of group who have same experiences helps people see they are not alone 3. Imparting information -- members can help each other by sharing info 4. Altruism -- members can share strengths & help others which can boost self-esteem & confidence 5. The corrective recapitulation of the primary family group -- each member can explore how childhood experiences contributed to personality & behaviours, learn to avoid destructive/unhelpful behaviours in real life 6. Development of socialization techniques -- setting great place to practice new behaviours, safe & supportive, allows experimentation w/o fear of failure 7. Imitative behaviour -- individuals can model behaviour of others or observe & imitate behaviour of therapist 8. Interpersonal learning -- interacting w/ others & receiving feedback from group & therapist allows members to gain a greater understanding of themselves 9. Group cohesiveness -- united in a common goal, helps members gain sense of belonging & acceptance 10. Catharsis -- sharing feelings & experiences w/ group can help relieve pain, guilt, stress 11. Existential factors -- helps members realize they are responsible for their own lives, actions, choices How it works: - Small as 3-4, often involve 7-12 individuals - Typically meets 1-2x week for 1-2 hours - 6 minimum \# of sessions, full year of sessions more common - Meetings open or closed -- open invites new participants at any time, closed is a core group of participants - Group meets in room w/ chairs arranged in large circle, members introduce selves & share why they are in group therapy, share experiences & progress since last meeting - Manner of session depends on goals of group & style of therapist -- ex. free-form style of dialogue vs. specific plan for each session (practice new skills w/ other members) Effectiveness: - Studies show that group therapy can be effective treatment choice for depression & traumatic stress - Meets efficacy standards for panic disorder, bipolar disorder, OCD, social phobia, substance abuse Main advantages: - Allows people to receive support & encouragement of others - Members can serve as role models to other members - Often very affordable - Offers a safe haven - Therapist can see 1^st^ hand how each person responds to others & behaves in social situations Types of groups: - Interpersonal process group psychotherapy -- relive mistakes thru talk therapy, see how they could've handled issues differently (rather than choosing drugs/alcohol) - Psychoeducational -- teach about disease/issue, harm involved, antecedents/consequences of behaviour - Skills development -- practical methods for breaking addictive patterns, alternating tasks/activities - Cognitive behavioural -- processes to teach better ways of thinking, translating to improved behaviours - Support -- informal forum of free thought/expression, celebrate each other's successes or discredit excuses/reasons for using drugs in event of relapse Important points for choosing a group: - Offers programs tailored to needs of individual seeking treatment - Programs of a sufficient length to treat issue -- varies, may include inpatient & follow up outpatient programs - Flexible & adaptable -- needs of individual may change during course of treatment - Offers treatment for cooccurring disorders & means to diagnose them