Standards of Self-care for Helping Professionals

Standards of Self-Care for Helping Professionals Series 2 of 3

Deanna Hooper, Social Work Helper, 2013/09/24.

In my last article, I introduced the Standards of Self-Care that were created by The Green Cross Academy of Traumatology.  These standards are created for their members who work with people who have experienced trauma.  The purpose is to ensure that as a worker you “do no harm to yourself” and to ensure that you are giving high quality of service.

This week I will review the Standards for Establishing and Maintaining Wellness.  This section contains guidelines including:

1) Commitment to Self-Care

2) Strategies for Letting Go of Work

3) Strategies for Gaining a Sense of Self-Care Achievement.

As a Compassion Fatigue Coach, I often see the long-term commitment to Self-Care as one of the biggest struggles.  Most people have great energy for change in the beginning and then life starts to get in the way and self-care is one of the first things to go.  I usually notice this after three or four weeks.

The self-care standards states that we should make a formal, tangible, specific, and a public commitment to self-care and letting go of work in off hours.  This is to include putting good energy into activities that are “fun, stimulating, inspiriting, and generate joy in life”, which will help us let go of work.

Like all good goals, we are to set deadlines and come up with strategies that work and monitor them over time.   I love the last part that states “advocates of your self-care” should monitor your strategies.  Having an advocate of self-care is a beautiful concept, because we know that helpers tend to put more energy into caring for others than we do for caring for ourselves.

The third part of this section speaks to ways we can gain a sense of self-care achievement.  How do we know that we are achieving self-care?  When I ask people about their self-care practices, I am often given a laundry list of “self-care” activities.

It sounds something like this… “Yeah, I go to the gym a few times a week, I do yoga and I cook healthy meals”.  This is great, but I don’t hear passion for the activities and don’t usually get a sense that these activities bring “joy” throughout the day.

While it is important to have strategies that promote rest and relaxation, these need to be “tailored to your own interests and ability which result in rest and relaxation most of the time”.  The goal is to bring major stress reducing practices as a daily lifestyle practice, not something that is checked off a few times a week. It can be helpful to take some time and explore personal interests and passions that can be incorporated throughout the day. 

This can include meditation, mindfulness practices, journaling, reading, cooking, physical relaxation practices, spending time with children/animals/family/friends.  I think what is most important is to foster an awareness of self-care and stress reduction as it is happening.

Those 10 minutes between clients that you take to do some deep breathing is relaxing your nervous system and giving yourself the care you deserve.  I call this “Flexi Self-Care”.  What small self-care strategies can you incorporate into your lifestyle, as opposed to just checking off an hour at the gym or yoga studio a few times per week?

This week I challenge you to spend a bit of time and reflect on what really brings you joy & relaxation.  Then find ways to incorporate small amounts of this throughout your day (both at work and at home).  

See more: 

Standards of Self-Care for Helping Professionals Series Part 2 of 3. 

Self-care: What Exactly is That? Part 2. 

Call for Presentations & Papers for Conference: CYC in Action IV: Responding to Our Current Times

CYC in Action IV: Responding to Our Current Times

The 21^st century is marked with a variety of unique and intersecting issues, opportunities, and political realities. Child and Youth Care (CYC) theory and practice continues to take place within and in response to a range of relationships, discourses, and institutions. Our relationship with the physical world is now understood with a sense of urgency as never before. Globalized economic systems are impacting how we organize on institutional and even interpersonal levels. Technologically mediated worlds are altering who we are, how we engage with each other, and how we envision and enact futures together.

These pressing issues are often cast to the margins of CYC discussions, but are increasingly being experienced by many as central to the work we do and the lives we live. Responding to Our Current Times will be an opportunity to critically engage with these matters. It will be a chance to explore diverse perspectives and experiences that can not only help us better understand our current times, but also consider how we might creatively engage with these realities. Together we will discuss research, practice, theory, and policy as they relate to children, youth, families, and communities.

Responding to Our Current Times is an opportunity to come together at the University of Victoria to share our ideas, generate new ones through critical conversations, and see where they take us. Themes for posters, paper presentations, workshops and salon discussions for this conference include, but are not limited to:

• Contemporary child and youth care practices
• Individual and collective healing: responsibilities and risks
• Economic, social, cultural, and political considerations
• Social justice and ethical praxis
• Queer and feminist perspectives on CYC research, practice, theory, and policy
• Decolonization, reconciliation, and cultural commensuration
• Human service practices and the material world
• Solidarity, ally work, and friendship in CYC

CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Proposals should be submitted online no later than November 15, 2013 and should include the following information:

• Name of Presenter(s)
• Presenter(s) Contact Info (E-mail, phone number and Affiliation)
• Title of Presentation
• Abstract (100 word limit)
• Conference Theme addressed

Presentation Type:

• Paper – 30 mins.
• Panel – 90 mins. (3 papers plus Chair; General Title and overall description as well as each presenter to include Title of presentation along with 100 word abstract)
• Workshop – 90 mins.
• Salon Discussion – 60 mins.
• Poster/Display Table
  

Equipment:All rooms are equipped with

• Video Data Projector
• DVD/VHS Combo Player
• Overhead Projector
• Chalkboard

Any other special requests should be specified.

Presenters will be notified by January 10, 2014.
All Presenters must register by January 31, 2014 to receive the Early Bird rate.

All submissions will be given serious consideration by the conference program committee and will be judged on the following criteria:

• Relevance to conference themes
• Clarity of aims
• Originality

Please note that due to limited space on the conference program, not all proposal submissions will be accepted. Some presenters may be asked to consider a poster presentation as an alternative to a paper or workshop.

Steps to submit a proposal:

1. Create an online account

Note: If you attended our 2011 conference you may already have a login ID and password.

2. Select a Conference Track

• Paper – 30 mins.
• Panel – 90 mins. (3 presentations plus Chair; General Title and overall description as well as each presenter to include Title of presentation along with 100 word abstract)
• Workshop – 90 mins.
• Salon Discussion – 60 mins.
• Poster/Display Table

*Comments for Director: Not required.

3. Save and Continue
4. Enter Author Information (automatically inserted based on account profile)

If more than one author, click on "Add Author" and enter information.

5. Type in Title and Abstract (100 word limit)

*Supporting Agencies: Not required.

6. Save and Continue

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Veronica Pacini-Ketchabaw, Co-Chair
Jin-Sun Yoon, Co-Chair
For more information, please contact: Sandra Curran, Conference Co-ordinator, scurran@uvic.ca or 250-472-4857.

Job Posting - Program Manager & Clinical Supervisor - Adult Trauma Program - North Vancouver

FAMILY SERVICES of the NORTH SHORE

Counselling Services

Position:Program Manager & Clinical Supervisor - Adult Trauma Program

Position #:13-1103

Reports to: Director of Clinical Programs

Location: North Vancouver office & Community

Closing Date: September 30, 2013

The Agency:

Family Services of the North Shore is an accredited, not-for-profit community based organization which provides counselling, education and support to those living or working in North & West Vancouver, Bowen Island and Lion’s Bay. Family Services of the North Shore also provides provincial wide programming in the prevention of eating disorders.

The Program:

Our Adult Trauma program provides individual and group counselling to women 19 and older who have experienced relationship violence / abuse, sexual assault, and / or physical, emotional or sexual abuse in childhood. Counsellors work from a feminist perspective using a trauma-informed approach. This program is funded though our Stopping the Violence contract with the Ministry of Justice.

The Job:

This is a permanent, part-time, 21 hours per week, (preferably T-W-Th) management position in our Adult Trauma Counselling program. You will provide both program management and clinical supervision for our adult trauma therapists. You will also carry a small case load or co-facilitate groups.

You will provide overall program management as well as individual and group supervision for counsellors in our Stopping the Violence and Crime Victim Assistance Programs and also act as a Stopping the Violence counsellor. The Stopping the Violence Program delivers counselling to women who have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual abuse and / or childhood abuse, as well as trafficked women. Stopping the Violence counselors consider the impact of power imbalances on women’s experience of violence and abuse, and use a trauma-informed approach. You will also participate in budgeting and maintain responsibility for your department’s budget. You will monitor contract program targets and ensure that all required reports are submitted.

You are responsible for all legal, ethical and safety issues related to the delivery of these programs as well as managing critical incidents and helping to resolve difficult or sensitive issues. You will work closely with the Director of Clinical Programs to ensure that any challenging situations are attended to appropriately.

You will work collectively with the other program managers as a clinical team and, with the Director of Clinical Programs, work to ensure that the highest quality of clinical service is delivered to our clients. This is achieved through training, professional development opportunities and other avenues.

The Candidate:

The ideal candidate will:

• Be a seasoned trauma therapist specializing in the counselling of women who have experienced violence in their relationships, are adult survivors of childhood abuse, or have experienced sexual assault.
• Have significant experience supervising clinical staff
• Have theoretical knowledge and experience applying feminist analysis to issues of violence against women.
• Have experience managing budgets and reporting.
• Be prepared to take on a leadership role on Agency committees, with community partners and in collaboration on clinical program projects under the direction of the Director of Clinical Programs.
• Have experience with the criminal justice system and child protection.

The Qualifications:

The successful candidate will have

• a Masters degree in social work and current relevant registration as well as a minimum of 5 years experience in trauma therapy

and

• significant experience counselling women impacted by domestic violence or women survivors of childhood abuse or sexual assault.

Specialized training and demonstrated skills in EMDR and / or other modalities would be considered an asset.

An understanding of how the therapeutic relationship is impacted by diversity issues is also required.

Language proficiency in Farsi, Korean, Mandarin or Cantonese would be considered any asset as would experience working with First Nations People.

This position is dependent on external funding and any changes to that funding could adversely affect the viability of the position. This position also requires a minimum of one evening per week of work.

Please respond, in confidence, to:

Kathleen Whyte, Manager of Human Resources

Family Services of the North Shore

101-255 West 1^st Street

North Vancouver, B.C.V7M 3G8

whyte@familyservices.bc.ca

While we thank all applicants for their interest, only short-listed candidates will be contacted. 

Truth & Reconciliation in Vancouver - September 18 to 21

B.C. has the largest national event planned in Canada. I hope that social workers in the Lower Mainland will find a way to participate in some of the events. 


The Reconciliation March will be held on Sunday, March 22nd starting at Georgia and Hamilton and ending at Concord Pacific Place, 88 Pacific Blvd.

For more information, see the following article:

Reconciliation events seek to draw together native and non-native Canadians
Lori Culbert, Vancouver Sun, Sept. 13, 2013.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 – The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada today released its program for the British Columbia National Event, taking place from September 18 to 21 at the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver. 

The BC National Event is the sixth of seven National Events mandated by the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. TRC events provide an important opportunity for those affected by the schools to share their experiences with the Commission and the public. They also offer Canadians a chance to bear witness to the legacy of the schools and to celebrate Aboriginal culture.

The BC National Event program can be viewed online or downloaded at www.trc.ca  (click on British Columbia National Event).

The program features a complete “Schedule at a Glance” for all activities as well as thumbnail sketches of all workshops, sharing panels and circles, discussion groups and special events. The program contains information about two events taking place at the Pacific Coliseum during the BC National Event: a FREE concert featuring George Leach, Inez Jasper, Leanne Goose, bitterly divine, Gary Fjellgaard and others on September 19, and the Vancouver Giants’ Tribute to First Nations hockey during their home-opener on September 20. Survivors of residential schools are eligible for discounted tickets.

Next week, the TRC will announce the names of those who will be inducted as Honorary Witnesses to the work of the Commission during the BC National Event. Honorary Witnesses are public figures who commit themselves to bear witness to the truths of residential school Survivors and share with others what they have learned.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission is an independent commission established as a result of the 2007 Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. Its court-ordered mandate is to inform all Canadians about what happened in the 150-year history of the residential schools, and to guide and inspire a process of reconciliation and renewed relationships based on mutual understanding and respect.

Google Tribute to Jane Addams, Social Work Pioneer & Inspiration

Google pays tribute to the pioneering social work of Jane Addams and Hull House in Chicago

IFSW, September 7, 2013.

A Google Doodle celebrated one of the pioneering United States social workers, Jane Addams on 6 September 2013. She is the only social worker and was the first American woman to win the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize, doing so in 1931. Addams was born on 6 September 153 years ago.

A Google Doodle is a picture posted on the Google search engine welcome page for one day to celebrate a significant anniversary.  It is thought that this is the first time that a social worker has been recognised in this way.  The doodle was only used on the US Google homepage but can now be seen on this website.

The Doodle depicts a pastel drawing of Hull House in Chicago, the community centre set up by Jane Addams, showing children being educated, being cared for by a physician, and celebrating the arts.

‘Addams cofounded the Hull House in Chicago with Ellen Gates Starr in 1889′, writes Jennifer Slegg. ‘The house, which was named after the home’s original owner, was originally opened to help European immigrants, but by 1911 Hull House expanded to 13 buildings and held social, educational, and artistic programs. It eventually expanded to include a day care center, public baths, nutritious food, and additional services.  The building is now a museum celebrating the work of Jane Addams and her team and her contribution to the development of social work.’

Addams suffered from a spinal deformity for most of her life and could not attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo due to ill health. She was actually admitted to a hospital on the same day the award was presented. She died from cancer on 21 May 21 1935.  Her funeral was held in the courtyard of Hull House.
For more information about the Google Doodle read more here

Watch videos about the history of Jane Addams and Hull House and an interview with the biographer Louise W. Knight.

For more information about the Nobel Prize and Jane Addams, visit the Nobel Prize website.

New York Times obituary - ‘Jane Addams: a foe of war and need'.

Visit Hull House museum for information about the museum.

See also the NASW tribute to Jane Addams.

Read analysis of the closure of the Hull House settlement and discussion about a revival of the settlement movement here.

Two biographies about Jane Addams have been written by Louise W. Knight: Citizen: Jane Addams and The Struggle for Democracy, about her formative years, and Jane Addams: Spirit in Action.

Training Events: Family Systems Therapy & Hypnosis and Attachment Disorders - Vancouver

The Miracle of Systems Thinking: Clinical Applications of Systems Theory

with Dr. Michael Kerr

October 18 and 19, 2013

SFU Harbour Center

Family therapy in Action:

This conference will be rich and relevant to both the clinician and the general public. Bowen theory will be outlined and elaborated on and then illustrated through the use of clinical tapes. Each segment of the meeting will have a theoretical component and a clinical example. This is a unique opportunity to see the theory unfolding in clinical practice. For details of the conference schedule go to www.livingsystems.ca

Dr. Michael Kerr is well known to Vancouver audiences. He is a family psychiatrist who trained under Dr. Murray Bowen M.D. He succeeded Dr. Bowen as Director of the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family in Washington D.C. He has published extensively and has taught around the globe. His depth of understanding of the theory and his clarity in being able to communicate it is second to none.

Living Systems is a not for profit society. We aim to keep the costs of our conferences affordable so that all have the opportunity to attend and participate. The Early Bird Registration Deadline is September 27^th. A Group Rate also is available. Register Online Today!

Living Systems (formerly North Shore Counselling Center) has been offering professional conferences since 1994. Living Systems is a leading west coast provider of counselling, training , education and research based on Bowen family stems theory.

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Canadian Society of Clinical Hypnosis
BC Division Presents

Daniel Brown, PhDIntegrating Hypnosis and Attachment Disorders

Saturday, December 7^th 2013 

Paetzold Education Centre, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, BC

Sophisticated assessment tools are available to identify attachment pathology in adults. Less attention, however, has been paid to the development of effective treatment protocols. This workshop is specifically about state-of-the-art, effective ways to treat insecure attachment pathology, primarily in personality and dissociative disorder patients. Teaching format: lecture, demonstration, and case presentation. Hypnosis training recommended but not required.

Dr. Brown is Director, Center for Integrative Psychotherapy, Newton MA, Associate Clinical Proctology, Harvard Medical School; taught hypnotherapy for 41 years. His 14 books include 3 books on hypnosis style. He spent 40 years studying Buddhist meditation and contributed to 2 books of East-West dialogues in psychology with H.H. The Dali Lam. His current research is on the contribution of early attachment to complex trauma.

Registration form visit www.hypnosis.bc.caEarly Bird rates prior to November 8^th(604)688-1714, admin@hypnosis.bc.ca

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Reducing the Impact of Compassion Fatigue

May 31, June 1, 2014

Phoenix Center, Surrey, BC

with Robin Beardsley, MD, CCFP, Family Physician

For more information contact Cindi Mueller, SIP 604-634-0572 or admin@satirpacific.org or check out our website at www.satirpacific.org

Global Social Work: Chinese Clearinghouse for Evidence-Based Human Service Practice and Policy

School of Social Work Launches Human Services Clearinghouse in China

The USC School of Social Work and the Chinese Cochrane Center have launched the first online clearinghouse for human services professionals and policy makers in China, seeking easy access to culturally relevant social work practices.

By Cortney Fielding, 02/15/2010.

Originally published by the USC School of Social Work, For original article, click here.

The Chinese Clearinghouse for Evidence-Based Practice and Policy (CCE) will introduce the latest evidence-based interventions in social work from around the world into a rapidly globalizing society beginning to look outward for solutions to modern mental-health problems.

"Our mission is to provide human services professionals, community organizations and policy makers the latest empirical evidence on social work practices that are most likely to succeed within Chinese society, " said Haluk Soydan, director of the school's Hamovitch Center for Science in the Human Services, who will also serve as the CCE's scientific director. "While there have been some successful efforts in China, human services and social science in dealing with vulnerable populations and underserved areas is still strongly lacking. We believe this easily accessible website is a step toward widespread use of these mental-health interventions in the world's largest nation."

Gaining popularity within the United States, clearinghouses are web-based portals where quality-controlled scientific evidence of what works—or is possibly harmful— in professional practice and policy interventions is made available to professionals, decision makers and the general public in accessible and transparent language and format.

Scientific committees assess the best available scientific evidence of the latest research on programs and other innovations in health care, social services and other human services, providing in-depth coverage of a number of high-priority policy topics in social work practice and other human services.

Teaming up with the Cochrane Center, the School of Social Work sought to bring the clearinghouse model to China—a country that has traditionally resisted the idea that its citizens suffered from mental-health disorders similar to those in the West.

But that resistance is fading as China is forced to find modern solutions to its increasingly modern problems—especially where children are concerned.

But once available, it can reach more quickly and accurately train social workers, psychologists, doctors and counselors to work with this vulnerable population more than any other method, said Marilyn Flynn, dean of the School of Social Work.

According to the CCE, unbalanced economic development, a restrictive family planning policy, urbanization, the financial crisis and the impact of globalization have all conspired to increasingly expose Chinese children to complex health, education and safety risks, as well as psychological, cultural, economic and social deprivation.

And while the Chinese government recognizes the situation and has implemented some helpful programs to combat the problem, there is still a longstanding deficit that must be overcome.

When the CCE launched this September, its website included nine carefully selected evidence-based interventions concerning children with behavior issues. The interventions were largely taken from the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare, supported by the California Department of Social Services.

In addition to the typical scientific review, Soydan and the CCE enlisted a culturally competent scientific committee to examine all interventions for feasibility, based on their own experiences and expertise in psychosocial interventions adapted for Chinese-American populations and their knowledge of Chinese culture.

"Just because it works in the United States, doesn't mean it's going to work in China," Soydan said.

One behavior-modification home-based program instructed parents to praise their children for appropriate behavior and refrain from giving attention to misbehavior. The committee noted that Chinese parents may hold cultural beliefs about motivation that contraindicate praise and favor criticism. Many believe children will stop trying hard if you praise them and are often uncomfortable with the strategy of ignoring misbehavior.

Duration of therapy was another common concern Soydan's team considered. One successful intervention used in the United States lasted 34 weeks for the children and 16 for the parents. Reviewers worried Chinese parents would feel reluctant to have their children spend such a big chunk of time participating in a program that is not directly related to improving their academic performance, given that academic performance is a focal concern for parents of school-age children.

The panel ultimately gave the program approval.

The CCE said it will grow to include adult and senior citizen mental-health interventions within the next year. In addition to posting research, the clearinghouse plans to build collaborative alliances with community organizations and other networks in social work practice and other human services in China; assist international networks in the production and dissemination of Chinese-generated scientific evidence in social work research for use in other parts of the world; and train faculty, students and agency staff in evidence-based practice and decision-making in the field of child welfare and social work practice.

"We are committed to working closely with professionals, decision-makers and community organization representatives in China, as well as with leading international organizations and networks in the pursuit of our mission," Soydan said.