Summer 2015

www.acsw.ab.ca
the
SUMMER 2015
ADVOCATE
VOLUME 40 ISSUE 2
ALBERTA COLLEGE OF SOCIAL WORKERS
2015 ACSW
Conference
Highlights &
photos PAGE 33
AN IM
NO POR
UN TA
CE NT
ME
NT
Online Renewals
Are Here!
Please note – ACSW will no longer be mailing renewal forms.
All registered social workers are now able to renew online.
This convenient process will make it easier to submit all your
information from competence to address changes.
• If your renewal date is July 1st you should have received
your renewal notice by email. If you are experiencing difficulty,
please contact the ACSW office at 780-421-1167 or
1-800-661-3089 (toll free for callers outside Edmonton).
As notification will be forwarded through email, now is
the time to ensure that your preferred email address is
accurate! Contact Theresa at [email protected] to
update your email contact information.
Local: 780-421-1167
Toll free: 1-800-661-3089
www.acsw.ab.ca
2 Summer 2015
FEATURES
33 COVER STORY
2015 ACSW ANNUAL CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
26 FEATURE ARTICLES
16 WHAT MY ALBERTA SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION MISSED by Lauren Van Camp
18 NEW SOCIAL WORKERS HOPEFUL DESPITE CHALLENGES by Andrea Newberry-Koroluk
AROUND OUR PROVINCE
Manager, Professional Affairs:
Lori Sigurdson, MSW, RSW,
[email protected]
THE BIG PICTURE
8 A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT by Richard Gregory
9 A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & REGISTRAR by Lynn Labrecque King
11
IN THE NEWS
11 ACSW AWARD WINNERS by Joan Marie Galat
13 LETTER TO THE EDITOR by Carla Bertsch
13 LETTER TO THE EDITOR by Mieke de Groot
14
ETHICS IN ACTION
COMPETENCE PROGRAM SIMPLIFIED by Sheryl Pearson and Bruce Llewellyn
15
THE VOICES OF PRIVATE PRACTICE
EMPOWERMENT IN PRIVATE PRACTICE by Jackie Twining
20
RESEARCH & LEARNING IN ALBERTA’S COMMUNITIES
20 SOCIAL WORK STUDENT HELPS CREATE COMMUNITY GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANCE by Natalie Dawes
21 RESEARCH AND LEARNING COMMUNITIES by Yasmin Dean, Meaghen Johnston,
Carolyn Anderson, and Brent Oliver
22
Executive Director & Registrar:
Lynn Labrecque King, MSW, RSW
[email protected]
30 DAY IN THE LIFE: DEBORAH MIVILLE by Joan Marie Galat
AROUND OUR PROVINCE by Charity Lui
8
Published by:
The Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW)
550 10707 100 AVE NW, Edmonton AB T5J 3M1
Ph: 780-421-1167/Toll-free (in AB): 1-800-661-3089
Fax: 780-421-1168/Toll-free fax: 1-866-874-8931
[email protected] — acsw.ab.ca
Managers, Regulatory Practice:
Bruce Llewellyn, MSW, RSW
Sheryl Pearson, MSW, RSW, LLB
[email protected]
26 CHOOSING HAPPINESS by Joan Marie Galat
4
The Advocate
Volume 40, Issue 2, Summer 2015
VITAL VOLUNTEERS
VITAL VOLUNTEERS by Joan Marie Galat
23REVIEWS
ABOUT CANADA: POVERTY by Peter Smyth
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
10 THE ADVOCATE EDITORIAL POLICY
37 FOR YOUR INFORMATION
The opinions and interpretations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Alberta
College of Social Workers (ACSW), its editorial board, or contractors. The aforementioned make no guarantee or
warranty, either expressed or implied, about the accuracy or links contained in the Advocate, and are not liable for
any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages that could arise.
All material with bylines is ©2015 by author. ACSW retains copyright when no author is listed.
Membership Activities Coordinators:
Heather Johnson, SW Dip, RSW
Charity Lui, BSW, RSW
Finance & Administration Officer:
Gladys Smecko
Registration Coordinator: Brenda Gross
Executive Assistant / Administrative Team Lead:
Noreen Majek
Promotions Coordinator:
Ilona Cardinal, MA
Administrative Support Professionals:
Theresa Duban Neetu Dodd Tracy Houben
Desiree Hurst Cassandra Chartier Jennifer Vasquez
Registration/Online Service Support Analyst:
Laurie Nelson
ACSW Council:
President: Richard Gregory, MSc, RSW
Vice President: Linda Golding, MSW, RSW
Secretary: Terry Wilson, BSW, RSW
Treasurer: Rick Guthrie, MSW, RSW
Members at Large:
Margaret Brown, MSW, RSW Linda Fehr, MSW, RSW
Richard Shelson, MSc, RSW Alec Stratford, MSW, RSW
Shamanthi Cooray, RSW
Indigenous Social Work Committee Representative:
Kanakii Mekaisto, BSW, RSW
Public Members:
Lyle Berge Murray Hiebert
Editorial Board:
Leslie MacKinnon, MSW, RSW (Chair)
Jo-Anne Beggs, BSW, RSW Cindy Haugen, BSW, RSW
Jill Hoselton, BSW, RSW Michelle Humeny, RSW
Eugene Ip, DPhil, RSW Corrine Janzen, BSW, RSW
Samuel Mammen, RSW Tasha Novick, BSW, RSW
Sherri Tanchak MSW, RSW Margaret Williams, PhD, RSW
Contributing Editor: Joan Marie Galat
Production Editor: Jena Snyder
ADVERTISING SPACE is available. To place an ad contact Ilona
Cardinal at the ACSW office ([email protected]). The Editorial
Board reserves the right to reject any advertising.
FALL 2015 ISSUE AD DEADLINE: JULY 15, 2015
Canadian subscriptions are $26/year
(outside Canada: $26 US/year) Please notify ACSW office
immediately of any address changes.
ISSN 0847 - 2890
PM NO. 40050109
RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO
550 10707 100 AVE NW, EDMONTON AB T5J 3M1
The Advocate 3
AROUND OUR PROVINCE
Around our province
by Charity Lui, BSW, RSW
Charity Lui
ACSW Council election results
Linda Golding MSW, RSW, was elected as vice president of the ACSW Council.
Richard Shelson MSc, RSW, is a returning member. Shamanthi Cooray, RSW, is a new
Council member. Congratulations!
Local social worker
publishes book
Charlotte Cooper, MSW, RSW, has recently published Gerry Mouse a children’s book
about a mouse living in a homeless shelter. For more information visit www.
gerrymouse.com.
New ACSW council member Shamanthi Cooray
Local social worker recognized
The Women’s Resource Centre recognized Linda Crockett, MSW, RSW, with a 2015
WRC (wisdom, resilience, compassion) Distinguished Alumna award.
New Area Coordinators
The ACSW is pleased to announce the following new area coordinators: Gaurang
Shukla, RSW, in the Peace River area and in Calgary: Pamela Birch, BSW, RSW; Yvette
DuBois, MSW, RSW; Brenda Ingham, MSW, RSW; Sara Clark, MSW, RSW; and Kathy
Jarrell, MSW, RSW. Welcome aboard!
Charlotte Cooper, author of Gerry Mouse
CHARITY LUI is the membership activities coordinator for
the northern part of our province. You can contact her at
[email protected] regarding submissions for the Advocate.
4 Summer 2015
2014 ACSW bursary winners
Congratulations to the following students awarded $500
bursaries through the ACSW Bursary Fund: Kelly Anne
Thomson (Northern Lakes College); Desalegn Dagnew
(MacEwan University); Shambuhu Chowdhury (University
of Calgary, Central and North Region); Sheila Eliasson
(University of Calgary, Edmonton campus); Katharina
Zacharias (University of Calgary Learning Circles, Grande
Prairie); and Eva Cechlovska, Danielle Parent, and Sheena
Noppen (University of Calgary).
Sarah Heagy (Instructor) and Reave MacLeod (Coordinator) of the Keyano
Diploma Social Work Program
Social Work Week events
across the province
National Social Work Week in Alberta was March 1-7, 2015.
The theme, The Art of Cultivating Communities, recognized
the daily efforts of social workers in communities. Social
Work Week proclamations were presented in Calgary, Peace
River, Edson, Whitecourt, and the Regional Municipality of
Wood Buffalo.
Keyano College Social Work Week cake
Many events took place across the province, thanks to the
numerous area coordinators and other volunteers who
planned and hosted events. Activities included:
• Social Work Week Ethnic Luncheon, which hosted
nearly 50 people (Edson)
• breakfast and lunch for Glenrose Hospital social
workers (Edmonton)
Continued on page 6
Tanisha Laprise, social work student, displays the Keyano College Proclamation
during Social Work Week
Carla White presenting Choosing, Creating and
Celebrating You workshop
Social workers in Fort McMurray learning to take care of themselves with Carla White during Social Work Week
The Advocate 5
AROUND OUR PROVINCE
Social Work Week events
Continued from page 5
• a telehealth session around self-care offered by
Alberta Health Services
• pub night and yoga events providing opportunities
for social workers to relax (Edmonton)
Social Work Department at Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton
• guided meditation and drumming with Tracy King,
SW Dip, RSW (Rocky Mountain House)
• celebrations for social work students (NorQuest
College; University of Calgary Edmonton campus;
MacEwan University; Keyano College; Portage
College)
• Social workers introduced in the Alberta Legislative
Assembly
• Social Work Week Wing Night (High Prairie)
Social Work Week celebration at NorQuest College in Edmonton
Social workers and ACSW staff enjoying yoga during Social Work Week
Social workers in Slave Lake celebrating Social Work Week
L to R: Whitecourt area coordinator Pavan Sonpar-Pahwa, with social worker
Sandy Worobec, Whitecourt Councillor Eris Moncur and Woodlands County
Councillor Ron Govenlock
Social Work Week celebration with MacEwan University in Edmonton, Kathaleen
Quinn, chair of the social work program, in centre
6 Summer 2015
AROUND OUR PROVINCE
ACSW is on
Facebook, Twitter
& YouTube!
Social Work Week celebration in Hinton with area coordinators Wanda Ferland
and Laurie-Ann Reddick
Like the Alberta College of Social Workers:
facebook.com/
AlbertaCollegeofSocialWorkers
Like The Calgary Social Workers
for Social Justice:
facebook.com/
CalgarySocialWorkersForSocialJustice
Follow Alberta College of Social Workers:
twitter.com/ACSWSocialWork
Watch ACSW videos:
bit.ly/1vtEkyS
Grande Prairie display for Social Work Week
• wine and cheese celebration (Medicine Hat)
• speed networking (University of Calgary)
• social work and banner display (Grande Prairie
Mall)
• social work display at the Royal Alexandra Hospital
(Edmonton)
• Fatigued and Frustrated to Energized and Engaged
workshop (Whitecourt and Hinton)
Edson’s annual Social Work Week Ethnic Luncheon
• Standards of Practice workshop (Slave Lake)
• Choosing, Creating, and Celebrating You workshop
(Fort McMurray)
• Working with Immigrant Seniors workshop
presented by the Northern Alberta Gerontological
Social Work Interest Group (Edmonton)
Mike Belecky, Principal of A.H. Dakin School
The Advocate 7
THE BIG PICTURE
Richard Gregory
A MESSAGE
FROM THE
PRESIDENT
RICHARD GREGORY is the
president of ACSW Council.
He is also chair and instructor
of the Social Work Program
at Medicine Hat College.
You can contact Richard at
[email protected].
8 Summer 2015
I am writing this with the conference
fresh on my mind. It was great to be with
that many social workers at one time and
I appreciate the Conference Planning
Committee and ACSW staff for all they
did to make it possible. One of my favorite
parts is the awards luncheon, which
offers a great opportunity to celebrate
our colleagues for their exceptional work.
Another highlight was our Annual General
Meeting. I’m still invigorated by the surge
of positive energy and enthusiasm that was
generated there. In addition to the business
portion of the meeting, we enjoyed a
dynamic presentation from Calgary’s Social
Workers for Social Justice followed by the
presentation of a unanimously accepted
resolution, which reads:
Be it resolved: That the
ACSW support and actively
advocate for the mandatory
requirement that all our
high schools, on request by
students, provide a safe place
on school property for a
Gay Straight Alliance, a place
for LGBTQ+ positive students
and their allies to hang
out, to build community
and to be safe. And, be it
further resolved, that the
ACSW take an active role
in the movement towards
ending the inequality and
oppression of the LGBTQ+
community.
Although it was recognized that former
Premier Prentice had reversed his initial
position on Gay Straight Alliances (GSAs),
many loopholes still exist for schools
opposed to establishing GSAs. We know
forming GSAs will not eliminate intolerance
and hate crimes directed towards LGBTQ
people, but they go a long way in creating
safe places for LGBTQ youth.
Recently, a related issue—conversion
therapy—has received considerable media
attention. For years, critics of reparative or
conversion therapy have expressed concern
these practices put patients at risk for
suicide. Attempts to “cure homosexuality”
have been criticized and discredited by
medical and professional associations across
Canada and the United States. Recently,
the magazine Psychology Today banned
advertisements marketing reparative or
conversion therapy and deleted practitioners
of these treatments from its directory.
On April 9, US President Obama called for
an end to psychiatric therapies that seek to
change the sexual orientation of gay, lesbian,
and transgender individuals. This occurred
in response to a petition started after the
suicide of a 17-year-old transgender youth
who was forced to attend conversion
therapy. In response to the same tragic
death, on April 2, a bill to ban therapy to
“convert” gay and transgender children and
youth gained support from members of all
political stripes in the Ontario provincial
parliament. The bill will delist conversion
therapy from the Ontario Health Insurance
Plan and stop such therapies from being
provincially funded.
I have inquired whether or not our province
funds these types of therapies but have not
Continued on page 10
THE BIG PICTURE
The theme for this year’s annual
conference—The Art of Cultivating
Communities—is an apt description
throughout the year of our own collective
and community of registered social
workers. A number of parts form our
whole professional body, as seen in our
organization’s three purposes:
Lynn Labrecque King
A MESSAGE
FROM THE
EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR &
REGISTRAR
• We are the professional association
for social work in Alberta.
• We are a regulatory body
implementing the privilege of selfregulation for our profession.
• We are a collective voice for social
justice issues.
These inter-woven purposes, along with
each of our contributions, knit the ACSW
together. Strengthening any one of these
areas reinforces our entire community and
profession.
Each year, we have an occasion to take our
place in this community and come together
to rejuvenate, celebrate, and participate
in professional development. A golden
opportunity to recognize contributions by
passionate members occurs at our Awards
Luncheon, which celebrates individual
contributions and highlights the range and
diversity of practice in Alberta.
LYNN LABRECQUE KING is the
executive director and registrar
for ACSW. Contact her at
[email protected] to share your
thoughts on this or any other topic.
Please join in celebrating and reviewing this
year’s award recipients. They are shining
examples of service in counseling, therapy,
social justice, mental health advocacy,
research, and social work education. If
you were not able to attend this year’s
awards, mark your calendar for the
annual conference next spring. Whether
being recognized or participating in
acknowledgement of your colleagues, you
are sure to be inspired, re-energized, and
filled with pride in the achievements and
goodness that social work activities in this
province are adding to the world.
Another opportunity for gathering in
community is at the Annual General
Meeting. A wonderful energy was present
at this year’s AGM, with the Calgary
Social Action Social Justice Committee
presentation centering on strong support
for the Gay Straight Alliances in high
schools resolution. During Social Work
Week, professional affairs director Lori
Sigurdson and our social work colleagues
joined me in the honor of being present in
the gallery at the Alberta Legislature when
support for gay straight alliances in high
schools was declared. The announcement
was met with a burst of emotion and
applause in the house.
Vote to rejoin the CASW:
81 percent in favor.
Speaking of applause, it was also heard at
the AGM when the results were shared
on the vote to move toward rejoining the
Canadian Association of Social Workers.
With more than 81 percent of the votes
in favour, we look forward to follow up
conversations both with our own Council
and CASW in the coming months.
We have now completed a first quarter
with the online renewal system and as with
all new endeavours, we are learning and
Continued on page 10
The Advocate 9
THE BIG PICTURE
A message from the president
Continued from page 8
yet received an answer. In Alberta I’ve only heard of these
therapies being conducted by very conservative, religious
organizations, and across Canada, some organizations
conducting this form of therapy are registered charitable
organizations, exempt from paying tax on their revenues
and able to issue official donation receipts. I believe these
therapies are inconsistent with our Code of Ethics and
as social workers we should all be mindful of hateful,
destructive practices that masquerade as therapies. As a
profession, we are responsible for protecting vulnerable
populations and have much work to do.
I am very grateful for the work done by Social Workers
for Social Justice on LGBTQ, and other issues, and
greatly appreciate the work of all our committees and
interest groups. The commitment and accomplishments
of our volunteers reflect positively on our profession and
organization. Together we are stronger!
•
Richard Gregory, MSc, RSW
A message from the executive director & registrar
Continued from page 9
improving as we gain more experience. The last two issues of
the Advocate contain updates on the Competence Program
for good reason. Tracking and reporting professional
development activities is a key part of the online renewal
process and the need to understand the simplified reporting
applies to every member. While we are happy to be receiving
many calls and notes of appreciation for the new online
system, please know that staff are also available to provide
you with assistance and answer questions.
Wishing a wonderful summer to everyone in our
professional community and all the communities you live,
work, and play in!
•
Lynn Labrecque King, MSW, RSW
THE ADVOCATE EDITORIAL POLICY
The Advocate is the official publication of the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW) and is published quarterly for members of
ACSW and other interested parties. The Advocate Editorial Board encourages submissions from all social work practice areas and
perspectives, including: social work research, theory, practice, and education; professional affairs; social issues; the work of the
College; member activities; continuing education and job opportunities; reviews of books, journals, and other media of interest to
social workers.
Articles of up to 1000 words and letters of up to 500 words will be considered, but publication is not guaranteed. Writing from social
workers who are ACSW members will be given preference. Copy may be edited to fit the space available or for legal or other reasons.
Please contact the ACSW office for full submission guidelines.
PUBLICATION SCHEDULE AND DEADLINES
Spring issue:
Summer issue:
Fall issue: Winter issue
January 1 deadline for general submissions (articles, letters, etc.)
April 1 for general submissions
July 1 for general submissions
October 1 for general submissions
January 15 for advertising
April 15 for advertising
July 15 for advertising
October 15 for advertising
ALL SUBMISSIONS
the Advocate, ACSW, 550 10707 100 Avenue NW, Edmonton AB T5J 3M1
ATTN: Charity Lui: [email protected] • PHONE: 780-421-1167 • TOLL-FREE: 1-800-661-3089 • FAX: 780-421-1168
10 Summer 2015
IN THE NEWS
ACSW award winners
by Joan Marie Galat
June Yee, MSW, RSW — Excellence in Social Work
L to R: Mary Valentich, Rick Guthrie, Carolyn Barker, Austin Mardon, Audrey DeWit,
Richard Gregory, June Yee and Lynn Labrecque King
Audrey DeWit — Honorary Membership
The ACSW recognized Audrey DeWit with the Honorary
Membership award for portraying the values and ideals of
social work. An advocate for building community capacity,
DeWit has been successful in improving the delivery of
social services and social work education, especially in
rural and remote northern communities. She identified the
need for northern residents to access social work training
in their region and applied her organizational skills to
involve multiple stakeholders in establishing BSW and MSW
programs. DeWit worked with partners and stakeholders
to ensure culturally appropriate and contextualized social
work programs that address the needs of northern, rural,
and Indigenous communities. A leader in establishing the
Northern BSW Council of Stakeholders, she served as a
voice for the issues facing social workers.
We’re looking for social
workers of interest
Do you know a social worker providing services under unique
circumstances or in an interesting setting? the Advocate
editorial board would like to hear your suggestions on social
workers to feature.
Please contact Charity Lui with your suggestions by emailing
her at [email protected] or calling 780-421-1167, ext 231,
or toll-free in Alberta at 1-800-661-3089.
June Yee was presented with the Excellence in Social
Work award for the exemplary service she has provided
throughout her career. A devoted heath-care professional,
she works in the Adult Congenital Heart Clinic in Calgary.
Yee has a reputation for making sure her clients’ needs
are met regardless of the sacrifice and time required, and
empowers patients into taking charge of their health and
well being. A clinician adept in a wide variety of treatment
modalities, she generously shares her resources with
colleagues and is a mentor to other social workers. Yee has
developed several cited research projects and been appointed
to the Examination Committee for Masters of Social Work.
Austin Mardon, PhD, CM, MSc, MEd, LLD — Honorary
Membership
The ACSW awarded Austin Mardon with Honorary
Membership for his enduring commitment to social
justice, advocacy for people with mental illness, and
efforts to educate and promote awareness on this topic.
A public member of the ACSW Council from 2009-2014,
Mardon continues to draw from his own experience with
schizophrenia to serve as an informative mental health
advocate. He is the author of numerous books and articles,
many which address mental illness, and is a frequent
presenter to students. He has worked to support the
development of policy positions that have assisted medical
providers treating individuals with mental illness and is a
valued supporter of the social work profession.
Mary Valentich, PhD, RSW, BA — John Hutton
Memorial Award for Social Action/Policy
Dr. Mary Valentich was recognized with the John
Hutton Memorial Award for Social Action/Policy for
accomplishments that span a 50-year career in social work.
Professor emerita of the University of Calgary Faculty of
Social Work, Valentich has been an unceasing force in
her work for social justice, both within the university and
wider community. An internationally recognized scholar
with many publication credits, she has been fundamental in
influencing social work practice, especially in areas relating
Continued on page 12
The Advocate 11
IN THE NEWS
Welcome to our new RSWs
Membership as of May 25, 2015: 7,291
Patricia Louise Abele
Eunice Adekola
Trenton Jordon Akers
Amina Mohamed Ali
Krystal Armitage
Fred Norman Auger
Margaret Baker
Davina Balram
Lori Linda Baumgartner
Roselynn Janet Malone Bell
Amanda Nicole Bisschop
Morgan Blackburn
Erica Lee Bolze
Jean Elizabeth Bornstein
Mark Andrew Bowker
Kathleen L Byford Richardson
Amanda Heather Anne Chidwick
Sarah Jane Christie-Wurz
Sophie Clarke
Angela Clissold
Erin Cole
Cara Crawford
Amber DeLorey
Ravindeep Singh Dhillon
Jessica Donovan
Sania Lakiesha Dookie
Marilyn J. Duff
Achok Miskin Elnour
Michelle Marie Fehr
Wendi Lynn Funk
Erin April Gallant
Samantha Jean Gervais
Alix Gordon-Moran
Scott Jamie Grace
Alexandra Grinevitch
Erika Janeth Guzman
Ryan John Holst
Taylor Mackenzie Hurley
Sandi Mariana Huynh
Justine Dianne Jeffery
Lorelyn Jerusalem
Carly Rae Jones
Angela Judge-Stasiak
Tatiana Kastner
Andrea Keel
Deanna Kehler
Georgiana Magho Kometa
Shandi Danica Kossowan
Farah Kurji
Heather Lamm
Kimber Deanne Lepensee
Melinda Christina Lombardo
Andrea Alycia Looby
Heather Luhtala
Tina Amy Mathews
Rebecca Lee McElheran
Priscilla Pearl McGilvery
Michael Louis McGovern
Gavin Alexander McGraw
Lisa Ann McKay
Iris McLaughlin
Heath McLeod
Kathleen Noelle McMurray
Sarah Ruth Medema
Cherie Lynn Mellafont
Fatima Mensah
Trina Noreen Miller
Shannon Alana Moore
Hilary Mozeski
Nicole Kathleen Mullin
Rie Nakai
Viola Ncube
Lorraine Corrine Noname
Yasmeen Hana Nosshi
Corinne Ofstie
Naka Ogbonna
Bolanle Feyisetan Oloniyo
Ogochukwu Patricia Otakpor
Kursti Marie Pedersen
Kaitlin Dawn Perry
Kimberley Dawn Peters
Jaime Rae Phillips
Tiffany Anne Pierce
Michelle Pineau
Janice Kai-Yan Poon
Paula Popa
Victoria Dawn Potter
Mudassar Nawaz Qadri
Colton Raymont
Meghan Elizabeth Reid
Andrea Dawn Kathleen Reves
Heather Colleen Ritz
Zvikomborero Crescentia Rukovo
Shantel Dyana Scherger
Megan Elizabeth Scott
Juliet Seade
Elaine Shaneyfelt
Michelle Lynne Shea
Monica Fay Shuttleworth
Gurkirat Sidhu
Kayla Rae Simms
Christie Amber Smith
Daniella Sosdjan
Ashley Marie Strobel
Abha Subedi
Ashley Rose Swyck
Patience A. Tabi Owan
Maneesh Thomas
Ryan Francis Tremblay
Kevin Chekwume Ufoegbune
Tia Ashley Nicole Van Fleet
Acasia Ward
Katherine Ward
Ivy Nadine Warren
Sandra Elizabeth White
Brette Victoria Wiens
Blaine Robin Wolf Child
Jennifer Wright
Claire W. Yam
ACSW award winners
Continued from page 11
to women’s issues and human sexuality. She has worked
toward an inclusive society through education, advocacy, the
development of new services, and legislative changes. Her
commitment to human rights and social justice has inspired
students, colleagues, and the international community.
Carolyn Barker, MSW, RSW — Excellence in Social
Work Practice Award
The ACSW recognized Carolyn Barker with the Excellence
in Social Work Practice Award. A clinical therapist in private
practice, Barker addresses difficult topics, such as children
and youth who act out sexually, and victims of sexual abuse.
12 Summer 2015
In addition to her practice, she has traveled to smaller
communities to provide counselling services and worked
to ensure resources in these areas. Barker is a passionate
advocate for the Indigenous community, a volunteer with
the Walk in Counselling Society of Edmonton, field
instructor liaison for the University of Calgary social work
masters program, and a clinical supervisor for the ACSW
Clinical Registry. Known for placing her clients’ needs above
her own, Barker is a mentor and inspiration to numerous
social workers.
•
IN THE NEWS
Letters to the Editor
Dear Joan Marie Galat,
Thank you for the article you wrote in the last issue of the
Advocate. It was a very literate description of the struggles
those in our community face, in addition to outlining the
real benefits GSAs provide youth.
While we saw a significant move forward with the passing
of amended Bill 10, it was not a complete victory. What
is missing from the bill is the recommendation from the
Rocky Mountain Civil Liberties Association that section
11.1 not be moved to the Education Act, and that parental
rights not be added to the Alberta Bill of Rights. With
this, and because school authorities can decide how to
implement Bill 10, some districts have said they will
include informing parents when children seek to join a
GSA. As a result, it might be possible for parents to have
students pulled from GSAs or similar activities.
So, the work regarding GSAs has only begun. The next
step needs to be the overseeing of GSA implementations,
especially in Catholic and other religious schools. The
student groups must be allowed to be called GSAs, and
they must be implemented when requested. We need to
be active and aware that some may try to get around the
legislation.
We need to stand behind what is right as a collective and
support a movement that is ultimatley a human rights
issue. All gains in human rights and civil liberties have to
be monitored as the work is not done until the minority
group no longer sits in a margin.
I am both saddened and honored to be a part of this
movement. The conversation cannot disappear and the
presence of a new standard must be felt as we create a
culture that demands equality and acceptance on a larger
systemic and societal level.
Sincerely,
Carla Bertsch, MSW, RSW
Editor’s note: Look for the full ACSW resolution on GSAs
under The Big Picture—A message from the president.
Conference billeting builds community
The brochure for the most recent ACSW conference
included a wee note about billeting. I took advantage of the
idea, as one of my personal goals is to add a little adventure
to every work related trip. Billeting met that purpose on
every level—safe risk, opportunity to meet someone new,
freedom to explore the city, meaningful conversations, and
added camaraderie at the conference itself.
For the person saying, “Yes, I’d love to spend the night with
some stranger in an unfamiliar city!” the biggest challenge
is to make the decision and follow through. Any problems
that arise—maybe you can’t stand each other, perhaps the
floor proves better than the bed, maybe there isn’t enough
food in the house, or any other liabilities you can think
of—can likely be addressed by choosing not to stay two
nights. In the worst-case scenario, if trust is breached,
you can always ask the ACSW for guidance. In my case,
the email I sent landed in a junk file. Starting early and
following up with a phone call took care of any problems
that might have caused. I also booked (and canceled) a
hotel room in case we had trouble connecting.
David Lett, a member of the conference planning
committee, opened his home for billeting and made my
first experience very easy. Before my travel date, we chose
to have weekly contacts to discuss relevant questions
and get a little acquainted. At the conference, David was
very good about checking in with me throughout the day
so I knew what to expect when it came to meshing our
schedules and traveling between the house and conference.
I enjoyed our frequent conversations about the various
sessions we attended.
Could the conference committee have done anything
differently to make this better? Not in my eyes. If a pair
of social workers can’t figure out what to do after first
contact, make contingency plans, or solve the problems to
make this work, we should shake our heads! Thank you
to the planning committee and David Lett for taking this
initiative.
Mieke de Groot, BSc, BSW, RSW
ACSW Area Coordinator, Grande Prairie
The Advocate 13
ETHICS IN ACTION
Competence
program simplified
Sheryl Pearson
Bruce Llewellyn
by Sheryl Pearson, RSW, MSW, LLB,
and Bruce Llewellyn, MSW, RSW
With research, consultation, trial and error, and a
few fistfights along the way (kidding), the ACSW and
Competence Committee have simplified competence
requirements. Council approved changes to the Continuing
Competence Program (CCP) in October 2014 and we are in
the process of sharing the details with members. We’ve also
taken the giant leap of moving to online renewal, making
it easier to count your credits and even simpler to enter
and track them. The new online system, which went live
February 23, enables members to renew membership and
update the competence requirements described in the chart.
4) Minimum numbers of credits are no longer required
in Categories B and C. Neither B nor C credits need to
be reported. The total credits received in all categories
must simply equal or exceed the total credits required
for the year.
RSWs with cancelled permits are required to write an exam
after three years.
7) Clinical social workers have a distinct category of credits
called “clinical supervision” credits. A minimum number
of these credits must be obtained each year.
Highlights of the revised competence program include:
1) There are no maximum numbers of credits for each
category.
2) You can accumulate credits in any given category.
3) A minimum number of Category A credits are required
for each category of social worker. This minimum must
be achieved for competence requirements to be met.
5) If you exceed your overall required credits, you can apply
up to 20 of the Category A credits to the next renewal
period. This carry over is good for one year and must be
used in its entirety the year after it is acquired.
6) When counting credits, one hour of competence equals
one credit.
A primary feature of the revised program is that it gives
members greater flexibility in designing their individual
professional development paths. The upcoming Continuing
Competence Handbook update will tell you everything you
ever wanted to know about the CCP.
•
Clinical Supervision
Category A
Category B
Category C
Total Credits Required
Full-time RSW
n/a
Minimum 10
No Min
No Min
40
Part-time RSW (less than 1000 hr/yr.)
n/a
Minimum 5
No Min
No Min
20
Inactive RSW
n/a
No Minimum
No Min
No Min
10 (recommended)*
Full-time Clinical Social Worker
Minimum 10
Minimum 20
No Min
No Min
50
Part-time Clinical Social Worker
Minimum 5
Minimum 10
No Min
No Min
35
Inactive Clinical Social Worker
0
No Minimum
No Min
No Min
20
* Social workers who have five inactive years with no recommended competence completed must pass an exam to become active.
SHERYL PEARSON and BRUCE LLEWELLYN are managers of
regulatory practice for the Alberta College of Social workers.
14 Summer 2015
THE VOICES OF PRIVATE PRACTICE
Empowerment in private
practice
Jackie Twining
by Jackie Twining, MACP, BSW, RSW
For a therapist, counseling clients in private practice is a
liberating experience. The full responsibility of the therapy’s
direction shifts to clients and their presenting issues for they
have taken the initiative to participate and accept financial
responsibility.
Solution Focused Therapy is an approach that highlights
client leadership. I put the full power of the experience
in clients’ hands by asking “What do you want from
counseling?” and “How will you know you have achieved
what you came for?” The challenge, if any, is when issues
are discovered that the client may not be aware of, yet
might benefit from exploring. With the liberation of
private practice, these issues can be presented to the client
as an option to work on rather than as an expectation or
requirement of treatment. Clients make the choice.
Private practice allows therapists time and energy to focus
on clients’ needs without the interruption or distraction of
outside influences such as family opinions or the pressures
of social rights and wrongs. It provides the opportunity to
explore change possibilities in a way that gives clients their
own personal power, an experience they may not have in
their day-to-day lives. While we are occasionally presented
with situations where outside agencies request information
or suggest the course of treatment, the required consent form
places the decision back into clients’ hands. Making this choice
empowers clients and provides emotional release for therapists.
Empowerment in therapy is further highlighted when specific
treatment modalities are presented to clients so that they
can request what works for them. This discussion clarifies
the approach to therapy and helps clients know the direction
to be taken. It also allows for open conversation about the
effectiveness of the treatment approach.
When clients withdraw from treatment, private practice
allows clients full control and typically releases both parties
from the obligation to follow-up. While some Employee
Assistance Programs (EAPs) require client follow-up calls,
this may be seen as an invasion of therapeutic power. Followup should really be the prerogative of clients, not therapists.
As a therapist in private practice, I’m empowered to focus
on the work I am dedicated to and enjoy. I am not obligated
to take on all new clients and can capitalize on my own
knowledge and strengths. I can choose the age of my client,
the types of issues to work with, and the timeline. This, in
turn, ensures that the treatment provided is within my own
scope of practice. Truly an empowering experience!
•
JACKIE TWINING is a social worker in private practice with
a special interest in the treatment of anxiety, depression, and
couple conflict.
The Advocate 15
FEATURE
What my Alberta social work
education missed
Lauren Van Camp
A reflection on anti-black racism
by Lauren Van Camp, BSW, Masters of Social Work Student at Ryerson University
I offer this contemplative essay in the spirit of reflection, to consider the learning I have gained since leaving my home
province and moving to Toronto. After spending the majority of my formative years and almost all of my adult life firmly
nestled in Alberta’s capital, I relocated to Toronto in pursuit of higher education and different experiences. Though missing
my friends and family, who have always been supportive, I admit to embracing Toronto as my new home.
While I have never been in alignment with the traditional
conservative values pervasive in Alberta, I have always
appreciated the lessons, perspectives, and points of view
found in my social work education, both from my peers
and professors. I approached my masters with real world
experience that provided an outlook on the reality of
social work practice that my theoretically based colleagues
sometimes lack. Still, perhaps it was inevitable to find gaps in
my undergrad education as I pursued my master’s degree in
a different province. While I learned useful social work skills,
my Ontario based peers learned critical social work. While I
learned basic research methodologies, others learned complex
theoretical frameworks and philosophical perspectives.
Rosa Parks, and Dr. Martin Luther King Junior in passing, I
was not taught about their work. I knew even less about the
Little Rock 9 or Jena 6. We did not talk about racial profiling,
police brutality, or systemic racism. We didn’t talk about
realities that people of color in North America, Canada or
even Alberta face every day; and what’s more, we didn’t talk
about why we didn’t talk about it.
As good Canadian citizens, we seemed to buy in to this myth
of the liberatory Canadian North that helped free the slaves,
while most of our American brothers and sisters persecuted
them. Instead of acknowledging our culpability, there is a
perception that we are the heroes in this saga. We failed to
acknowledge the horrific history of slavery in Canada, and
perhaps even worse, we refused to discuss the way Canadian
structures constantly continue to marginalize, oppress, and
subjugate black Canadians.
I did not, however, anticipate gaps so wide that they would
encompass an entire race. When I look back at my four years
of education in Alberta, it seems the black viewpoint was
entirely absent. We did not discuss slavery in any more than
The reality is that Canadian systems are just as broken as
a passing comment. We did not discuss segregation, Jim
Crow laws, or blackface. While I knew the names Malcolm X, that of our American counterparts. We participate daily
in a social structure that reinforces white supremacy and
privilege, while doing little to fight against it. Work in this
profession is conducted within the construct of Canada as
16 Summer 2015
a peaceful society that embraces false, empty governmental
policies of multiculturalism and ethnic diversity, while at the
same time continually imposing policies, bills, and laws that
enforce the opposite.
Many people embrace events like Edmonton’s Heritage
Days as a way to celebrate cultural diversity when in reality
such events are little more than one-dimensional, tokenistic
explorations of the ways in which white people can
appropriate the food and clothing of other cultures. These
practices offer lip service to understanding but no genuine
acceptance of, and appreciation for, the authentic culture of
people who compose the province. The result is ignorance
and bigotry.
I suggest Alberta social workers become allies in the fight
against all racism. Stand with black Canadians and other
minorities as they fight to put an end to systemic racism,
racial profiling, and the ongoing violence and brutality
wielded on racialized bodies. I call for social workers to
take up space in the public discourse. Create room for
marginalized people of colour to demand equal rights.
Stand on the outskirts of social movements, demonstrations,
and rallies, and offer white bodies and eyes as a means of
protecting people of color from violence, brutality, and
arrest. I propose white social workers use their power and
privilege to advance the voices of those crying out “Black
lives matter.” Furthermore I submit that we use all resources
available to reinforce this message and advance the voices
and perspectives of Alberta minorities by standing with
them virtually, as well as physically. In this age of activism,
the power of social media cannot be understated.
I ask all Alberta social workers to seek out the voice of
black Albertans calling for social justice and social change.
Seek them out and then listen to them, understand them,
and share their pleas. I encourage everyone to resist white
supremacy and challenge the dominant discourses that
reinforce it. Perhaps then we can convince the people,
systems, and structures that comprise Alberta to agree that
black lives matter.
•
An MSW student at Ryerson University in Toronto, LAUREN VAN CAMP plans to
pursue her doctorate in social work.
Another day, another crisis averted.
The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees is proud to represent
approximately 85,000 Albertans who provide quality public services
to the people of our province.
Among these hard-working Albertans are more than 2,500 social
services workers, including Child and Youth Care Counsellors,
Human Service Workers, Psychology Assistants, Psychologists and
Social Workers who work every day to make sure their clients are
safe and on track to successful lives.
AUPE is committed to a society in which all Albertans can expect
fair public services provided by committed, well-trained public
employees. www.aupe.org
Alberta Union of Provincial Employees. Your working people.
The Advocate 17
FEATURE
New social workers
hopeful despite challenges
Andrea Newberry-Koroluk
by Andrea Newberry-Koroluk, PhD, RSW
Whether you have been a social worker for a few months,
a few years, or even many decades, you likely have strong
memories from your first year of practice. Starting your
first job, you may have been excited about the opportunity
to pursue social justice while providing real assistance
to individuals and families. Can you recall how your
expectations compared with the realities you faced during
that first year of practice?
It’s clear that early practice experiences shape the career
expectations of social workers, so perhaps it is surprising
that as a profession we have dedicated relatively little time
to studying this period. As part of my social work doctorate
program, I spoke with young, newly graduated social
workers in Alberta about their first-year experiences. These
conversations revealed five key themes that can help us
understand this first year.
The language we use to talk to and about young
(especially female) colleagues affects their
feelings of competence.
Many of the social workers I spoke to were deeply proud
of earning their degree and starting work. However, some
became distressed when colleagues dismissed their skills
because of their age rather than their limited experience.
The language these young female social workers experienced
in their workplaces reveals that gender is ingrained in
the way social work and social workers are sometimes
talked about. One was advised to “bitch up,” meaning she
should approach her work with less naiveté and be less
accommodating to service users, while another was called a
“little girl.” While trying to stand up for themselves within
18 Summer 2015
the workplace and profession, some were conflicted about
what it means to be an “ideal” social worker.
New social workers employed in hierarchical
systems feel powerless and frustrated.
Service systems often place social workers in roles that feel
secondary to other professions. Not surprisingly, this can
make new social workers feel subordinate. The struggle
to arrange limited resources for service users and be
accountable for a system that didn’t back them up, further
compounded feelings of frustration and powerlessness.
One social worker explained, “I felt like a buffer between
government support services and clients. So that government
wouldn’t be criticized, I would be criticized.”
New social workers struggle to reconcile their
own privilege with the reality of oppression in
service users’ lives.
New social workers often enter the field with a strong
commitment to social and economic justice. They may feel
conflicted when they compare service users’ very real and
pressing needs to their own relative economic security as
professional workers. As one new social worker told me,
“What am I doing that I allegedly deserve this money that
this very hard working mother of three who manages a [fast
food restaurant] doesn’t deserve?”
The benefits of professionalism, such as an adequate salary,
may unsettle first-year social workers in a way that other
beginning professionals do not experience. At the same
time, the new social workers I spoke with were aware of the
compensation divide between government and not-for-profit
employers and made long-term career decisions based on
where they could make a sustainable living.
New social workers are acutely afraid of making a
critical mistake that will end their careers.
People who are new to the profession can feel extremely
vulnerable about the possibility of making a major error
in their early practice. One new social worker told me,
“I was really worried that I was going to do something
wrong and my reputation was going to be ruined forever;
I was never going to be able to come back from it; I would
be unemployable and not trusted by clients or other
professionals.” Experienced social workers may remember
and be able to empathize with these early fears. People
who are new to the profession need reassurance that most
practice mistakes are not career ending. That said, our
newest colleagues do require support when making high-risk
or emotionally charged decisions.
their individual goals, beliefs, and priorities. One new social
worker spoke about how “social work within the system
is not about the system.” She found ways to prioritize
vulnerable families in a bureaucratic system that did not
always put family perspectives first.
The need for new social workers is increasing with the
retirement of the baby boom generation and the growing
demand for social services in Canada. It is time to turn our
attention to the experiences of our newest members and
learn from their idealism, commitment, and passion.
•
ANDREA NEWBERRY-KOROLUK, PhD, RSW, is a Calgary-area social worker with
a passion for human services research.
Human services work includes significant
disappointments for new social workers who then
respond by finding new ways to realize their goals.
New social workers can experience profound
disappointments with the system and culture of human
services—both within their workplaces and when interacting
with larger social welfare systems. The social workers I spoke
with shared disappointments that included encountering
colleagues they perceived as burned out, unethical, or
judgmental of service users; workplaces that were political,
unfriendly, or generally dysfunctional; bureaucratic systems
that were disempowering and not conducive to clientcentered practice; and larger structural issues around
resource availability.
It is understandable that new social workers can feel
disillusioned when entering systems that may not support
the values they feel are central to social work. However,
what I found is fundamentally a story of hope. Almost all
the new social workers I interviewed found creative ways
to maintain their integrity and idealism. This involved
fundamentally shifting how they thought about social work
practice through a highly personal process that reflected
YOU WOULDN’T TRUST
JUST ANYONE TO
STAND UP FOR YOUR
WORKPLACE RIGHTS.
The world is full of people we rely on, especially
when it come to your job. That’s why we stand up
for all our members, including Social Workers,
to have fair wages and respectable working
conditions. Together, we’re 25,000 highly skilled
health-care experts ensuring we all get exactly
what we need.
The Advocate 19
RESEARCH & LEARNING IN ALBERTA’S COMMUNITIES
Social work student
helps create
community gaystraight alliance
by Natalie Dawes
When controversy swirled around Alberta’s Bill 10 late
last year, fourth-year undergraduate student Megan Fester
was disappointed, and determined. She felt that if every
young person who wanted a gay-straight alliance in his or
her school couldn’t have one, why not start a GSA in the
community?
A student in the in the Faculty of Social Work’s Southern
Alberta Region, she pitched the idea to Roy Pogorzelski,
inclusion consultant for the City of Lethbridge, along with
his colleagues on Lethbridge’s Coalition of Municipalities
Against Racism and Discrimination (CMARD). They
wholeheartedly agreed the project would provide a win-win
situation for everyone. It met the prerequisites for Fester’s
required practicum placement and Lethbridge gained a
needed social program for one of its vulnerable populations.
“It’s been a two-tiered project,” said Fester. “First, we started a
community group for 14-18 year olds, in partnership with the
Boys and Girls Club of Lethbridge. It’s for students at schools
without GSAs, rural students, and youth who are experiencing
homelessness and aren’t connected to a school setting.”
“We’ve had some incredible feedback from the 15 to 30
youths who have been participating, in terms of improving
their sense belonging and self-worth…finding a sense of
family and being appreciated for who they really are, and
feeling safe, which is essential.”
20 Summer 2015
Roy Pogorzelski and Megan Fester partnered with the Boys and Girls
Club of Lethbridge to create the city’s first community GSA.
When the provincial government suddenly passed a revised
Bill 10 in March, obliging Alberta schools to create GSAs if
students ask for them, the need for GSAs in the community
was not addressed.
“Community GSAs are still extremely relevant because we
have homeless youth. It’s statistically staggering how many
youth on our streets identify as LGBTQ or are questioning
their gender identity,” says Pogorzelski.
The second part of the project has been community
engagement. “We’ve done research to see what’s possible and
talked about what we’d like to see in Lethbridge,” says Fester.
“There have been some incredible partnerships that have
come from (the roundtables), so we’ll see what’s possible in
the future in terms of community engagement and events
that promote inclusion and appreciation for gender and
sexual minorities and their allies.”
Pogorzelski attributes much of the project’s success to Fester.
“Her experience, networking skills, and ability to engage and
get people to the table have been great. When you can round
up 50 folks to support a community GSA, that’s grade A in
my books. She’s been able to tap into what she already knew
and combine it perfectly with what she’s learning. It’s created a
very open-minded mix that’s resulted in some great success.”
While Fester is quick to credit the people she works with, it is
clear she has a bright future in social work.
•
NATALIE DAWES is the Manager of Communications and Marketing at the
Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary.
RESEARCH & LEARNING IN ALBERTA’S COMMUNITIES
Research and learning communities
by Yasmin Dean, MSW, RSW; Meaghen Johnston, MSW, RSW; Carolyn Anderson, PhD, RSW; and Brent Oliver, MSW, RSW
Students and faculty at the Mount Royal University diploma
program have been busy with new initiatives, research
and development into new practicum resources, and the
introduction of a social work course on Indigenous practices.
The first initiative is a newly developed experiential course
focusing on Indigenous practices, co-authored by Elders,
students, social work advisory committee members,
and social work faculty members. One of the course’s
significant learning activities involved creating quilt pieces
while applying appreciative inquiry. Students and faculty
undertook self-directed secondary research to move toward
understanding the residential school experience in Canada.
Four completed quilts
are now on display at
Mount Royal University.
As part of the theater
group course, Old
Earth productions led
by activist Darlene
Auger, presented a
script reading of their
play, Maskihkiy Maskwa
Iskwew. A popular
form of social action
education, the reading
shared a narrative
about the impacts of
residential schools, intergenerational violence, and high
rates of incarceration experienced by many First Nations
and Metis women. It was successfully presented to an
audience of more than 350 people including students, staff,
faculty, and members of the larger Calgary community.
Post-play dialogue between the performers and audience
helped students think more deeply about the impacts of the
residential school system and role of social workers.
Social Work Practicum Journal authors: Dr. Carolyn Anderson and Dr. Meaghen
Johnston.
Social Work Practicum Journal
The second Mount Royal initiative is the publication of a new
resource for first year social work practicum students. The
Social Work Practicum Journal by Dr. Carolyn Anderson and
Dr. Meaghen Johnston supports the integration of theory into
practice. Building upon the practicum integration
model developed by Anderson and Johnston in 2012, this
new tool guides students in considering various interrelated
aspects of a beginning social work practice. The integration
model and Social Work Practicum Journal can be used
by educators and field supervisors to prompt students to
examine practice issues using six core domains of social work
practice: ethics, boundaries, professionalism, safety, informed
practice, and self care.
During seminars, the model is used in relation to case
examples students bring from their practicum settings. The
model creates an environment of case consultation that
mirrors social work practice by maintaining a focus on the
knowledge, skills, values, and theories that guide social work
practice. Both resources have been developed to address the
challenge of supporting students in their transfer of knowledge
from the classroom to the practicum setting. A funded
research project is underway to examine the effectiveness
of using this practicum integration model with social work
students completing their first social work practicum.
•
The Advocate 21
VITAL VOLUNTEERS
Vital Volunteers
by Joan Marie Galat
Vital Volunteers is a new Advocate feature that will showcase
the many different ways Alberta’s dedicated
social workers give their time. This issue, we shine the
spotlight on Eugene Ip, MSW, D.Phil, RSW, a volunteer who
serves on the editorial board of the Advocate. Ip, who has
generously held this role for 11 years, is chair of Community
Studies, Faculty of Health and Community Studies at
NorQuest College in Edmonton.
Why did you decide to volunteer on the editorial
board of the Advocate?
I would describe it as a natural decision in the sense that
the Advocate has always been my favorite ACSW forum
of involvement. My first published piece in the Advocate
appeared in 1985—a favorable review of a left-leaning
scholarly paperback anthology, critical of the neoconservative fiscal policy freshly rolled out by the Social
Credit regime in British Columbia. Over time, I have been
published in this periodical many times. Volunteering on the
editorial board was a natural progression from “volunteering”
as a contributing writer.
What are your favourite parts about the role?
I feel most appreciative of the role I share with other
editorial board members as a reviewer of submissions being
considered for publication in the Advocate. This work exposes
me to social work colleagues’ experiences, ideas, expertise,
and passionate takes on issues, expressed in words meant to
engage and elicit responses and reaction. I remind myself that
all submissions are to be respected as such intentional efforts.
What have you learned as a result
of your participation?
Social workers readily write with tremendous passion and
authenticity on private troubles and public issues. We are all
potential writers of great material that can contribute to our
advocacy work as change agents.
22 Summer 2015
Has anything
surprised you?
As such typically strong critics
of systemic troubles, social
workers are surprisingly very
cautious when it comes to
what should be presented in
Eugene Ip
writing for public consumption.
I include myself in this observation as I often catch myself
tiptoeing around when writing a social critique for submission.
Hence, I was surprised when a former editorial board
colleague described me as intrepid in some of my writings.
Why is volunteering important?
ACSW is not going to be much of a community without its
members participating in making it a strong, vibrant, and
empowered entity of solidarity.
How has volunteering impacted your career?
Volunteering has enabled me to connect with people who
teach me many different things. It has also allowed me to
form working relationships that lend much to improving my
practice as a social worker.
What else do you do in your spare time?
I’m a member of the Mayor`s Task Force on Poverty
Elimination, so, more volunteering. To truly answer your
question, I write recreationally—creative non-fiction and
autobiographical pieces. I always have at least three books on
hand to read. Otherwise, you might find me napping in my
reading recliner, facing the TV.
•
The Advocate Editorial Board is currently recruiting new members.
We are especially looking for social workers who live in communities
outside Edmonton. Please contact Charity Lui for more information
at [email protected].
JOAN MARIE GALAT is the Advocate’s
contributing editor, as well as an
author, freelance writer, and presenter
(www.joangalat.com).
REVIEWS
About Canada:
Poverty
Reviewed by Peter Smyth, MSW, RSW
About Canada: Poverty
by Jim Silver. Fernwood
Publishers. 2014
“Poverty is simply so
costly—in financial as well
as human terms—that it is
a huge error for a country
with Canada’s wealth to
allow it to persist.”
– Jim Silver
PETER SMYTH is a specialist for
High Risk Youth Services with
Edmonton and Area Child and
Family Services.
Peter Smyth
The poverty debate is finally gaining traction, as is recognition of the blatant unfairness
of the growing gap between the rich and poor. While the Occupy Wall Street movement
may not have been successful, it undoubtedly drew awareness to these two closely related
economic challenges. Politicians can no longer simply hide from issues of poverty and
obscene inequality, no matter how hard they try to convince the general population
that cutting taxes to rich individuals and corporations is good for everybody because it
stimulates growth. About Canada: Poverty by Jim Silver provides research to prove that
inequality is bad for everyone.
He notes that the challenge is to now
build on this increasing awareness, change
the discourse that poverty is inevitable
in society, not accept poor-bashing,
and explain to taxpayers that poverty is
expensive. But, as we are so busy working
and trying to make ends meet, how
does one find time to research and build
arguments to convince people and pressure
governments to address this moral issue of
poverty that remains so pervasive in our
wealthy country?
Silver indicates that The United Nations
Committee on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights has criticized our country
for allowing the problem of homelessness
and inadequate housing to grow to such
proportions. He notes that for poverty,
Canada ranks nineteenth for adults,
twentieth for children, and twenty-first for
families—out of 30 industrialized nations.
The gender gap for poverty is among the
highest in the world and Canada ranks
twenty-fourth on social spending.
Jim Silver can help! He has written a gem of
a book covering the many aspects of poverty
in Canada. He explains how we arrived
at the point that saw 833,098 Canadians
use food banks in 2013, how poverty has
become so racialized, how poor-bashing has
been used to justify cuts to social programs,
and how governments have been allowed
to get away with ignoring the issue for so
long. He questions why we ignore the costs
of poverty and cling to the belief that people
can choose to escape poverty, rather than
acknowledge the trap that it is for so many,
and why Canada is doing so poorly among
industrialized countries, given our resources.
This 153-page book is a short read, and
while repetitive at times, it is full of
information people need to know if they
have issues around children growing up
hungry, the poor being sacrificed when
governments trim budgets, or chief
executive officers making 171 times more
than the average male and 194 times more
than the average female worker.
Silver does acknowledge that in recent times
some government initiatives have helped
lower the number of people living below the
poverty line, and that in some communities
the initiative and dedication of non-profit
Continued on page 24
The Advocate 23
About Canada: Poverty
Continued from page 23
agency workers have helped people escape the poverty trap.
Poverty reduction and housing strategies are getting more
media time, though the federal government probably did not
appreciate the publicity on how it badly missed its resolution
to “achieve the goal of eliminating poverty among Canadian
children by the year 2000.” Despite some improvements
in overall numbers, however, the depth of poverty and
inequality remain stubbornly high, and those who are poor
remain in poverty for extended periods.
While Silver does outline how governments can find a way
to address poverty in a real way, he acknowledges it will take
time and be expensive. We know government tends to think
only in four-year cycles, so we will continue to pour money
into avoidable and costly areas that poverty exacerbates
such as health, crime, child welfare, and special education.
Over time we could save billions of dollars but there is
one huge barrier that Silver takes pains to emphasize: the
neoliberal mentality of governments that have been allowed
to dominate over the last 30-40 years.
Neoliberalism, according to Silver, involves shifting decisionmaking authority to the private sector and correspondingly
reducing the role of the state, especially government social
spending. I had resolved to stay calm when reading about the
path of destruction neoliberalism has left for so many people,
while paving the path with gold for others. Then I got to the
parts where Silver talks about the Fraser Institute’s attempts to
define poverty out of existence and the attitude of the National
Rifle Association in the USA (reflected in their t-shirts that
read: “If any would not work neither should he eat”). But this
is where Silver’s book is so eloquent. While neoliberals tend to
dumb down poverty by blaming the victim, Silver explains the
true complexity of poverty and how circumstances are stacked
against those trapped in it. Evidence tells us that children from
poor families are less likely to succeed in school, secure jobs,
and put money into the economy through taxes. They are
more likely to experience mental and physical health issues,
struggle with addictions, be apprehended from their families,
be in trouble with the law, and be incarcerated. Therefore,
children from poor families are more likely to continue the
generational cycle of poverty.
Eight of 10 provinces have adopted a
poverty reduction strategy, but Canada
is the only major industrial country
without a national housing strategy.
All told, this is significantly more expensive than eliminating
poverty and creating more equal and fair society, especially
for those who are Aboriginal, visible minorities, and female.
Governments tells us that waste will not be tolerated yet with
respect to higher costs relating to health care, crime, and
reduced economic activity and tax revenues, Silver reveals
that it is estimated the cost of poverty in Canada is $62.4
to $70.8 billion per year. In addition, from 2000 to 2013,
tax cuts have amounted to a loss $320 billion in federal
revenue. In that time social spending is down, meaning a lost
opportunity to solve poverty issues and improve the economy
for everyone. As it is now, a small group of Canadians
benefitted at the top end, especially when including the
further billions lost through offshore tax havens. Beyond
economics, Silver addresses how “complex poverty” takes its
toll on people psychologically and spiritually, eroding their
sense of worth and instilling a sense of hopelessness that
makes it harder to see a different future.
Should poverty always be with us? Silver states an
unequivocal no—we just need the will to take actions that
make moral and economic sense. We need to make sure
politicians find the will to shift away from neoliberalism
because sticking to such an ideology will no longer get
them elected. To help in this pursuit, Silver arms us with
a thoughtful and insightful analysis leaving one to wonder
what the delay is, especially when so many people are in
need, through no fault of their own, and evidence shows
housing the homeless is far less expensive than leaving them
to the mercy of emergency services, shelters, and jails.
This book is a succinct and powerful summary of how
poverty shames our country. It will embolden those who
already believe this, so the challenge is to get sceptics to
take the time to read it, so we can at least start the inevitable
debate. Perhaps it will lead more Canadians to be less
outraged by the neoliberal belief that poor people are
getting a free ride at the expense of government and more
outraged that a top corporate CEO made the salary of the
average full-time worker by 1:00 pm on the first working
day of 2012. As Silver tells us, it’s not the poor that need to
change, it’s the system.
•
24 Summer 2015
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Projet : Annonce MMI 2015
Client : TD Assurance
Province : Manitoba
Publication : The Advocate
Épreuve # : 2
The Advocate 25
Date de tombée : 01/13/2015
CHOOSING HAPPINESS
By Joan Marie Galat with an excerpt from the wellness speech delivered
at the ACSW 2015 conference by Kate McGoey-Smith
Suppose all warring ceased, homelessness became non-existent, the environment was clean,
and every other societal issue disappeared. Would you be happy? Solutions to these problems
would surely contribute to inner peace but the answer on how to best to achieve personal happiness
calls for a narrower focus. In our culture, the first thoughts toward answering this question
often reflect a material, status, or future based perspective—a new car, larger house, diamond ring,
or a promotion, degree, or distant trip. Kate McGoey-Smith, MSW, RSW, Dip. Nrsg, BA, FM, the speaker at the spring
conference wellness event presented a different outlook. She says that while society’s message is
competition is what matters, cooperation is what makes us feel happier.
26 Summer 2015
“Social workers can be
proud that they have selfcare as part of their training
and development”
– Kate McGoey-Smith
As the chain of letters behind her name indicates, Kate
McGoey-Smith has a lot of life experience from which to
draw on when it comes to exploring criteria for happiness.
As multidimensional as any person can be, an incomplete
list of her career highlights includes work as a nurse, family
mediator, child protection worker, clinical social worker,
counselor, post-secondary lecturer, Food for Life instructor,
newspaper columnist, and cable television host and
producer. McGoey-Smith’s analyses of her work experiences
and the difficult issue she now faces—terminal illness—led
her to develop an astute perspective on happiness.
As co-chair of the 2015 ACSW conference planning
committee, McGoey-Smith proposed a wellness fair to
promote life-work balance, as opposed to work-life balance.
“I brought it forward because we’re looking at building
community and self-care as a great way to nurture nurturers.
Social workers can be proud that they have self-care as part
of their training and development,” says McGoey-Smith. “To
have the profession recognize that there’s a need for self-care
is really progressive.” She would also like social workers to
consider, “The idea—if you don’t take care of yourself, you
can’t take care of others—is a myth. Demands on the job
can find you often taking care of other people, with yourself
the last priority. The wellness fair helped remind us that
there’s nothing wrong with taking care of ourselves and it’s
important to have interests in other areas.”
The fair invited participants to explore their creative sides
and personal needs. Activities such as painting, collage,
music, and dancing encouraged relaxation and spontaneity.
Attendees could learn about chiropractic services and enjoy a
free posture assessment, or explore aspects of Reiki, massage,
hypnosis, meditation, acupuncture, yoga, and the Feldenkrais
method. “Employers will show you the living room but you
still have to work in the boiler room,” says McGoey-Smith.
“Work can be both enjoyable and routine but you still need to
take time to play and discover all your dimensions.”
Terminal illness forces McGoey-Smith to face her days and
the pursuit of happiness with immediacy. “Upon receiving
this diagnosis, my developmental life sped up immensely.
I don’t get to retire and go off on adventures. Instead I’m
facing thoughts about my value in life earlier than expected.
One of the hardest parts of my illness is that my immune
system is at greater risk when
I’m around other people, so I
have to take precautions. I like
people so it sometimes feels
like being in prison.”
McGoey-Smith has chosen to
react with purpose. “I’m led
into being mindful because
the reality is I may not have
tomorrow. Most of us are
constantly thinking about
Kate McGoey-Smith
the future. What I know is, I
have today. I’ve been close to death several times in dealing
with this medical situation and am now on a waiting list for
a kidney from a living donor. The doctors say, in my case, it
will be like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
Yet in the face of such unsettling news, McGoey-Smith talks
about resourcefulness and cooperation. It’s an outlook she
applies to managing her health, social work, and happiness.
This edited excerpt from her conference presentation is a
generous sharing of what to consider in your approach to
defining happiness and ensuring your own wellness.
Excerpt from the wellness speech delivered at the
ACSW 2015 conference by Kate McGoey-Smith:
Our achievement of material goals only leads us to another
goal post in our horizon known as the “Hedonic Treadmill.”
The Hedonic Treadmill states that the level of wealth or
material goods you have—you adapt to—and always want
more. This hedonic adaptation is one of the main enemies
of happiness. This is not to suggest that money is not useful.
It does make a difference when it buys someone out of the
Continued on page 28
The Advocate 27
Choosing happiness
Continued from page 27
burdens of hunger and homelessness. Then it changes a
person’s state of happiness dramatically. But once basic needs
are adequately met, more money does not buy happiness.
Yet what is known about happiness? The field of Positive
Psychology has studied happiness for well over 25 years and
has concluded that happiness is attainable—within our grasp
right now. This relatively new field of scientific research
proposes from the study of identical twins, people with
almost exactly the same genetic make-up, that approximately
50 percent of the differences in our happiness levels is
determined by our genes. This is called our “genetic set
point” or our “genetic set range.” Most of us are born with a
certain range of happiness that we fall into most of the time.
So even when something really good or really bad happens
to us, we return to our genetic set point.
Amazingly, our circumstances such as what job we do, how
much money we make, our social status, where we live,
our health, our age—those things that society tells us to
focus our attention on—only account for 10 percent of the
differences in our happiness.
This leaves 40 percent unaccounted for. Positive Psychology
theory suggests there is a great deal you and I can do
to become happier right now. This 40 percent is left for
intentional behaviour—things we can actively do on a
regular basis to become happier.
In order to become happier, it is very important that we
not adapt to what we are doing but consciously vary what
we do. This may involve making small changes, or a lot
of changes, in our everyday activities. It is change that is
important, so in essence, “variety is the spice of life” and can
help us to be happier.
It is happiness that can actually help us to then achieve
our goals—like improving our relationships, making a
better income, being more successful on the job. Contrary
to society’s message that often encourages competition
instead of cooperation, it is cooperation that makes us feel
happier. Social bonding, social interaction, and cooperation
are programmed to be intrinsically rewarding to humans.
28 Summer 2015
That is how we inhibit our own self-interests in order to
do something with someone else, otherwise we wouldn’t
cooperate—we would be totally self-interested. We don’t
behave that way because we are, by nature, social creatures.
Scientists have found that when you put people in a social
exchange where they are given the opportunity to cooperate
or compete, they will generally cooperate with one another.
This state of cooperation elicits dopamine signals that can be
measured in the brain, just like measuring the presence of
cocaine. In other words, the act of cooperating with another
person can, in the right circumstances, feel just as good as
taking a drug! Say no to drugs and yes to community!
“I lived in the same community
I served as a social worker
and yet I remained invisible to
most people.”
– Kate McGoey-Smith
Positive Psychology researchers have concluded that success
orbits around happiness. In other words, happiness comes
before success and forty percent is intentional behavior.
What am I doing with my 40 percent to become happier?
Well I am doing some of it right now! Standing in front
of you is something I would never have imagined to be
possible in 2007. In November of 2007, I was told I had
a very rare disease called Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial
Hypertension. It is high blood pressure in the pulmonary
arteries of the lungs. It affects approximately four people in
a million. There is no known cause and no known cure. It
is a terminal disease. When I was provisionally diagnosed, I
was told that I had two years to live without treatment and
five years to live with treatment. Doctors ordered me to stop
work immediately.
I chose to keep my prognosis private for the sake of my three
children. I did not want them unnecessarily burdened by
it. I watched and waited until they each showed a readiness
and desire to understand the full consequences of this
disease. In the meantime, my disease rapidly progressed.
Within months, despite potent drugs, it resulted in my
needing oxygen 24 hours a day, becoming legally blind
to the point of not being able to see my teeth in the
bathroom mirror, losing my ability to drive, and being on
a monitoring list for a lung transplant which has only a
50 percent survival rate, while in surgery, and in the first
post-operative year.
Of all these challenges, perhaps the greatest of them
has been the loss of a sense of belonging and all that
accompanies that—a sense of worth, a sense of identity,
and a sense of purpose. I lived in the same community I
served as a social worker and yet I remained invisible to
most people. My disability—carrying an oxygen tank,
wearing a nasal cannula, and using a white cane with a
red tip—none of this could make me any more visible.
It remained my burning conviction that I was still capable
of making a contribution. This belief both propelled
and sustained me in the face of all the disengagement I
experienced. I by no means had the corner on suffering,
however, I did have the right to belong—a basic human need
and one we all share in common. Despite many rejections,
even being turned down to own a rescue pet, I wanted
my children to know that every person counts. Each of us
deserves respect, acceptance, and dignity.
I kept reaching out, and for all those that failed to respond,
a few did—like the scattering of seeds on a field of land—the
farmer does not know with any certainty which of those
seeds will flourish. Fortunately, some of my seeds of hope
did flourish—people who were willing to help me access
outside the box resources—evidence-based, nutritional
education from Doctors John McDougall, Caldwell
Esselstyn, and Neal Barnard.
Subsequently, I began a low fat, whole plant-based way
of eating. Fifteen months later, I still suffered from the
challenges of having pulmonary arterial hypertension but I
am no longer legally blind and have been given the go ahead
to apply for a driver’s license. Doctors have taken me off the
Living kidney donors do not always have to be a
blood relative. To learn more, please call Living Donor
Services - Southern Alberta Transplant Program (ALTRA)
at 403-944-4635 or visit the Alberta Health Services
website to access information on:
• Alberta Organ and Tissue Donation Registry:
http://tinyurl.com/osvxjau
• Canadian Transplant Association:
http://canadiantransplant.com
Make a valuable community contribution
A single donor can save up to eight lives and improve the
health of up to 75 other people. You can register online
to be an organ or tissue donor by visiting the Canadian
Transplant Society (www.cantransplant.ca).
monitoring list for a lung transplant and I am currently off
my drugs for pulmonary hypertension. In addition, I am off
all medication, including insulin, for my Type 2 Diabetes.
I am so very grateful for these amazing changes and
community helped make it happen!
Now I am facing an additional challenge—during the
horrendous floods here in 2013, lab results became backed
up and there was a delay in discovering I was in acute kidney
failure due to a medication allergy. This toll on my body has
left me in need of a living kidney transplant—a challenge I
take up knowing I am not alone. I am so very grateful for the
sense of connection to community—I especially welcome the
recent addition of fellow ACSW committee members. Here’s
to community and more happiness!
•
JOAN MARIE GALAT is an author
and the Advocate’s contributing
editor. Her newest book is a
children’s title: Branching Out –
How Trees are Part of Our World.
The Advocate 29
Day in the Life
DEBORAH MIVILLE, SW Dip, RSW
Seniors Outreach Network Society
By Joan Marie Galat
While many seniors struggle with issues relating to health, income, and loneliness, seniors in north
Edmonton have a strong and cheerful advocate on their side. She serves as their support, helps them navigate
through a myriad of possible resources and services, and organizes social activities to reduce their isolation.
Executive director, Deborah Miville, SW Dip, RSW, describes the Seniors Outreach Network Society
as “a very small nonprofit that requires me to play many roles.”
Deborah Miville, RSW (right)
30 Summer 2015
A typical week begins with a meeting to look at the
previous week’s accomplishments and examine priorities
for the days ahead. It’s a small meeting with one other
registered social worker on staff. This week, a practicum
student and volunteer help double the attendee list. The
group has a constant need for speakers to address the
seniors. They discuss possibilities, then move to their
main focus—providing outreach. Successes, frustrations,
and encouragement are shared, as they examine possible
resources for their clients.
As executive director, Miville manages the society’s
administration, as well as fundraising, volunteer
recruitment, and interagency participation. One key
endeavor has been the Outreach Worker Project, which
involved producing a manual to serve those involved with
seniors. It was achieved in cooperation with the Edmonton
Seniors Coordinating Council as part of Aging in Place, a
City of Edmonton venture to bring together key community
stakeholders to support seniors who wish to remain in their
homes. “We always want to see consistency between the
organizations offering senior services,” says Miville. “We
were behind the work on this outreach model and strongly
suggested it was key to involve social workers. We have
the skills to do a full assessment and bring professional
accountability.”
Another project involved producing a wiki, an online tool
for sharing information and resources. A restricted-access
forum, it allows users to post a complex case and ask other
outreach workers for input.
Miville also works with clients, providing home visits and
guidance to seniors who may face a complex assortment of
problems. She recalls a newly widowed client who needed
help with government forms. “The lady had turned 65 but
hadn’t applied for her old age security, guaranteed income
supplement, or other benefits as she was spending most of
her time with her sick and dying husband. She was left
with a truck she couldn’t afford and she couldn’t drive.
Her first language wasn’t English and she didn’t do well
over the phone so we helped her negotiate with the
life insurance company, deal with the credit cards, and
cope with family complications. She had just buried her
husband and it was a lot to deal with.”
Family dynamics can prove puzzling to outreach workers.
“We don’t judge but I do wonder about clients’ families.
I once helped a client choose her husband’s headstone and
thought, ‘Why am I doing this with her? It should have
been one of her children, not someone who is basically
a total stranger.’”
She serves as their support,
helps them navigate through
a myriad of possible
resources and services, and
organizes social activities
to reduce their isolation.
While some clients have no family to turn to, others may
have dysfunctional families. “We don’t know why their
children aren’t involved in their lives. It doesn’t need to
prevent us from showing kindness.”
Seniors, reluctant to bother their children, may make excuses
for them. “They worry that if they’re a burden, their family
won’t want to deal with them or might put them in a home,”
says Miville. “Sometimes we have to insist the children get
involved. It’s tough on families. How do you hold down your
job and help your parents at the same time?”
As well as assisting isolated people without family, some
of the clients that access services at the Seniors Outreach
Network Society have adult children with mental health
issues or a disability. The adult child may be able to do
housework but not hold a job. The parent tries to maintain
the house for the adult child but a point comes where they
can’t manage anymore. “It’s hard to tell a parent that a child
Continued on page 32
The Seniors Outreach Society is seeking
new board members. Please visit
www.seniorsoutreachedmonton.ca
to learn about the organization.
The Advocate 31
A Day in the Life
Continued from page 31
needs to be independent,” says Miville. “The senior can’t say
I’m going to sell the house and be done with it. All we can
do is provide support and offer to help when they’re ready.”
“I encourage outreach
workers to think a little past
what they have to do and
ask what little extra they
could do.”
Miville encourages her clients to discuss the future with their
children, noting it can take up to two years to find a senior
accommodation. “You have to have that talk; you’re not
going to be here forever so you have to decide what you want
to happen.” She recalls referring a client’s daughter who had
mental health issues to the appropriate services. “It’s really
tough because the daughter is not our client but we know by
helping the daughter, we’re helping the senior.”
Knowing seniors who don’t have anybody watching out
for them is hard for Miville. She depends on volunteers to
provide visits and take clients grocery shopping. One client
has been accessing their services since 2009. “He’s pretty
much on his own. He calls if he needs something and we’re
his lifeline. Our volunteers are extra sets of eyes and ears for
us and that extends the service we do. Ideally we could go sit
and have a cup of tea with these seniors, but it’s not the best
use of our time.”
A more lighthearted aspect of Miville’s work is coordinating
social activities like seated yoga, hot lunches, “chat and
laugh” get-togethers, outings, and holiday meals. She’s trying
to find other nearby groups and spaces to take seniors to,
always keeping in mind that they prefer not to travel too far
and some have mobility issues. “Some just want someone to
talk to because they’re alone so much.”
32 Summer 2015
Miville loves the variety her job offers and the opportunity it
provides to be a creative problem solver. “I like the challenge
of balancing all these different things—administration, the
finances, the activities, going to a volunteer fair to recruit—it
goes from one thing to another. When I’m doing events or
visiting people, I like to make sure there’s a little something
extra because I think it makes people feel special. It might be
as simple as bringing them a cookie. I encourage outreach
workers to think a little past what they have to do and ask
what little extra they could do.”
One challenge Miville faces is the ongoing risk of losing staff
because of a lack of funding. “We don’t have benefits or a
pension plan so it can be hard to retain staff. There’s so much
work that needs to be done but it gets tighter every year. Not
only do we need to serve the seniors we have now, but the
baby boomers to come. I write proposals for grants and keep
my fingers crossed.”
Every bit makes a difference, including one income source
that came from the community. “We have a client or two
in common with Southeast Home Care. They offered to
collect two dollars from staff who wear jeans on Fridays and
donated it to us.”
Miville has a medical lab technology background and
worked in a lab before losing her job to cutbacks. She
decided to enter social work and graduated from Grant
MacEwan Community College when she was 45. Now 61,
Miville laughs when I ask what she does in her spare time.
“Sometimes I think my job owns me. A lot of time is spent
around seniors’ outreach, like going to a volunteer fair or
working a casino for a related organization.” She also sits on
the ACSW Northern Alberta Gerontological Social Work
Interest Group, helps out at her church, takes the occasional
art class, enjoys gardening, and tries to improve her
relationship with technology.
•
JOAN MARIE GALAT is an author
and the Advocate’s contributing
editor. Her newest book is a
children’s title: Branching Out –
How Trees are Part of Our World.
Working together during workshop
2015 ACSW Annual
Conference Highlights
Annual General Meeting
Conference Welcome
Marg Brown at AGM
Lori Sigurdson, ACSW manager for professional affairs, introducing the keynote
Continued on page 34
The Advocate 33
2015 ACSW Annual Conference Highlights
Continued from page 33
Leonard Bastien welcomes attendees to the
conference
Conference co-chairs, Carrie McManus
& Kate McGoey-Smith
Keynote speaker Leilani Farha
Volunteers and ACSW staff
L to R: ACSW staff Neetu Dodd, Heather Johnson
and volunteer Nikki Dueck
L to R: ACSW staff Laurie Nelson, Tracy Houben and
Noreen Majek
Volunteers busy at the registration desk
Conference volunteers
ACSW practicum student Beverley King and ACSW
manager of professional affairs, Lori Sigurdson
Charity Lui and Heather Johnson, ACSW
membership activities coordinators
Tracy King at the Yoga booth
Cultivating Community Art booth
Wellness Fair
Mixed media community building art
34 Summer 2015
Massage booth with Mount Royal University
Massage Therapy students
Reiki booth
Acupuncture booth
Our learning journey
Presenters Crystal Kwon, Sophie Jassat
& Patsy Casselman
Being brave
Working with clay
Presenter Joan Farkas
Presenter Lana Bently
Keynote speaker Leilani Farha presenting the
workshop Poverty: What Have Rights Got to Do With It?
Yoga workshop with Barbara Breau
Workshops
Continued on page 36
The Advocate 35
2015 ACSW Annual Conference Highlights
Continued from page 35
TD Insurance Meloche
Monnex Student Scholarship
Anna Parkscott and Bonnie Franks
Anna Parkscott, BSW student
Having the opportunity to attend the ACSW conference was
an inspiring and engaging experience from start to finish. As
a BSW student attending my first professional conference,
I was initially quite apprehensive and felt a bit lost when
I walked through the doors on the first day. However, not
only was I greeted warmly by the ACSW staff, I was also
approached by many social work professionals genuinely
interested in connecting and striking up a conversation. From
these earliest moments, I got a look at the incredible sense of
community that exists among Alberta’s social workers.
Having recently come from Thompson Rivers University in
British Columbia, with only a little experience in the social
work community in BC’s interior, I had a naïve expectation
that the structure of social work would be pretty much the
same wherever I went. The ACSW conference opened my
eyes to the reality that Alberta’s social system has a different
set of needs and goals pertaining to their unique social
environment. More importantly, I realized that despite the
differing social issues and needs across provinces, the core
values of social work are consistent and the overarching
belief in the power of community is fundamental in our
work from province to province. This gave me confidence
to begin my social work career in my new community of
Edmonton. I know I will be surrounded by people who share
common beliefs and goals. Moreover, I also find confidence
in knowing that whenever I need it, support, guidance, and
encouragement from experienced social work professionals
are here for me to call on.
The inspiring speakers and discussions I enjoyed during
the conference encouraged me to identify and nurture the
specific qualities I bring to the profession. I was made aware
this is not a quest for individual achievement but rather a
pursuit of what must be learned to strengthen the collective
36 Summer 2015
force of Alberta’s social workers. It is empowering to know I
have a unique place within a group whose ability to cultivate
social change reaches beyond the individual communities we
serve and into the global community. I am so excited to be a
part of that!
I’m grateful to have had this opportunity to be empowered
and inspired to cultivate lasting social change in Edmonton
and am very appreciative of ACSW and TD Insurance
Meloche Monnex for giving me this opportunity to learn
from, and network with, Alberta’s professional social workers!
It’s true #Albertasocialworkersrock!
Bonnie Franks, SW Dip. student
As a student in my second year in the social work diploma
program at Medicine Hat College, I found the 2015 ACSW
conference rewarding both for the workshops I attended and
the association members I was able to meet. The atmosphere
was very positive and inviting and I was able to connect with
many social workers around the province. The presenters
were encouraging and shared knowledge in areas I had not
had the chance to explore.
Because we traveled together to Calgary, the conference
also allowed me to become closer to some of my fellow
classmates. It was nice to connect on a more personal level,
something we don’t have the opportunity to do in school
due to our many different schedules. I enjoyed networking
with three agencies in Calgary and learning about their
programs. It is very empowering to be in such a welcoming
environment with so many social workers sharing their
stories. I’m grateful to the ACSW and TD Insurance Meloche
Monnex for granting this scholarship that allowed me to
attend the ACSW conference.
•
For your information
NOTE: For more listings, please see “Calendar of Events” at: acsw.ab.ca/calendar_of_events
Drop-in Art Therapy
Fridays until Aug. 28, 2015 from 2:00-3:30 pm
Walk-in Counselling Society of Edmonton
9562 82 Avenue (downstairs), Edmonton, AB
Earn Category A Credits
By Self Study or Online
Earn 6-12 credits by completing our On
Demand Self-Paced Home Studies
$10.00/session for art supplies. Call 780-232-1055 for details.
Mindfulness Retreat for Counsellors, Therapists and Caregivers
July 22-24, 2015
Banff, AB
Visit ctrinstitute.com for more information.
Positivity
Flourishing
How of Happiness
Creating Spirit at Work
Mindful Way through Anxiety
Mindful Path to Self-Compassion
Mindful Way through Depression
Check out our interactive and researchbased online courses. Here is a sample:
CAG2015: 44th Annual Scientific and Educational Meeting
of the Canadian Association on Gerontology
From Possibility to Practice in Aging: Shaping a Future for All
October 23-25, 2015
Calgary, AB
Introduction to Mindfulness
Knowing and Leading Self
The Mindful Leader
Power of Gratitude
www.elearningtoflourish.com
This multidisciplinary conference features keynote speakers; oral, paper, poster and
symposium sessions; interactive pre-conference and conference workshops; and
networking events.
780.459.2588
[email protected]
Val Kinjerski, MSW, PhD, RSW
Kaizen Solutions
Visit cag2015.ca for more information.
26th Annual Palliative Education and Research Days
Time to Talk about Palliative and End of Life Care
October 26-27, 2015
Edmonton, AB
DEADLINES
SUBMISSION DEADLINE
Registration opens in May. Email [email protected] for details.
for the FALL 2015 issue
of the Advocate is
JULY 1, 2015
All editorial inquiries to Charity Lui
[email protected]
Speaker
Topic
Dr. Peter Lawlor
Delirium
Ms. Andrea Warnick
Children’s Grief and Conversations About Death and Dying
Dr. Susan MacDonald, MD,
CCFP, FCFP
Advocacy for Improving End of Life Care
Dr. Gordon Self, D.Min.
Physician Assisted Suicide & Challenging Ethical Issues
AD DEADLINE
for the SUMMER 2015 issue
of the Advocate is
JULY 15, 2015
All ad inquiries to Ilona Cardinal
[email protected]
Continued on page 38
The Advocate 37
For Your Information
Continued from page 37
Call for abstracts
Early Years Conference 2016
Sp’e’qum
Nurturing Developmental Wellbeing
Strengthening Children and Families
January 28 – 30, 2016
Vancouver, BC
Celebrate 20 years of innovative professional development
at this tenth conference in Canada on early childhood
development and family support.
For details on how to submit an abstract,
Members connecting
with members
PART TIME FURNISHED
OFFICE SPACE
Part time furnished office space
for clinical social work
10443 85 Avenue, Edmonton, AB
Janet: 780-431-1832
visit interprofessional.ubc.ca or contact:
To place your ad in Members Connecting With
Amy Sissons, Program Assistant
Members, contact Ilona Cardinal at
UBC Interprofessional Continuing Education
[email protected].
Phone: 604-822-7524 or (toll free) 1-855-827-3112
Email: [email protected]
Sixth Annual Central Alberta Social Work Conference
Social Insecurity: Social Work Perspectives
June 15-16, 2015
Red Deer College, Red Deer, AB
Keynote Speakers: Judy Rebick and Maude Barlow
Contact [email protected]
for more information.
ASWB Awards
The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) is accepting
nominations for the Sunny Andrews Award, for exemplary
service as a regulatory board member, and the Board
Administrator Award, for exemplary service as a regulatory
board staff member. Recipients will be funded to attend the
ASWB Fall Delegate Assembly in Florida, November 5-7.
Please visit aswb.org/members/awards to submit a
nomination by July 24, 2015.
38 Summer 2015
ACSW’s
Partners in Advocacy
Alberta Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health
aamimh.ca
Arusha
arusha.org
Canada Without Poverty
cwp-csp.ca
Canadian Council on Social Development
ccsd.ca
Edmonton Social Planning Council
edmontonsocialplanning.ca
Friends of Medicare
friendsofmedicare.org
Greater Edmonton Alliance
greateredmontonalliance.com
Public Interest Alberta
pialberta.org
Parkland Institute
ualberta.ca/parkland
MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID WORKSHOP
DO YOU KNOW THE SIGNS?
The 12 hour Mental Health First Aid
Canada Basic Course helps people provide
initial support to someone who may be
developing a mental health problem or
experiencing a mental health crisis.
Please note that this course teaches
mental health first aid skills; it does not
train people to be therapists, counsellors
or mental health professionals.
Course Topics:
• Explanations of mental health problems and
mental illness including mood, anxiety and
substance use disorders
• Signs and symptoms of common mental health
problems and crisis situations including suicidal
behaviour, panic attacks and psychotic episodes
• Information about effective interventions and
treatments
• Ways to access professional help.
Fee: $250
For more information and to register
visit nait.ca/pdhealthcare
A LEADING POLYTECHNIC
COMMITTED TO STUDENT SUCCESS
The Advocate 39
PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40050109
RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO
ALBERTA COLLEGE OF SOCIAL WORKERS
550 10707 100 AVE NW
EDMONTON AB T5J 3M1
Thanks to our 2015 Conference
Door Prize Donors
Charlesglen Toyota
Every Child
Maple Leaf Academy
Calgary Downtown Marriot Hotel
Artist: Shirley McLean
40 Summer 2015