Your search

Worldwide labor migration has transformed and reshaped various fields of government policy and professional practices. Labor migration is associated with the non-economic social phenomena that scholars have increasingly paid attention to in both sending and receiving destinations. For practitioners in the field of education, medicine, nursing, social work, mental health, public health, and other professional practices, the human face of labor migration migrant workers and their families daily challenges often reveals the human cost of migration behind the image of economic gain and benefits. Migrant workers and their families are facing vexing challenges ranging from basic needs to psychosocial well-being, despite who they are and where they come from. Traditional ways of thinking and knowing cannot address these challenges adequately; rather, established divisions of professions, systems, disciplines, and/or areas of practice might just be the factor that constrains the ability to clearly articulate compelling problems and adds an additional layer of complexity to problem solving. This book focuses on country policies and practices, and draws on theoretical ideas that provide the intellectual basis. In addition, it offers vivid examples of how migrant workers manage to work, pursue economic security, strive and adjust in new communities, define and negotiate self and identity, and seek health and well-being. While the book illuminates shared challenges and experiences for each group of migrant workers (i.e. low-skilled workers, internal migrants and other types of migrating laborers), it also synthesises the intersectionality across all migrant workers, as they remain committed to bettering the lives of their families and communities in their origin countries as well as new host countries and communities. This volume reflects the efforts of interdisciplinary research and collaboration

Background: HIV risk behavior in women who use drugs is related to myriad psychosocial issues, including incarceration. The experience of incarceration elevates women’s HIV risk by disrupting social networks, housing, employment, and access to health care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in criminal-legal practices resulted in decreased incarceration, especially among women. These changes may have largely altered HIV risk among women who use drugs, depending on their access to care in the community. Objective: This study seeks to build knowledge about the impact of shifts in criminal-legal practices during the COVID-19 pandemic on HIV risk behaviors of justice-involved women who use drugs. Methods: Qualitative methods are used to gather and analyze women’s narratives about their life experiences before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on individual and structural determinants of HIV risk behaviors. Thirty formerly incarcerated women with a history of substance use are being recruited through collaboration with community partners. Each participant completes a sociodemographic survey and two interviews. The first interview uses a life history instrument that invites participants to reflect on key turning points in their lives. The second interview uses a calendar approach to gather information about participants’ lives during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020-March 2021). The interviews (1 hour each) are audio-recorded and transcribed for analysis. Rapid Qualitative Inquiry and thematic analysis are being used to manage, organize, and interpret the data. The study team will collaborate with a subset of participants to develop digital stories about their COVID-19 experiences, a process that allows for member-checking and triangulation. Findings will be disseminated to program and policy makers in academic venues, community settings, and social service agencies. Results: To date, 10 women’s data have been collected. In total, two themes have been identified in this preliminary data: (1)the chaos and instability of participants’ lives increased during the COVID-19 pandemic: participants reported a wide range of psychosocial and health problems and limited engagement with social service systems. Interaction with criminal-legal systems was rife with uncertainty; participants described living in a state of limbo, which was extremely stressful. (2) When asked to describe a “turning point” in their lives, many participants attributed their substance use to the traumatic loss of a child due to death, incarceration, or termination of parental rights. During the COVID-19 pandemic, participants’ struggles to cope with these unresolved experiences of grief and loss were intensified by the widespread death and dying of the pandemic. Conclusions: Preliminary findings suggest that HIV risk factors increased for participants during the COVID-19 pandemic and invite further investment in community-based harm reduction programs, especially housing, that support women who use drugs. Interventions that address experiences of maternal grief and loss may reduce women’s substance use. Trial Registration:

This chapter calls for urgent institutional changes to address structural inequalities through advocacy and legislative action. The authors discuss macro practice methods to address racial injustice through advocacy efforts such as fostering policies eliminating anti-Asian hate and violence, advocating for nondiscriminative policies, improving language access, campaigning for narrative change, building coalitions with social justice groups, encouraging civic engagement, strengthening links with social justice organizations, and promoting policies and programs on Asian American, Native Hawai’ian, and Pacific Islander history education and awareness. Policy advocacy to protect Asian Americans against racial hate crimes is lacking but much needed. Macro social workers’ efforts can pressure policymakers to directly address anti-Asian racism and violence, provide targeted assistance, and call on national, state, and local organizations to ensure investments in culturally appropriate services to Asian American communities.

This chapter begins with a review of the history of anti-Asian racism in the United States. Beginning in the mid-19th century, Asian immigrants played a vital role in the development of the country. However, Asian Americans have faced a long legacy of exclusion and inequality, particularly during periods of economic recession, disease outbreaks, or war throughout US history. Adopting the framework of “othering,” this chapter analyzes the major events in US history related to Asian Americans, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the Immigration Act of 1924, the Japanese internment camps during World War II, and the anti-Asian immigration policies adopted by the Trump administration. Through this, the authors illustrate how historic racism and xenophobia at both individual and institutional levels have operated to marginalize Asian Americans and reproduce inequality, and they demonstrate the common roots of racism that lie in White supremacy.

The project of engaging undergraduates in research methods courses is an outstanding challenge for social work educators. Anxiety about the subject is common, for both students and instructors. Further, students’ wariness may reflect historical trauma and their knowledge about the ways in which research has been used to oppress people of color; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual or ally, and other sexual and gender minorities communities; and other marginalized populations. This teaching note offers reflections and experiences about developing an undergraduate social work research methods course that uses antioppressive pedagogies to create student-centered learning with experiential team-based activities and ongoing critique about the role of power and privilege in research. Specific teaching resources and strategies are shared. © 2024 Council on Social Work Education.

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged lives globally in unprecedented ways. While numerous studies have discussed the impact of this pandemic on human lives, this descriptive study examined how this pandemic affected personal well-being (PW) for members of Indian higher education in the early phase of the pandemic in 2020 when there were no vaccines and remedies available. Research participants (n = 551) were faculty members, graduate students, and non-teaching staff in Indian higher education. At the time of data collection, when all campuses were closed, all participants were functioning in their roles in the academic communities via virtual platforms. This descriptive study, based on a mixed-methods research design with concurrent triangulation strategies, collected data from all regions of India. Resulting data identified and discussed the impact of the pandemic on six domains of PW in the life of participants: (a) self-care; (b) professional growth; (c) quality of interrelationship within the family; (d) relationships with significant others outside of the family; (e) process of experiencing/facing and addressing challenges; and, (f) relationship with spirituality/transcendental dimensions. The relevance of the last domain may be unique to Indian participants’ socio-cultural context and ethos. The findings and discussion explain how PW is a composite of all these six domains, and the pandemic expanded the notion of PW for the members of Indian higher education. Further, the findings also provided a general orientation on how educational leadership teams and institutions can enhance at least three specific dimensions of their community members and thus increase the likelihood of improving the quality of their professional and personal life. The findings may also have relevance for academic communities worldwide and inform clinicians working with members of academic communities, educational institutions, and policymakers. © Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2024.

Disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) are chronic, impairing, and costly behavioral health conditions that are four times more prevalent among children of color living in impoverished communities as compared to the general population. This disparity is largely due to the increased exposure to stressors related to low socioeconomic status including community violence, unstable housing, under supported schools, substance abuse, and limited support systems. However, despite high rates and greater need, there is a considerably lower rate of mental health service utilization among these youth. Accordingly, the current study aims to describe a unique model of integrated health care for ethnically diverse youth living in a New York City borough. With an emphasis on addressing possible barriers to implementation, integrated models for children have the potential to prevent ongoing mental health problems through early detection and intervention.

In this paper, we report our experiences as part of an international dialogue group within a U.S. family therapy training program. We describe the dialogue group and share the outcomes of our work together, including our understandings of how global relations, social positions, and personal/cultural characteristics influence our interactions within local contexts. We discuss how participation increased our international awareness and competence, offering two illustrations of how the group helped participants consider family therapy practice and research from a global perspective. Finally, we share the subjective experiences of student group members from the Southern United States, India, Turkey, and South Africa as testimony to the value of cross-national dialogue and to making space for affirming the unique journeys of international learners.

To better understand and serve Asian-Americans, it is imperative for the family science related fields to take a leadership role in providing in-depth insight into Asian-American families. In this article we report a descriptive analysis of articles published in prominent family-based journals over a 14-year period (1992–2006) relative to their attention to Asian-American families. This study examines the types of research conducted and the knowledge that has been generated about Asian-American families. It also provides a framework for considering future culturally centered research with this population.

In this paper, we contribute to an agenda of developing culturally informed practices, centering specifically on working with Asian Indian and Asian Indian American families. We report the results of a modified Delphi study in which we asked advanced members of the counseling field who are of Asian Indian origin to share their insight relative to family therapy with those who identify as Asian Indian or Asian Indian American in the U.S. Panelists offered a multitude of recommendations, including the importance of: careful assessment that acknowledges within group similarities and differences; attention to extended family ties and intergenerational dynamics; understanding issues of immigration, acculturation, and discrimination; and development of treatment approaches that are congruent with Asian Indian cultural values, beliefs, and practices.

Measurement constitutes a central issue in determining effectiveness of couple and family therapy (CFT). A review of 274 CFT outcome studies published in 25 mental health journals between 1990 and 2005 is presented. Goals of this review were to (1) provide a broad, empirically based overview of CFT outcome research, (2) examine measurement of treatment outcomes, and (3) appraise reporting practices. Findings indicate that a wide range of instruments continue to be used in CFT outcome research, although a foundation for a more integrated and coherent assessment battery has been established. Implications for the field are discussed.

The impact of trauma on mental health has led to the increased development of trauma-informed organizations. Little is known, however, about the benefits of using a trauma-informed care perspective within a faith-based setting, particularly among Latino communities. This article reviews the literature and identifies gaps suggesting the problem of a lack of mental health and trauma-informed awareness among places of worship. The need for developing trauma-informed ministries within places of worship is recommended to assist in promoting the psychological, emotional, and spiritual well-being of congregants and community members within faith-based settings. © 2024 Taylor & Francis.

Although many White social workers engage in ongoing anti-racist actions, they may still be complicit in perpetuating and reinforcing racism and White Supremacy Culture. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) social workers, activists, and scholars have described the numerous ways in which the harmful impacts of White Supremacy Culture appear in the well-intentioned efforts of White people who seek to be anti-racist. White social workers are thus responsible for engaging in intentional ongoing practices to identify, interrupt, and shift their interpersonal oppressive uses of power in their practice. The RE/UN/DIScover heuristic is an iterative, embodied set of three practices for working with one’s experiences of shame and internalized dominance, habitual not-seeing, and in-the-moment activations. Literature theorizing White Supremacy ideology and culture frames the description of the RE/UN/DIScover heuristic. This paper describes several heuristic applications, including prompts for engaging in REcover, UNcover and DIScover practices and two composite examples. These applications illustrate how to use the heuristic practices with dual awareness of self and one’s social work practice in the moment and over time. White social workers are encouraged to learn and use the RE/UN/DIScover heuristic practices to guide their efforts to more fully live into their anti-racist commitments in moments of not-seeing and moments of activation.

The authors have had many years of leadership and management experience in a variety of settings and have discovered that there are few books that cover the majority of topics related to leadership and management specifically for social work education and practice. This book covers all the main areas of expertise required in a typical social work leadership and management experience. It incorporates all 21 competencies and 126 practice behaviors from the Network on Social Work Management (NSWM) and nine competencies and 29 practice behaviors espoused by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and can serve as a textbook for social work programs at the graduate level. The book has many unique features. It provides a comprehensive list of leadership and management competencies from the NSWM and the CSWE along with a list of competencies and practice behaviors. The book presents leadership and management competencies and practice behaviors each chapter along with cases, examples, and activities of how to use them in practice situations. It discusses in detail the differences between management and leadership along with best management and leadership practices. The book provides examples of how to motive and successfully work with different age cohorts. It presents effective communication and marketing strategies. The book discusses in detail how to effectively work with groups and give examples of how to make meetings productive. It exhibits specific problem-solving and decision-making strategies along with examples. The book summarizes how to manage a range of organizational functions. It discusses the importance of collaborating with community groups and other stakeholders to succeed in making a difference. The book contains five parts that replicate the <abbrev>NSWM</abbrev>’s four domains of leadership: executive leadership in social work; resources management practices; strategic management and administrative skills for organizational growth and success; community collaboration; and supplemental materials.

The authors have had many years of leadership and management experience in a variety of settings and have discovered that there are few books that cover the majority of topics related to leadership and management specifically for social work education and practice. This book covers all the main areas of expertise required in a typical social work leadership and management experience. It incorporates all 21 competencies and 126 practice behaviors from the Network on Social Work Management (NSWM) and nine competencies and 29 practice behaviors espoused by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and can serve as a textbook for social work programs at the graduate level. The book has many unique features. It provides a comprehensive list of leadership and management competencies from the NSWM and the CSWE along with a list of competencies and practice behaviors. The book presents leadership and management competencies and practice behaviors each chapter along with cases, examples, and activities of how to use them in practice situations. It discusses in detail the differences between management and leadership along with best management and leadership practices. The book provides examples of how to motive and successfully work with different age cohorts. It presents effective communication and marketing strategies. The book discusses in detail how to effectively work with groups and give examples of how to make meetings productive. It exhibits specific problem-solving and decision-making strategies along with examples. The book summarizes how to manage a range of organizational functions. It discusses the importance of collaborating with community groups and other stakeholders to succeed in making a difference. The book contains five parts that replicate the <abbrev>NSWM</abbrev>’s four domains of leadership: executive leadership in social work; resources management practices; strategic management and administrative skills for organizational growth and success; community collaboration; and supplemental materials.