Description:
Asylum seekers and traumatized migrants often live at the intersection of racial, social, and political injustices. Social work values, principles, and approaches (e.g., person-centered and human right-based practice, culturally-responsive care, and multi-systems approaches) often align well with the needs and experiences of these forced migrants. However, specialized knowledge and skills are needed for social workers to work effectively and ethically in this humanitarian field because histories of human rights violations and unrelenting instability and danger impact asylum seekers and traumatized migrants in broad and complex ways. Competency across all levels of social work practice (i.e., micro, mezzo, macro) is needed in this field, making an integrative social work approach a good fit for this work. The presenter will discuss a framework for integrative social work practice that outlines knowledge and skills for working across practice levels.
Objectives:
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Discuss competencies of social work practice with displaced populations across micro, mezzo, and macro levels of practice
- Identify practice modifications to implement immediately in order to enhance provision of services to clients impacted by forced migration
- Apply framework concepts to curriculum development and supervision planning for social workers new to practicing in this field
References:
- Bunn, M., Murakami, N. J., Haidar, A. (2023). Culture, trauma, and loss: Integrative social work practice with refugees and asylum seekers. In N. J. Murakami and M. Akilova, Integrative social work practice with refugees, asylum seekers, and other forcibly displaced persons. Springer.
- CSWE (2022). 2022 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards.
- International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) (n.d.).
- Murakami, N. J., & Akilova, M. (2023). Integrative social work practice with refugees, asylum seekers, and other forcibly displaced persons. Springer.
- NASW (2021). Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (2023). Practical guide for implementing a trauma-informed approach.
- SAMHSA (2014) Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 57. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 13-4801. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Resources (PPT and from webinar):
- PowerPoint of Presentation: 1 slide per page | 3 slides per page
- The Society of Refugee Healthcare Providers has created a new directory of healthcare providers that serve refugees and newcomers. You can find more information here
- For those in the greater NYC area (although they might be able to help virtually as well), the Ark Immigration Clinic has been such a great resource for my clients who don’t have an attorney and need help filing for asylum – they specifically focus on LGBTQIA+ clients
- How to stay informed on client’s country information?
- Link to country reports CIA Handbook website, the world factbook
- www.state.gov – You can search a variety of info on specific country conditions, country reports on trafficking, religious freedom, human rights, etc.
- HealTorture also has specific information for some communities and countries. Using Google Scholar or a Research Database to search for research articles about the resettled community’s trends are useful
- Advocating within team/organization to have time allotted for research/education about different communities we work with can help as well
- Any suggestions on how to support families on facing racism in America?
- I think that giving basic understanding of how racial tensions have evolved can be helpful. Helping people to understand their rights, and resources available to them (e.g. ACLU)
- Acculturative stress includes facing racism and discrimination. I see not being afraid to address this in client encounters as a way to let clients know that there is space for them to bring up their concerns, as critical to our roles
- Peer Consultation Groups – If you are a member of NCTTP and/or a Survivor of Torture grant recipient of ORR, you can ask to be put on our Peer Consultation Group by emailing Sara Bracewell at [email protected].
- Suggested resources for case managers who are entering this field with lived experiences who may not ever study social work, but who provide these services? How do we best equip these staff who provide such important firsthand expertise, understanding, and care?
- Resources, webinars, trainings, and articles
- National Child Traumatic Stress Network
- Switchboard has a lot of training resources for service providers working with refugees, www.switchboardta.org or directly to their resources page
- National Consortium of Torture Treatment Program website
- Healtorture.org, as well as their eLearning Page of trainings/online courses
Presenters:
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Nancy J. Murakami, DSW, MSW, LCSW , Assistant Professor at Pacific University