scholarly journals A cross-cultural East-West appraisal of mental health curricula

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 55-77
Author(s):  
Peter Szto ◽  
Sara Ashencaen Crabtree ◽  
He Xuesong ◽  
Karen Rolf

This paper considers findings from a cross-cultural project comparing mental health curricula across three schools of social work located in both China, specifically Shanghai, Hong Kong; and finally, Omaha, USA. Chinese philosophies and belief systems are reviewed as they pertain to mental illness and well-being. Additionally, the influence of dominant discourses informing professional practice and the development of indigenous social work practice are considered. Findings indicate that in the Chinese universities mental health social work curricula appears to balance pedagogical approaches towards providing students with up-to-date knowledge on psychopathology and psychiatric social work, while offering significant weighting to traditional philosophies and belief systems. The discussion revolves around the issue of developing Chinese practitioners equipped to work within medicalised, health settings but with sufficient indigenous knowledge to offer culturally congruent practice to local populations.

Author(s):  
Sadye L. M. Logan

John Myron Rockmore (1913–2002) had an outstanding career in which he developed and expanded psychiatric social work practice as an essential component of World War II and post-World War II mental health programs. He was a strong advocate for a strong social work presence in the Connecticut mental health department.


1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-85
Author(s):  
Paula T. Tanemura Morelli

In the United States, our increasing populations of ethnic and racial minorities suffering with severe mental illnesses require culturally sensitive and culturally appropriate mental health services. The multiple facets of work involving culturally diverse individuals with severe mental illness challenge social work faculty to prepare students with salient, useful knowledge and skills. This teaching module, which utilizes the International Pilot Study of Schizophrenia: Five-year follow-up findings (Leff et al., 1992) is applicable to practice, human behavior in the social environment, and policy courses. The module examines the findings of a large scale, longitudinal study of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia in nine countries. The learning process encourages students to think critically about the cross-cultural applicability of western diagnosis, treatment, and service provision models, to learn more about cultural constructions of illness and well-being, and to explore the nature of systemic and other barriers that prevent individuals with severe mental illness from obtaining services.


2000 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kam-shing Yip

This article is a critical review about the community care movement in mental health services in the UK and the USA. This movement has important implications for psychiatric social work practice. First, social workers have to enrich the concept of community care with those of normalization and social integration. Second, they have to develop an accepting community for mental patients and outpatients. Finally, they are the most suitable people to integrate formal and informal community care.


2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 1234-1246
Author(s):  
Lambert K. Engelbrecht ◽  
Abigail Ornellas

Purpose Within a neoliberal environment, financial vulnerability of households has become an increasing challenge and there is a requirement of financial literacy education, a necessary activity to facilitate sustainable development and well-being. However, this is seldom a mainstream discourse in social work deliberations. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach First, introducing the neoliberal impact on financial well-being and capability for vulnerable households, the authors’ postulation is substantiated on a seven-point argument. The contexts of financially vulnerable households are sketched. Second, a conceptualisation of financial literacy is offered, and third, perspectives on and approaches to financial literacy as a fundamental capability are presented. This is followed by a theoretical foundation of community education as a practice model in social work to develop financial capabilities. In the fifth place, prevailing practices of Financial Capabilities Development (FCD) programmes are offered. Subsequently, the implications of a neoliberal environment for social work practice are examined. Findings The revised global definition of social work encourages the profession to understand and address the structural causes of social problems through collective interventions. As a response, it is argued that community education towards FCD of vulnerable households within a neoliberal environment should be an essential discourse in social development. Originality/value The authors reflect on the significance of FCD, highlighting its contribution towards human security and sustainable development. Although this paper draws on Southern African contexts, the discourse finds resonance in other contexts across the world.


2021 ◽  
pp. 104973152110109
Author(s):  
Marjorie Johnstone

This article examines how mental health social work practice can move outside the hegemony of the medical model using approaches that honor the centering of social justice. By using the philosophical analysis of epistemic injustice and the ethics of knowing, I move out of the traditional psychiatric and psychological conceptual frameworks and discuss new guiding principles for practice. In the context of the radical tradition in social work and the impetus to blend theory with practice, I consider the use of narrative and anti-oppressive approaches to center social justice principles in individual dyadic work as well as in wider systems family and community work and policy advocacy. I evaluate these approaches through the principles of epistemic justice and discuss the importance of a relational collaborative approach where honoring the client and exploring lived experience are central to both the concepts of testimonial justice, hermeneutic justice and anti-oppressive practice.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annahita Ball

Abstract The persistent and systemic inequities within the U.S. public education system have grave implications for children’s and youth’s outcomes, yet these inequities go far beyond academics. Marginalized and vulnerable students experience injustices across the educational system, including disproportionality in school discipline, unequal access to advanced courses, and poor conditions for learning. Social work has a solid history of addressing issues that intersect across families, schools, and communities, but the profession has had little engagement in the recent educational justice movement. As educational scholars advance a movement to address educational inequities, it will be increasingly important for social work researchers to provide valuable insight into the multiple components that make up youth development and support positive well-being for all individuals within a democratic society. This article encourages social work researchers to extend lines of inquiry that investigate educational justice issues by situating social work practice and research within educational justice and suggesting an agenda for future social work research that will advance equity for all students.


2005 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 593-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kam-shing Yip

Authentization, indigenization, cultural sensitivity, cultural competence and globalization are controversial issues in cross-cultural social work. In this article, the writer tries to clarify all these related concepts. In terms of various Asian cultural contexts, a model of dynamic Asian response and exchange in the field of cross-cultural social work practice in Asian countries is suggested. French L'authentization, l'indigénisation, la sensibilité culturelle, la compétence interculturelle et la mondialisation sont des questions controversées en travail social interculturel. Dans cet article, l'auteur tend à clarifier ces concepts interliés et suggère une réponse et des échanges asiatiques dynamiques dans le contexte culturel diversifié des contrées de l'Asie. Spanish La autencización, la indigenización, la sensibilidad cultural, la competencia cultural y la globalización son asuntos controvertidos en el trabajo social transcultural. El autor trata de clarificar todos estos relacionados conceptos. Respecto a varios contextos culturales de Asia, el autor sugiere un modelo dinámico de intercambio y respuesta asiática a la práctica de trabajo social transcultural en países de Asia.


2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (7) ◽  
pp. 2002-2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Kotera ◽  
P Green ◽  
D Sheffield

Abstract Despite high shame about mental health symptoms among UK social work students, positive psychological approaches to their mental health have not been investigated in depth. Emotional resilience has been a core skill in social work practice; however, its relationship with mental health is still unclear. Therefore, the primary purposes of this cross-sectional study were to (i) examine the relationships between mental health and positive psychological constructs, namely resilience, self-compassion, motivation and engagement and (ii) determine predictors of mental health in UK social work students. An opportunity sampling of 116 UK social work students (102 females, 14 males; 96 undergraduates, 20 postgraduates) completed 5 measures about these constructs. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted. Mental health was associated with resilience, self-compassion and engagement. Self-compassion was a negative predictor, and intrinsic motivation was a positive predictor of mental health symptoms. Resilience did not predict mental health symptoms. The findings highlight the importance of self-compassion to the challenging mental health of UK social work students; they caution against the overuse and misunderstanding of resilience in the social work field.


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