Creating, Recruiting, and Developing: Key Tasks and Their Challenges

The ECHO model is uniquely suited to developing education for a wide range of agencies and providers serving the needs of older adults with IDD. The program’s structure and its educational philosophy depend on modeling teamwork in both the hub and the spokes. Recruitment of participants included paid caregivers, healthcare practitioners, and direct service providers, focusing on team participation at each site. In developing the curriculum, it was critical to recognize the roles played by each sector, as well as the complementary contributions of others. Consequently, curriculum content needed to be multidisciplinary and multifocal, and recognize both the breadth of contributors and time limits in selecting content for each session. Didactic presentations and case studies embodied these features. Priorities included best practices in person-centered care; differential diagnoses; and physical, social, and environmental factors. The facilitators of, and challenges to, these priorities offer implications for advancing educational programs with similar objectives.

Mental Health and Wellness of Service Providers Working with People Experiencing Homelessness in Canada: A National Survey from the Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Santé Mentale et Bien-Être Des Prestataires de Services Qui Travaillent Avec Des Personnes en Situation D’itinérance au Canada : un Sondage National sur la Deuxième Vague de la Pandémie COVID-19

Objective: This study examined the scope of common mental health problems and perceived impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic among direct service providers working with people experiencing homelessness in Canada. Method: This cross-sectional study used an online survey that was disseminated to homeless service, supportive housing, and harm reduction organizations and networks. Data were collected on depression, anxiety, stress, post-traumatic stress, compassion satisfaction and fatigue, and substance use problems as well as pandemic-related changes in mental health and wellness. A total of 701 service providers completed the survey and were included in data analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the primary research questions, with hierarchical multiple regression models also being fit to explore mental health and wellness differences by occupational service setting. Results: Most direct service providers (79.5%) working with people experiencing homelessness reported a decline in their mental health during the pandemic. There were high rates of common mental health problems within the sample that are largely consistent with those found among health-care workers during the pandemic. Occupational service settings were not associated with the severity of mental health problems, indicating pervasive issues across the workforce, though providers who were younger and spent more time in direct service roles were at greater risk. Conclusions: The common mental health problems and negative impacts of the pandemic among service providers working with people experiencing homelessness highlight a highly vulnerable workforce that could benefit from improved access to supports. Given the similarities between our findings and other studies examining essential workforces, it is recommended that initiatives that provide accessible mental health care to the health-care workforce during the pandemic be expanded to include homeless and social service providers.

A Measure for Supporting Implementation of Direct Telehealth Therapy with Treatment Integrity

As direct telehealth therapy sessions are being increasingly provided for safety reasons during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical to ensure that sessions are implemented with integrity by direct service providers. While existing research addresses the efficacy of the telehealth model, there is no literature on integrity measures tied to this service model. Without a framework or point of reference, clinicians new to the field or telehealth therapy may not be able or willing to attempt to implement telehealth therapy. The telehealth therapy treatment integrity measure (TTTIM) is designed to delineate components of effective telehealth therapy, including both aspects of instruction that should be generalized from in-person sessions to telehealth therapy sessions as well as new elements that are unique to telehealth therapy. A description of how the measure can be utilized to support training, both initial and ongoing, of direct service providers is included. This measure can support clinicians in ensuring that direct service providers are working within their scope of competence when providing telehealth therapy.

Traumatic brain injury and intimate partner violence: Addressing knowledge and service gaps among indigenous populations in Canada

BackgroundTraumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious consequence of intimate partner violence (IPV) that is often overlooked. In the case of Indigenous women in Canada the challenges are broad, multidimensional, and left almost entirely unexplored. Given the elevated rates of violence and injury experienced by women exposed to IPV and the increased levels of physical assault among Indigenous women in Canada, it is important to understand the unique experiences and service needs of these women. This study sought to identify barriers and facilitating factors for TBI-sensitive service provision for Indigenous women experiencing IPV.Method:As part of a larger national stakeholder consultation process to develop a TBI educational toolkit for IPV service providers, input from Indigenous stakeholders was specifically sought to allow for insights into unique challenges and strengths related to this population. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with IPV direct-service providers, support professionals, and advocates working with Canadian First Nations and Inuit women.Findings:Findings suggest that multiple intersections of marginalization, shame and stigma, and colonization, coupled with significant barriers to service provision in remote communities are such that solutions generated for urban-based settler populations are ineffective.Conclusions:Recommendations include a widespread educational campaign to raise awareness of the seriousness of TBI among Indigenous women exposed to IPV. Education is particularly important among healthcare and direct service providers, survivors and their families and communities, legal professionals and child protection agencies, and Indigenous and settler government bodies. Future research should focus on expanding our understanding of this complex issue and developing culturally sensitive, community-based supports.

The Cultural Competency for Working With Asian American Clients Scale

Objectives: Many Asian Americans tend to report receiving lower quality services from direct service providers. Improving the cultural competence of social workers and other professionals who work with Asian Americans may address this dissatisfaction. To date, there are few tools to help educators and supervisors evaluate the level of cultural competence of social workers and other health professionals. This study reports on the development and testing of a cultural competence measure to evaluate social workers’ preparedness for working with Asian American clients. Method: Based on a sample of 294 student social workers, the final 29-item instrument is a reliable and valid tool. Results: The instrument shows strong content validity according to expert panelists, robust reliability, excellent model fit, and preliminary evidence of construct validity. Conclusion: The validated Cultural Competency with Asian American Clients Scale could be used by social work educators in planning courses and assessing student readiness for work with Asian Americans.

Men Speak Out: The Life Experiences of Men in Gender Advocacy Groups in Davao City, Philippines

The media often portray men as violent. This study of two men’s groups, MOVE-Davao, and MR GAD seeks to find an alternative discourse of men joining groups that are geared towards the attainment of gender equality. The study looked into the lives of men who are members of two gender advocacy groups and their reasons for engagement. It employed qualitative approach- social phenomenology where 12 participants were interviewed. Participants of MOVE-Davao mostly hold key positions in both public and private sectors. For MR GAD, most men members are direct service providers in their respective communities especially on the aspect of dispute resolution. As men of MOVE-Davao and MR GAD have become involved in the gender advocacy groups, their life experiences suggest a myriad of opportunities for displaying their creativeness, communicating with fellow men, counseling couples, transforming one’s self and other people and enjoying the group’s activities despite some challenges encountered. Men’s engagement in these gender advocacy groups is anchored on caring and helping others. Other reasons include their love for children, being free from gender stereotypes and the material and non-material rewards. The study recommends that men must be given space to participate in development work as they bring a new strategy so that they can affect new consciousness not just in the formal structures of power but also at the informal level.

An Examination Of Cross Cultural Competence In International Business: The Case Of The Subsidiaries

Cultural competence as approached in this paper enables individuals and organizations to work or respond effectively across cultures in ways that the values, beliefs, traditions and customs are recognized. This study uses Jaccarino & Kendall (2004) empirical model to understand the cross-cultural competence process in an organization. The model consists of four elements: cultural awareness, skill development, developmental planning, and organization strategy. Moreover, this paper explores similarities and differences that exists and the business implications that results from cultural competence variations. Null hypothesis 1 covers the comparison between international subsidiaries by stating that there are no differences in cultural competence between two subsidiaries (United States and Mexico) of an international firm once they operate under unified directives. Null hypothesis 2 covers the comparison within each subsidiary by stating that there are no differences in cultural competence between administrators and direct service providers/clerks in each subsidiary (United States and Mexico) of an international firm.