Enews fall 2013 by CPHsocialworkdept

Fall 2013 e-‐Newsle.er

Stay Connected:

Please take a moment & let us know what you are up to! HSUsocialworkALUMNIupdates

__________________________

Make a Gi=:

When comple:ng the "giving" form, please enter Social Work in the comment box. This will ensure that we receive your giT. Thank you.

Dear Students, Alumni and Community Members, Please accept my gree:ngs and my invita:on to enjoy this short newsle?er highligh:ng what’s going on in the Department of Social Work at Humboldt State. We in the department have heard from students, alumni, faculty, staﬀ, and community members that they’d like to stay connected with our programs. We believe that this regular newsle?er is one way to do that. We’d also like to hear from you. Let us know what you are up to and perhaps we can include this informa:on in a future newsle?er. For now, check out some of what’s happening. Warmly, Ronnie Swartz Chair, Department of Social Work ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________

NaDonal & Community Partnerships

NaDonal AssociaDon of Social Workers -‐ CA Chapter The Na:onal Associa:on of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organiza:on of professional social workers in the world, with 140,000 members. Most recently, Merris Obie, BASW Senior at Humboldt State Univeristy, was appointed to the Professional Develop-‐ ment Commi?ee for the Na:onal Associa:on of Social Workers-‐California Chapter (NASW-‐CA). She a?ended her ﬁrst mee:ng in Oakland, CA, this October. Last year, Merris served as the

Semester Spotlights -‐ Fall 2013

Seventh GeneraDon Fund's ongoing Respec&ng the Rights of Mother Earth campaign, Co-‐hosted by the HSU Department of Social Work

This fall as part of the ongoing Respec/ng the Rights of Mother Earth campaign the Department of Social Work co-‐hosted a collabora:ve dialogue in Humboldt State University’s Na:ve Forum highligh:ng the spiritual, environmental, social, and poli:cal rela:onships that we, as peoples of the Earth, have with the Natural World. In addi:on to the forum, Seventh Genera:on Fund's three-‐part campaign included an art show and recep:on during October's Arts Arcata, and a beneﬁt evening for the organiza:on at Bear River's Tish-‐non Village. Respec/ng the Rights of Mother Earth forum featured both Na:ve and non-‐Na:ve speakers from local communi:es, social jus:ce ac:vists, environmentalists and ar:sts on the topic of the Rights of Mother Earth. Presenters included: Tonya Gonnella Frichner (Onondaga), Luis Macas (Saraguro) from Ecuador, Chris Peters (Pohlik-‐lah/Karuk), Michael Yellow Bird (Arikara/Hidatsa), Jessica Hall, Sco? Greacen, Kaitlin Sopoci-‐Belknap, Morgan Corviday Hollis, Dania Rose Colegrove (Hupa/Yurok/Karuk), Gary Hughes, and other Indigenous leaders and luminaries. The mee:ng brought together tribal Na:ons, scholars, students, faculty, community members, ac:vists, and organiza:ons to share their eﬀorts and best prac:ces with regard to implemen:ng the perspec:ve of protec:ng the Earth and all her inhabitants. Image: Dr. Michael Yellow Bird's presenta:on at Respec:ng the Rights of Mother Earth

(NASW-‐CA, cont.)

Student Director-‐North, for NASW-‐CA and was successful in her $20,000 request for proposal (RFP) to NASW Board of Directors crea:ng the ﬁrst Bird Woman Na:ve American Social Work Student Scholarship in the state. 20 applicants from numerous colleges and universi:es will receive $1,000 scholarships. __________________________

Student Story

Jessica Ehlers, Distributed Learning (DL) MSW Student Jessica is a second year Graduate Student in the

Image: (leT to right) Dr. Michael Yellow Bird, Ah Pah, Cedric Aaron

Department PerspecDve

Michael Yellow Bird -‐ MSW, Ph.D. MSW Program Director

Genuine, collabora:ve connec:ons between the Department of Social Work at Humboldt State University and Indigenous/Na:ve American groups and communi:es are important to the mission of the Department, as well as to the commitment that our Department holds for the sovereignty and rights of Indigenous Peoples. Below are some of the connec:ons we currently have with Na:ve organiza:ons: Blue Creek Ah Pah Tradi/onal Yurok Village project: This collabora:on enables our students and faculty to visit the tradi:onal village and learn how the tradi:ons of Yurok people oﬀer a number of important sustainable solu:ons to the growing list of global problems, including cultural preserva:on and renewal, community building, ecological stewardship, and healing. Seventh Genera/on Fund: The Seventh Genera:on (SGF) is an interna:onal Indigenous, non-‐proﬁt organiza:on devoted to upholding the uniqueness and the sovereignty of Indigenous Na:ons throughout the world. Na/ve Wellness Council: The Social Work Department maintains an advisory council of Indigenous and non-‐Indigenous professionals, leaders, and organiza:ons that help guide curriculum development, policies, and research that focuses on the empowerment of Indigenous Peoples’ communi:es.

(Student Story, cont.) Distributed Learning (DL) MSW Program. She chose the DL program because, living in a rural area and as a mother raising a child, she wanted to be able to work at her present job to support her family, not miss out on paren:ng her child and also con:nue her educa:onal goals while s:ll living in a community she loves. "I chose the HSU program specifically because of the affordability and the emphasis on using our technology to pull course content from campus and other students into the social work strata in the town I live in, instead of in a purely academic environment" says Jessica. "The DL program fits into my free :me. I would be lying if I admi?ed it wasn't a lot of work, there is! I work in the mental health field so it's a natural applica:on of what I learn in school. My learning enriches my workplace, my level of sophis:ca:on and my confidence.

Yurok Circles of Care project: Students and faculty in collabora:on with the Yurok tribe seek to develop a behavioral/mental health service model for Yurok children, youth and transi:on age adults 0-‐25 and their families. For this project, the renewal of tradi:onal Yurok prac:ces, values and beliefs is presented as a sustainable model for improving, promo:ng and suppor:ng health and wellness in the Yurok community. The Department of Social Work at Humboldt State University engages in 'decolonizing' social work. It recognizes that there con:nues to be numerous threats to Indigenous Peoples as most are situated in se?ler colonial socie:es that have, and con:nue to, deprive them of their rights, culture, and dignity. Some of the threats include: the con:nua:on of coloniza:on of Indigenous Peoples lives and lands, the use of Western colonial social work prac:ces and educa:on that privilege se?ler social work knowledge and ideology; the use of “development” by the state and corporate world to perpetuate the ecocide of Indigenous Peoples’ environments, the unabated industrializa:on of society that is contribu:ng to climate change and dispropor:onately aﬀects Indigenous Peoples; the poor health outcomes of Indigenous Peoples due to their par:cipa:on and loca:on in colonial society; the ongoing racisms that are subtly and openly directed at these groups. Our Department recognizes that engaging in ‘decolonizing’ social work requires a focus on the strengths of Indigenous Peoples while challenging, dismantling, and rejec:ng the oppressive structures and ideas of Western society, and help to mi:gate these threats. We recognize that decolonized social work embraces the liberatory cultural prac:ces of Indigenous Peoples, their environmental knowledge, and their acts of sovereignty and resistance against the oppressive colonial order. Professor Yellow Bird is a ci/zen of the Arikara (Sahnish) and Hidatsa Na/ons in North Dakota. His scholarship and ac/vism focuses on: Na/ve American and other Indigenous Peoples cultural and poli/cal rights; Indigenous Peoples’ health and wellness, neurodeocoloniza/on and mindfulness; and Coloniza/on and methods of Decoloniza/on. See his most recent publica/on here: Decolonizing Social Work. ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

(Student Story, cont.) More benefits have to do with the peers I have met and I have grown close to during our studies. Being from different areas, we always have rich content to share and I have made terrific, unbeatable friends." Jessica's educa:onal background is in Art Therapy and Addic:ons. She graduated from California Ins:tute of Integral Studies (CIIS) with a BA in Integra:ve Studies. Presently, she works at a non-‐ profit aimed at providing housing for the homeless. Her goal is to use her educa:on to further assist others who struggle with where they sit on the mental health spectrum -‐ be they confused about a path to take or recently diagnosed with something major and trying to wrap their brain around it. She wants to use her voice to further the safe protec:on of people who struggle.

Alumni Highlight

Cedric Keith Aaron, Jr., 2011

In 2010, Cedric Keith Aaron, Jr. relocated his family to Humboldt County from Chico. A social work mentor recommended working in the field before a?ending graduate school and he moved to accept a posi:on at Remi Vista, Inc. aTer interning with them during his BSW program at Chico State University. Working with foster youth and their families for that year lit his passion to make social work a career, con:nue his educa:on at Humboldt State University, and apply as an Advanced Standing MSW student. Although his wife was born and raised in Humboldt County, Cedric is from the Bay Area and knew a rural community life with very li?le racial diversity would be a challenge for him at first. In graduate school, he found sta:s:cs reflec:ng the lack of African American clinical social workers to be extremely concerning and this, along with Humboldt County's demographics, has driven his passion and advocacy for diversity among social work professionals, especially those who are providing clinical services.

Cedric researched California Social Work Educa:on Center (CalSWEC) Mental Health S:pend Program and found it would give him the classroom and hands-‐on experience he would need. He was awarded a s:pend for the 2010-‐11 academic year and secured a clinical internship placement with Humboldt County Mental Health, where he was able to gain experience in both emergency services and jail services. Being able to focus on clinical social work with a competent professor and Mental Health S:pend Program peers in an in:mate sepng provided the space for him to talk about diagnoses, systems theory, strengths-‐based/client-‐centered services, working in an intense environment, and self care. Interning at the county's 24-‐hour psychiatric hospital and county jail also gave him the clinical experience employers want (e.g., crisis interven:on, suicide risk assessment, comprehensive assessment/DSM diagnosing, developing client plans, and working in an inter-‐agency capacity). Once a masters level clinical posi:on became open for the county, it was a smooth transi:on because most of the mental health staﬀ knew him and the skills he was bringing into the mental health branch. Cedric is now comple:ng hours towards his LCSW and is employed as a full-‐:me mental health clinician in Humboldt County's juvenile correc:onal facili:es.

"I always knew I wanted to work with folks in the criminal jus:ce system because people can easily get lost in that system without the proper support, which could lead to prison incarcera:on, problema:c drug/alcohol use, and unresolved mental health disabili:es," says Cedric. "I also wanted to work with the incarcerated popula:on because I believe that some people view them as 'disposable' or 'forgo?en and done'. The kids I work with are amazing young people." Cedric invites HSU students to contact him at caaron@co.humboldt.ca.us with any ques:ons (e.g., undergraduate/graduate school ques:ons, working with the criminal jus:ce system, providing clinical services). ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________

Our mailing address is: Department of Social Work Humboldt State University 1 Harpst Street * Arcata, CA 95521