An interpretive phenomenological analysis of resilience: Implications for social work practice during contemporary social issues

Resilience is generally defined as one's ability to adapt, surpass, or rebound from the experience or threat of substantial adversity. The study of resilience is an essential and complex component of social work practice, yet research suggests that many social workers struggle with proficient knowledge as well as the mindful application of the critical construct of resilience theory. As a result, a social worker's theoretical approach may lack the focus on the constructs, aims, tenets, and assumptions of resilience theory when applied to work with diverse, marginalized, vulnerable, and disenfranchised populations. This holds especially true in challenging times such as civil unrest and global crises (i.e., the COVID-19 pandemic) when social workers are bombarded with the needs of their consumers, their community, and their own interpersonal needs. This study sought to understand how constructs of resiliency theory can be instrumental in understanding how social workers make meaning of resilience as they respond to the intersectional adversity experienced during contemporary social issues. The responses from the social workers' interviews suggested three major themes: Resilience is Active Rather Than Passive, Prior Experiences Shape Resilience Understanding, and Resilience Perspectives Impacts Social Work Practice. The findings of this qualitative research project will generate opportunities to integrate resiliency theory into a unified framework for reflective and culturally responsive social work practice in these challenging times. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Putting the 'virtual' into supervision during the covid-19 pandemic and beyond

This study examined the experiences of practicing Children's Services Social Workers in a London Local Authority accessing virtual (online) social work supervision during the COVID-19 pandemic between March 2020 and January 2021. This study applied a reflective framework and guiding theories for exploring how supervision brings opportunities for reflective learning, and it considered individual needs within supervision. Study methods comprised an anonymised online questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Twenty-two participants completed the questionnaire, and eight participants took part in the semi-structured interviews. This research aimed to explore the impacts on practitioners of the change from face-to-face to 'virtual' supervision and if all core elements of supervision are addressed. The findings suggest that there was a mixed experience for supervisees with some elements of the supervision functions being consistently met, and others being more variable. Generally, participants found virtual supervision a positive experience, whilst however missing some face-to-face elements. Having a pre-existing relationship with the supervisor was noted to help, and connectivity was also highlighted as important. However, for some participants, particular elements of supervision appeared to have been missed altogether such as Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and part of the Mediation function. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Social work in the age of disconnection: Narrative case studies

In 2020, social workers stood out as essential, frontline workers. This edited text brings together the stories of nine clinical social workers working during COVID-19, exploring the disconnections caused by a forced use of technology as well as the disconnections apparent in a time of social injustice. In the spirit of tolerating the ambiguous spaces of unknowing, the textbook presents no right answers or specific agendas. Instead, it inspires reader engagement and connective thinking by presenting a series of explorations where writing is as much a method of inquiry as a statement about what is true. This book begins with three accounts of "Connection During Times of Disconnection" in cases that show the ways that young and old have benefited from the technology. Then, in "Ambivalence and Connection through the Screen", the book presents cases that challenge hopeful views, worrying about the unique effects of 21st-century dissociation and disembodiment. Finally, in "Bridging the Gap: Disconnection and Reconnection During Times of Social Change", it explores the disconnection between humans in an age of racial conflict and inequality. Employing narrative strategies to capture this transformative moment of our history, these chapters will explore the effects of technology and social media on psychotherapy, the delivery of services for the chronically mentally ill and elderly, as well as the consequences of recent cultural shifts on our conceptions of gender, sexuality, race, the immigrant experience, and political activism. While traditional research methodologies tend to address social problems as if they were divorced from the lives and experiences of human beings, these chapters employ phenomenological description of how the existing system functions, to identify theory-to-practice gaps and to recover the experiences of the person within the various institutional structures. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Disasters in times of sheltering in place: Social work and the COVID-19 pandemic

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The virus is primarily spread between people during close contact via small virulent droplets produced by coughing, sneezing, and talking, with less common infection spread by touching a contaminated surface and then touching one's face. The coronavirus pandemic has also disrupted the provision of social work services ranging from child welfare and school social work to clinical and psychiatric social work. During the COVID-19 emergency, states and localities issued emergency stay-at-home orders requiring the temporary closure of nonessential businesses, including some private social work practices. As the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, social work practice will adjust to the needs of the client groups. The most vulnerable and marginalized populations will experience greater impacts on their health;welfare;economic stability;and access to medical care, education, and technology. Social work will have a valuable role to play in the amelioration of negative impacts that are devastating the United States and the world. The infusion of telemedicine and teletherapy in social work practice seems inevitable, and it is hoped that these will provide an efficient and effective new social work practice modality. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

On the online self as an extension of personhood

Social workers must adapt along with the technology that both they and their clients are using and utilize it as a tool for exploration of identity formation, recognizing unique experiences in the online realm shape their perceptions of themselves and the world around them. The speed at which global populations turned to the online world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, when they were perhaps underprepared to do so, has complicated the feelings about being digital and skewed the discussions of online life to focus on the struggles of lacking "normal" human interactions. Adolescents who have already for years been forming their identities through an online world are participating in similar experiential activities that the generations before them have, but the means and mode of doing so have changed. While for years, many people have tried to limit the amount of time and energy that they put into their online lives, the changing landscape has forced many who had little interest in living lives online to grapple with their identity in a virtual world. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Emerging fields of practice in American social work

Since its beginnings, American social work has evolved in response to social injustices and human needs confronting our society. Social workers have assisted immigrants in resettlement and developed policy for financial assistance and alleviation of poverty for millions of Americans. They engaged in the fight for civil rights;worked to combat stigma;and gained services for many disenfranchised groups, including those afflicted with HIV, the mentally ill, the addicted, the homeless, and survivors of violence. Increasingly, social workers are moving into spaces where they can provide help and support more readily and with less stigma than more traditional practice settings have afforded. And although social workers have long been involved in disasters as first responders, the COVID-19 pandemic is a strong impetus for the profession to reconceptualize the practice of social work in the face of a health crisis that requires a multidimensional response to needed social care. On the micro level, social workers who are skilled in trauma-based work will also find their skills and expertise in greater demand as many first responders, health care providers, and families who experienced the loss of loved ones will require mental health services. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Social work under COVID-19: A thematic analysis of articles in 'SW2020 under COVID-19 magazine'

This article presents a thematic analysis of 100 articles which appeared in 'SW2020 under COVID-19' online magazine, authored by people with lived experience, practitioners, students and academics. The magazine was founded by an editorial collective of the authors of this article and ran as a free online magazine during the period of the first UK COVID-19 lockdown period (March-July 2020). It contained a far higher proportion of submissions from the first three groups of contributors, above, than traditional journals. The analysis is organised under four analytic themes: 'Hidden populations;Life, loss and hope;Practising differently and Policy and system change'. The article concludes by describing the apparent divergence between accounts that primarily suggest evidence of improved working relationships between social workers and those they serve via digital practices, and accounts suggesting that an increasingly authoritarian social work practice has emerged under COVID-19. We argue that, notwithstanding this divergence, an upsurge in activism within social work internationally during the pandemic provides a basis for believing that the emergence of a community-situated, socially engaged social work is possible post-pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Rural social work practice

Rural social work is practiced in United States (U.S.) Census-defined rural areas and in small towns and frontier areas throughout the United States. Rural people tend to have many of the same diversities as urban populations but with the added diversity of being from a rural community, and social workers who work with them require deep knowledge of the communities in which they live. Poverty is an ongoing nuanced social problem in rural communities. Rural social work agencies often address needs for housing, food security, and mental health and addiction services as itinerant workers move to work in these industries. Practice in rural areas can be rewarding but also presents some professional challenges. Gaining cultural competence ultimately becomes an important issue if the worker did not grow up in the rural community. All social workers have a professional responsibility to advocate for social justice and equitable distribution of resources. For social work policy advocates, the time is ripe for advocacy for fair telehealth reimbursement because the coronavirus pandemic has placed a spotlight on even the urban area need for telehealth services and has accelerated research on the best practice standards of what can safely and effectively be provided via telehealth. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The E-OSCE and social work education: Creating authentic, high-impact practice learning opportunities for students

Advances in technology, non-traditional students, and a new generation of e-learners all challenge institutions of higher learning to support innovations that create relevant distance education opportunities for their students. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic dramatic shifts to education occurred, requiring schools of social work to consider new ways to prepare students for the field and new evaluation methods of students' practice skills. Smoyer and colleagues explored this further in their study on BSW students' experiences in distance education during the pandemic and found when students were unexpectedly thrust into online learning platforms most were able to learn online;however, substantive interactivity and synchronous engagement were factors that were necessary to maintain student overall satisfaction in the distance learning environment. In addition, they point out the need for interactive technology in online social work classrooms to simulate the human interaction that is essential to student learning and practice. The online objective, structured clinical examination (e-OSCE) is one form of online simulation-based learning that offers highly interactive and engaging HIP learning opportunities for social work students. The OSCE is a standardized, valid, and reliable assessment method that social work education programs use to ensure successful practice skills development. This study used a qualitative, exploratory embedded single-case method to investigate online MSW students' experiences participating in an e-OSCE, their perspectives on the use of an e-OSCE in online social work education, and future practice considerations students identify upon completing the e-OSCE. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

COVID-19 and youth living in poverty: The ethical considerations of moving from in-person interviews to a photovoice using remote methods

COVID-19 hit and instantaneously research using in-person methods were paused. As feminist and critical social work scholars and researchers, we began to consider the implications of pausing our ongoing project exploring the provisioning and resilience of youth living in low-income, lone mother households. Reflexively, we wondered how the youth, families, and issues we were connected to would be impacted by the pandemic. We were pulled into both ethical and methodological questions. While the procedural ethics of maintaining safety were clear, what became less clear were the relational ethics. What was brought into question were our own social positions and our roles and responsibilities in our relationships with the youth. For both ethical and methodological reasons, we decided to expand the original research scope from in-person interviews to include a photovoice to be executed using online, remote methods. In this article, we discuss those ethical and methodological tensions. In the first part, we discuss the relational ethics that propelled us to commit to expanding our work, while in the second part, we discuss our move to combining photovoice and remote methods. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Social work involvement in the COVID-19 response in China: Interdisciplinary remote networking

Summary: Social workers in China have been involved significantly in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This article introduces the innovative interdisciplinary remote networking framework which both provides a guide for medical and community social workers' involvement during the COVID-19 outbreaks, and also to support interdisciplinary collaboration with the aim of helping individuals and families in need during the pandemic. Findings: The implementation of interdisciplinary remote networking, developed by Chinese social workers, has effectively addressed the different domains of need experienced by the affected population and has established a new approach for social work in the field of health. The framework also provides an effective model for setting up a targeted and sustained service system that links social workers with psychological and medical resources, which capitalize on social resources to buffer the negative impacts of the disease. Social workers play an essential role during such a public health emergency, providing critical services for patients and families, medical workers, self-quarantined residents, and the general population. Applications: The service mode of interdisciplinary remote networking, based on the frontline experiences of social work interventions in China, may serve as a framework for combating COVID-19 in other countries. The framework is among the initiatives that provide transferrable skills to social work practitioners working in network-based social work services during public health emergencies. Thus, the framework presents implications for future practice development in both disaster social work and also public health social work. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Impacts of COVID-19 on refugees and immigrants in the United States: A call for action

The COVID-19 crisis has increasingly exerted a disproportionate impact on the lives of migrant populations. A group of interdisciplinary migration experts convened a round table in June 2020, to discuss the numerous challenges faced by immigrants, refugees, and migrants in the United States. The discussion revealed many social inequities, including insufficient financial and social resources, non-existent or minimal health supports, lack of or inadequate access to community supports, and social and racial discrimination, among other difficulties. To promote social justice and encourage research, the ensuing essay is a call for action to stimulate and build knowledge about social work and public health issues as they relate to the needs of immigrants, refugees, and migrant populations in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) Abstract (French) La crise du COVID-19 a engendre un impact de plus en plus disproportionne sur la vie des populations migrantes. Un groupe interdisciplinaire d'experts en migration a organise une table ronde en juin 2020 pour discuter des nombreux defis auxquels sont confrontes les immigrant.e.s, les refugie.e.s et les migrant.e.s aux Etats-Unis. La discussion a revele de nombreuses inegalites sociales, notamment des ressources financieres et sociales insuffisantes, des solutions sanitaires inexistantes ou minimes, un acces insuffisant ou inadequat aux soutiens communautaires et la discrimination sociale et raciale, entre autres difficultes. Afin de promouvoir la justice sociale et d'encourager la recherche, l'essai qui s'ensuit est un appel a l'action pour stimuler et construire les connaissances en travail social face aux problemes de sante publique en ce qui concerne les besoins des immigrant.e.s, des refugie.e.s et des populations migrantes aux Etats-Unis pendant la pandemie de COVID-19. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) Abstract (Spanish) La crisis del COVID-19 ha ejercido cada vez mas un impacto desproporcionado en la vida de las poblaciones migrantes. Un grupo de expertos interdisciplinarios en migracion convoco una mesa redonda en junio de 2020 para discutir los numerosos desafios que enfrentan los inmigrantes, refugiados y migrantes en los Estados Unidos. La discusion revelo muchas inequidades sociales, incluyendo recursos economicos y sociales insuficientes, apoyos de salud inexistentes o minimos, falta o acceso inadecuado a apoyos comunitarios y discriminacion social y racial, entre otras dificultades. Para promover la justicia social y fomentar la investigacion, el ensayo que sigue es un llamado a la accion para estimular y construir conocimiento sobre temas de Trabajo Social y salud publica en relacion con las necesidades de los inmigrantes, refugiados y poblaciones migrantes en los Estados Unidos durante el COVID. 19 pandemia. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Changing cannabis policies and social work: Implications for students, families, and schools

State laws governing recreational and medicinal cannabis use are trending toward legalization, which has implications for school social workers and the students, families, and communities they serve. The patchwork of policies and conflicting public opinion sends mixed messages to youth and families who may lack sufficient information regarding risks of adolescent cannabis use. This article will explore topics relevant to legalization of cannabis including medical versus recreational use, racial overtones in marijuana policy, effects on student cognitive development and mental health, child welfare involvement, disparities in school discipline, criminal record expungement, and school-based cannabis prevention programs. The article will conclude with a summary of recommendations for schools. This article is a product of the research conducted by the Health Education and Leadership Scholars planning team at the University of Illinois for a policy-practice conference that was cancelled due to COVID-19. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Palliative care during the COVID-19 pandemic: Opportunities for growth in the face of loss and isolation

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in widespread infection and death throughout the world, impacting the work and role of palliative social workers. Nineteen palliative care specialists from around the world, including 15 palliative social workers, were interviewed about their experiences during the pandemic and themes, including inequity, grief and bereavement, end-of-life care in the midst of a pandemic, the impact of crises on palliative social work, and public health approaches to palliative care emerged. This chapter presents narratives that highlight the resilience, vulnerability, and innovative approaches of palliative social work colleagues around the world. It shares the narratives of palliative care clinicians from all over the world who could speak about the experiences of providing care in the midst of a pandemic. One of the core principles of social work practice is to understand the person-in-environment. Social work is steeped in a history of advocacy and social justice. The pandemic has shined a light on the grave inequities that exist around the globe, including food instability, human rights violations, inequitable access to quality health and end-of-life care, and inadequate housing. Transformation and growth may emerge from the experiences of loss and trauma. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Individual responsibility and disconnection: Practitioner experiences of the first wave covid19 lockdown

ABSTRACT The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia called for a lockdown that impacted the delivery of social work and human services. This study investigated the experiences of 15 social work and human service practitioners in Southeast Queensland, Australia. Telephone and Zoom interviews were conducted with practitioners and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Three themes arose: 1) technology problems;2) flexibility in work roles;3) supportive and unsupportive organisations. Findings suggested that practitioners faced challenges due to poor technology, reduced role clarity, and in some cases limited organisational support. Findings also provided insight into benefits that included increased flexibility, regular communication from the organisation, and acts of kindness and care from individuals and organisations. A fundamental lesson from this study was the importance for organisations to nurture connections that demonstrated care for employees during times of crisis. IMPLICATIONS Social work and human service practitioners need continued support in accessing and using software and hardware in preparation for crisis. While practitioners displayed resilience and flexibility during the COVID19 lockdown, clarity about work roles and responsibilities is necessary. Employers play a vital role in maintaining practitioner wellbeing during crisis by showing care and connection between individuals and across the wider organisation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

An emerging future for work and education: Implications for integrative learning in social work

Social work practice education should be designed for sustainability and relevance in emerging and future work contexts. Changes influencing the emerging world of work including transformations in services, communication technologies, distributed working patterns, and new priorities and identities should inform the design of the integrated learning components of the curriculum. Changes influencing the future delivery of education include increased demand for flexible, collaborative, networked and digital learning;pre-existing but rapidly accelerated because of COVID-19. Together, these drivers compel us to innovate to ensure graduates are practice ready and resilient in these evolving contexts. In this analysis of social work, nursing, and allied health literature diverse approaches to integrative learning are examined, generating an evidence base for informing decision making when innovating in the design of integrative learning. This article advocates an orientation towards the future world of work and education, as a lens for reimagining integrative learning in social work. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Responding to student mental health challenges during and post-COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, educators around the globe seek to understand how to support students whose academic performance is impacted by mental health challenges. This article presents a co-operative inquiry undertaken by colleagues in Canada and Australia, responding to the question;what insights can the existing Carleton University framework of reflective questions offer to educators responding to student mental health challenges in social work education during the COVID-19 pandemic? The risks and complexities of attending to student mental health needs are illustrated by a pandemic-informed case study that extends the framework into this unique context and illustrates the importance of respecting learning requirements, combating discrimination, protecting students' rights, and honouring the professional and legislative mandates of social work within all responses aimed at supporting student mental health resilience during COVID-19. This article acknowledges the limitations of previous practices guiding work with students with mental health needs during any period of crisis or disaster and demonstrates that the Carleton University framework assists in developing improved processes and policy grounded in social work's commitment to social justice and critical reflection. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Utilizing a critical race theory lens to reduce barriers to social and emotional learning: A call to action

Social and emotional learning (SEL) and equity issues have each been complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic for students of color. This brief seeks to call to action school social workers who can identify social and emotional barriers to learning that students of color experience in schools through a critical race theory (CRT) lens. School social workers are well positioned to address equity concerns and systemic racism in schools. They play a key role in addressing SEL, reducing equity barriers, and navigating the CRT opposition. The authors view the role of the school social worker as an integral part of social and emotional teaching and learning. This is a call to mobilize school social workers to advocacy roles for SEL, equity, and racism concerns that have long impacted students of color. The authors' aim is to provide social workers with actionable strategies in reducing social and emotional barriers to learning for students of color. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The doctor within: Integrative health, social work, and palliative care

Integrative medicine, social work, and palliative care overlap and complement each other in a variety of ways. This chapter presents an overview of this synergy;reviews integrative therapies as a whole;and describes examples of specific modalities and their applications to social work and palliative care. Professional and family caregivers are often the primary contact for palliative care patients. If the caregiver is distressed, the patient will be distressed. Integrative therapies offer a means to heal and support both caregiver and care receiver. Social workers will find integrative approaches to health and healing to be an important aspect of palliative care. Palliative care, integrative medicine, and social work share common values and approaches toward healthcare. For many palliative care older adults, loneliness is a risk factor for mortality during COVID-19. Additionally, persons with comorbidity, usually older adults, are at high risk for COVID-19 with accompanying anxiety. Currently, there are many offerings of mindfulness-based classes, yoga, and meditation available online. In more ordinary times, these methods of delivering interventions will be beneficial for rural and homebound palliative care receivers and caregivers. The holistic approaches of integrative medicine have the potential to bring relief from both chronic physical suffering and spiritual distress. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Hong Kong under COVID-19: Roles of community development service

This short article presents the plight of grassroots under the Covid-19 pandemic, which has been in the third wave from mid-July 2020. Like in many other places, the outbreak has caused economic downturn, and intensified stress about health and rising unemployment. The disadvantaged groups are suffering the most, which shows the problem of social inequality in the community. The roles of community social work in Hong Kong are highlighted to show how social workers can contribute to crisis management and empowerment of the deprived. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)