Social Work Spotlight

In this episode, I speak with Shaun, a psychotherapist, community development practitioner and mental health researcher with experience in complex emergency settings. His work over the last 20 years has spanned across the United Nations, Government, University, NGO sectors and he is currently a Team Leader at the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors in Sydney, Australia. Prior to working with STARTTS, Shaun served internationally with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in conflict and post-conflict areas. Shaun holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, a Master's in Social Work and has further Postgraduate degrees in Peace Studies and Development Studies.

Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1otqhAWaf2h0ZNwsb4US-u7PRPNiUs7abOXkbrH3j_0k/edit?usp=sharing

This episode's transcript can be viewed here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vtGbWevG5bMdH_NWEcm6vYA6RsnEoqI9Y2ylxKltt2w/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.

In this episode, I speak with Dalia, who has held diverse roles across both non-government and government sectors in all different capacities. Currently, Dalia is a Work Integrated Learning Officer at the University of NSW, identifying and assisting with student placements. She describes it as a privilege to be in these positions, working alongside people with the same values and commitment to equity and social justice, and to witness the resilience and strengths of those she has supported along the way. Dalia hopes her contribution has made a difference in some way and loves the broadness that social work offers.

Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:

• Making the Most of Field Education (Cleak & Wilson) - https://au.cengage.com/c/isbn/9780170417006/
• How To Grow Your Social Worker - https://www.arts.unsw.edu.au/sites/default/files/documents/How%20_to_Grow_a_Social_Worker.pdf
• Trapeze program, The Sydney Children’s Hospital Network - https://www.schn.health.nsw.gov.au/find-a-service/health-medical-services/trapeze

This episode's transcript can be viewed here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Gt73CMSOak7PI8DWRIlzZXuTsKsBGv5gmSGMRjT9_JI/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.

In this episode I speak with Tony, an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and founder of the Child Protection Party, which came about due to his commitment to working with families who have had their children removed. Tony has worked in generalist and gambling rehabilitation counselling services, was a founding member of the Confronting Violence and Abuse Group which provided a team of group facilitators to work with men who have been violent and abusive. Tony also worked as a facilitator with the Northern Violence and Intervention Program, has presented the “What to do about anger” program at Relationships Australia, and has written many programs including, Moving On from Separation and Divorce, Step-parenting, Raising Boys, How to Handle Anxiety and Stress, the Game Perspective, Workplace Bullying. He has had an article published in the AASW Social Work Journal entitled, “The Reverse Role Play – An innovative way to work with violent men”.

Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:

• Homeless2Home program - https://www.housing.sa.gov.au/about-us/our-partnerships/homelessness-service-providers/homeless-to-home-system
• The Oregon Project - https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/oregon.pdf
• Relationships Australia - https://www.relationships.org.au/
• Open Arms (Veterans & Families Counselling) - https://www.openarms.gov.au/
• Child Protection Party - https://childprotection.party/
• Conversations over Coffee podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/47LTwiMnhQIewtoH7PJkWe
• Australian Institute of Family Studies - https://aifs.gov.au/
• Australian Centre for Child Protection (University of South Australia) - https://www.unisa.edu.au/research/australian-centre-for-child-protection/
• Fiona Arney publications - https://apo.org.au/person/13404?page=1-
• The Slow Evolution of Foster Care in Australia - https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783319938998
• Recipes for Survival - http://peoplesvoicepublishing.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&path=63&product_id=53
• Ways of the Wicked Witch (Diedre Michell) - https://www.academia.edu/9543745/Ways_of_the_Wicked_Witch
• Wise, Witty and Weird YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXA2moyTWaDkffUHzycUrmA

This episode's transcript can be viewed here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QLlDKbhoAg5spilzdn9DDF21_vcjN_63CZwHbs2h_ow/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.

In this episode, I speak with Scarlett, who started her career in the drug and alcohol field before moving into acute hospital work. She currently works in the Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Department of a busy Sydney hospital. Scarlett has previously worked as the General Manager of two homelessness/drug and alcohol NGOs in Sydney and in the juvenile justice field. She is a child protection trainer and has experience in and a passion for disaster work.

Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:

• Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement - https://www.grief.org.au/
• End of Life Essentials - https://www.endoflifeessentials.com.au/
  

This episode's transcript can be viewed here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UNWdu0FaHBdfhQSA3HaVqqDcsnwozDIYklWWpRb3QcY/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.

In this episode I speak with Lauren who has had over 10 years experience in social work with a diverse career history, including working in remote Aboriginal communities, and in one of Australia's largest children's hospitals. Currently she practices as a school counsellor in Western Sydney. Lauren has a lifelong interest in social justice and advocacy which has led her to an interesting personal and professional life.

Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:

• Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score - https://www.besselvanderkolk.com/resources/the-body-keeps-the-score
• Circle of Security training - https://www.circleofsecurityinternational.com/trainings/register-for-a-training/
• Half the Sky Movement - http://www.halftheskymovement.org/pages/book.html
• AASW Scope of Practice in schools - https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/8308
• Bruce Perry’s What Happened to You? - https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/what-happened-to-you/
  

This episode's transcript can be viewed here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-KholkYHNdFqm2q4QtiVj0P0w74G9MJ0Wg9DPDPnP6g/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.

In this episode, I speak with Stephanie who has worked as a clinical social worker in both the homelessness and drug and alcohol sectors over the last 10 years. During this period she has developed a strong interest in challenging systemic and structural barriers, identifying solutions, and championing diversity. She completed a Masters of Public and Social Policy in 2020 and currently holds the role of Homelessness Health Program Manager for South Eastern Sydney Local Health District.

Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:

• Homeless NSW - https://homelessnessnsw.org.au/
• Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute - https://www.ahuri.edu.au/
• Kirketon Road Centre - https://www.seslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/services-clinics/directory/kirketon-road-centre
• St Vincent’s Hospital Homeless Health Service - https://www.svhs.org.au/our-services/list-of-services/homeless-health-service
• SBS video on delivering COVID education and vaccinations for Sydney’s homeless population - https://www.sbs.com.au/news/ensuring-sydney-s-homeless-community-can-access-the-covid-vaccine
• Department of Communities & Justice homelessness support - https://www.coronavirus.dcj.nsw.gov.au/services/housing-and-homelessness
• SESLHD Homelessness Health Strategy - https://www.seslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-10/SESLHD%20Homelessness%20Health%20Strategy%2018-21.pdf
  

This episode's transcript can be viewed here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1awBSlOIPiv7VDTwots_0YpKRc9zLsdhH0mKjT7ny0ko/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.

In this episode, I speak with Ben, a Ph.D. candidate at Western Sydney University with a social work practice background in community mental health, group work with men and boys, and community development (with the Penrith Panthers Rugby League Club). He is the founder of two social work-focused podcasts (Social Work Stories and Social Work Discoveries), and has been tutoring across various social work subjects for the Masters and Bachelors of Social Work at WSU since 2017. He has just submitted his Ph.D. which investigates the complexities of relationships between men and boys in a dynamic group mentoring program at the Penrith Panthers called Building Young Men. Ben is embedded in the Building Young Men project as a mentor, researcher, and program developer, which he loves.

Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:

• Panthers on the Prowl - https://panthersontheprowl.com.au/
• Building Young Men program - https://panthersontheprowl.com.au/programs/building-young-men/
• Social Work Discoveries podcast - https://swdiscoveries.com/
• The Social Work Stories podcast - https://socialworkstories.com/
• Michael Flood’s book: Engaging Men and Boys in Violence Prevention - https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9781137442109
• Steven Roberts’s book: Young Working-Class Men in Transition - https://www.routledge.com/Young-Working-Class-Men-in-Transition/Roberts/p/book/9780367473723
• bell hooks’s book: The Will to Change - https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Will-to-Change/bell-hooks/9780743456081
• Body and Soul: Notebooks of an Apprentice Boxer (Loic Wacquant) - https://loicwacquant.org/books/
• Sage’s Handbook of Youth Mentoring - https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/handbook-of-youth-mentoring/book234516
• Jim Ife's book: Community Development in an Uncertain World - https://sites.google.com/a/bagygln.web.app/mv/479018-fZmyAAAA
• Ben on Twitter - https://twitter.com/benlukejoseph
  

This episode's transcript can be viewed here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZTTqI9AUKNIh51EEkvn7LspqQv_rLzVqjuPwRYRr5Ro/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.

In this episode, I speak with Lachlan, an early career Social Worker whose final placement saw him working in a youth drug and alcohol NGO providing specialist homelessness services. This piqued Lachlan's interest in the social complexities of this client group and saw him working as a new grad Social Worker in an Opiate Treatment Program based in the inner city, where he has found a passion for domestic violence, mental health, institutionalisation, and homelessness.

Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:

• Mental Health Carers NSW - https://www.mentalhealthcarersnsw.org/
• South East Sydney Local Health District Drug and Alcohol Services - https://www.seslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/services-clinics/directory/drug-and-alcohol-services
• Methadone use in Australia - https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/drugtreat-pubs-meth-toc~drugtreat-pubs-meth-int
• Wayside Chapel - https://www.waysidechapel.org.au/
• Kirketon Road Centre - https://www.seslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/services-clinics/directory/kirketon-road-centre
• The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) - https://www.mocatest.org/
• Psychiatric impairments and the Disability Support Pension - https://www.ejaustralia.org.au/wp/social-security-rights-review/psychiatric-impairments-and-the-disability-support-pension/
• Psychosocial NDIS Access Project - https://www.missionaustralia.com.au/servicedirectory/193-mental-health-recovery/psychosocial-ndis-access-project
• Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre (hospital-based) - https://www.seslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/psychiatric-emergency-care-centre-pecc-0
• The Body Keeps the Score (Bessel van der Kolk) - https://www.besselvanderkolk.com/resources/the-body-keeps-the-score
• Medically Supervised Injecting Centre - https://www.uniting.org/community-impact/uniting-medically-supervised-injecting-centre--msic
  

This episode's transcript can be viewed here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/14D1mR1KOt4adxKUaebO31fTLGqKQdswNCAuxAwKdtlg/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.

In this episode, I speak with Eileen, a Senior Social Worker who started her career in child protection before transferring to health. She worked for 10 years in the spinal and rehabilitation field across acute, subacute and community areas and was a Social Work Team Leader at Royal North Shore Hospital Cancer Services Team working in medical oncology. Currently, she works as a Case Manager at The National Centre for Veterans’ Healthcare, an outpatient clinic at Concord Hospital.

Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:

• Open Arms: Veterans & Families Counselling - https://www.openarms.gov.au/
• National Centre for Veterans’ Health Care - https://www.slhd.nsw.gov.au/concord/NCVH/
• Social Prescribing program - https://chf.org.au/social-prescribing
• Legacy: supporting veterans’ families - https://www.legacy.com.au/
  

This episode's transcript can be viewed here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jmNLBmdvrZgajyhr1wsyMLaPu6wPaHRWTc4L6JM7ELM/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.

In this episode I speak with Dr Grahame Simpson who has 30 years of experience as a practitioner and clinical researcher in the field of traumatic brain injury. He is recognised internationally for his work in conducting epidemiological, clinical and psychometric, intervention and translation-based research in suicide prevention, positive sexual adjustment, the community-based management of challenging behaviours and family resilience in the field of traumatic brain injury.

Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:

• Family Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management Framework - https://www.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-02/MARAM-policy-framework-24-09-2018.pdf
• Brain Injury Australia’s report Australia’s first research into family violence and brain injury - https://www.braininjuryaustralia.org.au/download-bias-report-on-australias-first-research-into-family-violence-and-brain-injury/
• Beck Hopelessness Scale - https://www.pearsonclinical.com.au/products/view/42
• Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation - https://www.pearsonclinical.com.au/products/view/44
• Contemporary Perspectives on Social Work in Acquired Brain Injury (Introduction by Grahame Simpson & Francis Yuen) - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306068907_Contemporary_Perspectives_on_Social_Work_in_Acquired_Brain_Injury_An_Introduction
• US military personnel Window to Hope program - https://msrc.fsu.edu/funded-research/window-hope
• Strength2Strength program at Royal Rehab - https://royalrehab.com.au/event/strength2strength-program-for-brain-injury-3/
• No to Violence NSW - https://ntv.org.au/
• International Network for Social Workers in Acquired Brain Injury - https://www.inswabi.org/
• The UK Brain Injury Social Work Group - https://www.biswg.co.uk/
  

This episode's transcript can be viewed here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Zj4DEb-LQKGC5dN-F0mqrZihyKuStxIopertaH1ndoY/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.