UCalgary Social Work Podcast

Note: not a regular episode. This is a recording our our PhD Info Session for playback by registrants. Hosted by Dr. Gina Dimitropoulos.

So what would your mental health be like if your children were separated from you, living in a refugee camp halfway around the world? Or, how do you think your mental health would suffer if you lived your life under suspicion? Arbitrarily pulled over by police or followed around shops by store-owners who assume you’re a thief?

Dr. Régine Uwibereyeho King, PhD was troubled by the descriptions she saw of African newcomers in academic literature. They are frequently described with terms like: “very vulnerable ... unable to fit in ... or traumatized people from Africa.” This didn't fit the people she knew and worked with as a social worker. So she set out to discover what really impacted their mental health; how they tried to deal with the stressors in their lives, and what the solutions might be, to make things better. 

Her research has taken her from Toronto, to Winnipeg and currently Alberta, where she is an Associate Professor, and researcher with the University of Calgary Faculty of Social Work. 

Dr. Jane Matheson, PhD, the former CEO of Woods Homes and a sessional instructor and adjunct professor in the Faculty of Social Work interviews internationally renowned psychiatrist Dr. Karl Tomm, MD.

Join Dr. Tomm for “Questions as Interventions,” a Lunch & Learn presentation hosted by the Faculty of Social Work’s Post-Masters Couple and Family Therapy program. Friday, March 19, noon. Free registration here.

Learn more about the Post-Masters Certificate and Diploma in Couple and Family Therapy here.

Ask an alumna! Edmonton campus grad Reena Samra (BSW '18, MSW '21), who was recently name a Top 40 Under 40 recipient by EDify Magazine, joins us to talk about her social work journey, which includes initiatives such as trauma-informed yoga and Soulidarity, a support group for immigrant women offered through the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton in partnership with the Islamic Family and Social Services Association.

UCalgary FSW professor Dr. Angelique Jenney and PhD candidate and sessional instructor Olivia Cullen discuss a new study that aims to give children and youth a voice in developing counselling approaches for working with children exposed to intimate partner violence (CEIPV).

An interview with recent graduate Jennie Gurnett about her MSW in International & Community Development. As Jennie discovered, this mostly online, macro-focus, MSW specialization gives you the tools required to work in community development in inner-city Edmonton - or in communities around the world. 

The Cut of It is a film based on research by UCalgary FSW Associate Professor Dr. Kathleen Sitter on patient experiences with breast cancer treatment. Its' cast features participants from the study alongside the likes of Mary Walsh (This Hour has 22 minutes) and Mayko Nguyen (Rookie Blue).

Dr. Sitter, along with the The Cut of It writer Meghan Greeley and director Ruth Lawrence, join the podcast to talk about the study, the film, and the play which preceded it.

The Cut of It premieres on Oct. 22 online and you can watch for free at https://multisensorystudio.ca/.

To learn more about the research project that inspired the film, visit www.patientstories.ca.

Lawrence Murphy, the founder of Worldwide Therapy Online, joins the podcast to discuss his pioneering work in the field and to talk about important considerations for those involved or considering doing online counselling. On Oct 22., Mr. Murphy will lead a special half-day webinar entitled "Doing Therapy Online," jointly offered by UCalgary and Alberta Health Services. Learn more/register here.