DEI Skills and Social Workers

Yesterday, I was able to watch a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Careers Panel hosted by Andrea G. Tatum with panelists Brittany J. Harris, Tara Robertson, and Pin-ya Tseng. I was excited to be able to watch because I want to get into more DEI work, especially outside of the corporate America space.

• Strong command of social justice principles
• Strong theoretical underpinning
• Curriculum design- the ability to take complex topics and teach them creatively
• Commitment to living this work and practice
• Curiosity
• Be Strategic
• Influence Others
• Get Cross Functional Projects Done

Tara Roberts has highlighted 5 skills she believes are needed for DEI professionals. I’ve linked to her blog so you can read more about the skills she’s identified. The question to the panel was to pick three, so she highlighted the final three on the list.

Not sure much a skill but something the panelist kept coming back to was continual learning. Reading, listening to podcasts, and learning from others are all ways to engage in continual learning. It doesn’t have to be a formal class or certificate program in diversity and inclusion.

The Conference Board published Creating a  Competency Model for Diversity and Inclusion Professionals. I reference this because as I consider the skills noted in from the panel discussion and the competencies highlighted in the competency model, I can’t help to think that a lot of this aligns with social work skills and values. There are some areas of competency and skill the social worker may have to develop, however, the core of DEI work runs parallel to social work training.

As we seek to live out the ethical principle,

“Social workers should promote conditions that encourage respect for cultural and social diversity within the United States and globally. Social workers should promote policies and practices that demonstrate respect for difference, support the expansion of cultural knowledge and resources, advocate for programs and institutions that demonstrate cultural competence, and promote policies that safeguard the rights of and confirm equity and social justice for all people”,

social workers should enter the DEI space. We are advocates for social justice; this sets us apart from so many of the helping professions. Our work is based in theory and we apply research in our work at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Traditionally, DEI work is seen as a human resource function, but as our world changes and understands the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion social workers should be ready to take up space and have a find their seat at the table whether it is the corporate sector or in the non-profit, social service sector. Society goes beyond the traditional areas social workers are found and promoting better conditions requires social workers to be in all spaces.

Leadership Philosophy

 For the past several months I have been in leadership coaching. This is something I sought out on my own because I've felt "stuck". I have the education, skills, and abilities but I feel that no one views me as a leader. I know part of this is because I don't share all the amazing work I do. People don't really know what I do let alone all the aspects of what I do. 

So far my time in coaching has been a great, introspective experience. I've learned things about myself and I have gained more confidence in my ability to lead. My coach reminded me that there are many out there who are looked to as leaders just because they called themselves that. I can start leading where I am at; I do not have to wait for others to "see" me as a leader. 

Part of the work has been to develop my leadership philosophy. There were several exercises leading up to developing my philosophy including identifying my own leadership values. I spent a lot of time in reflection about what leadership is and what it means for me to be a leader. I've realized that while I am more of a behind the scenes guy, I need to put myself out there more. Starting this blog was a way for me to put myself out there and to share my thoughts and perspectives on things. 

Now here is my leadership philosophy. 

There is a difference between leaders and good leaders.

Good leaders respect and value those they lead.

I believe leadership is fluid and contextual.

Good leadership is the ability to adeptly use knowledge, skill, and influence.

I value wisdom, collaboration, and competence.

Good leaders seek to do no harm.

I seek justice in all my work.

Trust is foundational to good leadership.

I cultivate trust through authenticity, commitment, and follow through.

Diverse perspectives bring strength and help to shape leadership behavior.

I am a humble learner; learning from other leaders and those who follow.

I believe leadership has the potential to make positive change.

2021 Equation

 

Over the past few years I have been thinking about coping skills and self-care. We tend think of them very different and because we think of them differently different people do self-care of use coping skills. 

Psych Central defines self-care as "any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health". The World Health Organization defines it as "the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider". Self-care can promote health, but also help us cope with disease (read dis-ease); it's prevention and treatment. Social workers typically talk about self-care as a strategy to deal with stress and promote burnout. There are many examples of self-care, but I think of it as both instances and practice. Taking a bubble bath or venting to a close friend are instances of self-care. Practices of self-care could be setting boundaries in one's professional and personal life or drinking enough water every day to stay hydrated. Here is a list of 134 self-care activities. 

The Center for Studies on Human Stress (CSHS) define coping as "the thoughts and actions we do to deal with a threatening situation". Whether you call them coping skills or coping strategies, they are things people do to deal with stressful situations. I have issues with the term coping skills because it seems like sometimes we just talk about coping skills while people are getting treatment instead of talking about how people can have a better quality of life. Even if coping gets easier, it's still just coping. 

CSHS discussing coping skills as either problem-focused or emotion focused. Depending on the type of stress, coping skills differ but coping is a process. The Cleveland Clinic offers a good article on coping with stressful situations and gives some examples of common coping skills. There are many different times of coping skills and their effectiveness varies from one person to another. I've always encouraged people to find coping skills that work for you. Coping skills help people cope with stress and (hopefully) prevent further negative consequences. Here is a list of examples of coping skills. 

When you start to think about coping skills they start to look a lot like the instances and practices of self-care. 

Now who does self-care and who uses coping skills?

When you listen to conversations, self-care generally focuses on the professional while coping skills are more for the client. 

• A social worker who sleeps in may say "Oh I needed that" and colleagues may recognize that as self-care. A client who sleeps in may be considered lazy or unmotivated. 
• A social worker who says that are going to have a bottle of wine after a stressful week at work is celebrated for their commitment to themselves, but a client who says they drank a bottle of wine after a long week could be seen as having a "drinking problem".
• A social worker who goes and gets a manicure is typically seen as investing in themselves, while a client who gets a manicure may be seen as wasteful. 

I think we have unintentionally (or intentionally?) made self-care a privilege with how we talk about it and made coping skills something "the other" has to do to get through stress. In other words, professionals get to engage in self-care while clients get to cope. Perhaps it's becomes the professionals have moved beyond coping or they know how to cope. Maybe it's healthier (or easier) to help clients focus on coping skills rather than the instances and practices of self-care. 

The Equation for 2021

In 2021, let's change our thoughts around self-care and coping skills. We see by definition that each can serve a slightly different purpose, even though the act is the same. Mindful meditation can be a practice of self-care, but it can also be used to cope with an emerging life stressor. We need both coping skills and self-care. Social workers, professionals, and the people we work need both. This year let's think of self-care and coping skills as part of the wellness equation. It may be a bit over simplified, but when we start to combine self-care in it's fullness and coping skills we can achieve wellness for ourselves. 

When there many components to wellness such as emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual. Wellness is interrelated and interdependent. Self-care and coping skills both can help us promote our own wellness. 

Challenge

As we begin 2021, let's think about how we can practice self-care and use our coping skills as part of our strategy to achieve and maintain our own wellness. 

Town Halls, Conversations, and Panels Oh My

During the pandemic, I was able to moderate and organize some great townhalls/panel discussions on some timely topics. Check them out!

The first panel I was a part of was entitled Staying Connected: LGBTQ Resource Beyond COVID-19. It was put organized by the Toledo Lucas County Health Department and Equality Toledo. I got to share some tips and information on mental health during the pandemic. This event was covered in the local news. 

 

Next was a panel I organized and moderated for the Social Justice Subcommittee of the City of Toledo's Human Relations Commission. The panel was entitled Promoting Wellness for Youth of Color and focused on ways parents and professionals can support youth's mental health. I think this went so well and even got some good coverage in the local newspaper. 

 

In October I helped to organize and co-moderate a panel with the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department and the UT Opioid Task Force. This was entitled Community Conversation: A Panel Discussion on the Opioid Epidemic. The goal of this event was to help raise aware of the current state of the opioid epidemic and provide resources for families and friends with loved ones with opioid use disorder. 

Finally, I helped to organize Color Me Latino: a conversation on anti-blackness in the Latino Community. This was with the Social Justice Subcommittee of the City of Toledo's Human Relations Commission and the Latino Alliance of Northwest Ohio. While I wasn't on the panel or moderating this event, I helped to identify panelists, develop questions, and interact on Facebook to help promote the event. The goal of this panel was to raise awareness on the issue of colorism and anti-blackness in the Latino community and to start a larger conversation around the issue.

 

Free CEUs

 I often am asked about getting free CEUs or continuing education units. There are probably a lot of places to get free or low cost CEUs, however I think of the continuing education process as an opportunity to grow professionally and not just a requirement of the license. 

During the pandemic, several organizations offered (and are continuing) to offer free, quality CEUs. From topics on telehealth to ethics to much more. I have even been able to take part in some of them such as an ASAM training through The Ohio State University College of Social Work. I don't know if this trend will continue into 2021. 

By being a member of NASW Ohio, social workers can receive all their CEUs for free through monthly trainings. These trainings are live, but are recorded for later viewing. While they really free because the membership to NASW costs money, it is a very valuable perk of membership. Free free to check out NASW Ohio for more information and to become a member. 

Free State Social Worker is a site that offers CEUs at a cost of just $5 per hour. I have not obtained any CEUs from them, but a colleague of mine mentioned them so I thought it was worth saving. 

eBased Academy offers completely free CEUs. I have taken advantage of these before and they are well designed and thought through. The site is operated by the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addition Services. These courses are great for social works and addition professionals. 

There are probably others who offer free CEUs on a regular basis. 

Again, I believe social workers should think of continuing education as an opportunity to learn and grow professionally. They should consider areas of weakness, emerging issues, or issues already cultural competency to fulfill these requirements. While have a wide range of CEUs may meet the renewal requirements for the licensing board, it does little to help the social worker grow. I would encourage any social worker to consider their continuing education as they consider their professional goals for 2021. 

#BlackStressMatters

On November 20, 2020 I gave a talk for the YWCA of Northwest Ohio as part of there racial equity series. The talk was entitled #BlackStressMatters Understanding & Responding to Toxic Stress through Trauma Informed Care. 

It was on Zoom webinar and also streamed on Facebook Live. If you're interested check out the talk. 

My Experience Part II

Forest Bathing ~ Forest Therapy Continued...

Our next activity was to walk around and pay attention. There was no specific path so we each went our own way. The instructions were to just walk around and notice different things. We were given a magnifying glass if we wanted to observe things more closely. We walked in nature and paid attention for about 20 minutes. We weren’t supposed to “study” anything or thinking about the more scientific aspects of what we were looking at. We were just to notice and appreciate it for what it was. For example, if we say a flower we were instructed to just observe and appreciate it for what it was without considering what the exact name of the flower was.

I liked this activity a little more than the previous because I got to walk around. I took time to notice leaves and even little bugs on the leaves. I noticed where the leaves had eaten the leaves. I noticed trees and the areas with tall grass. I wouldn’t say it was necessarily relaxing, but I did notice things that I wouldn’t normally notice if I was just at the park.

After this experience, we got back together and shared about the experience. Again, I did not have anything to share.

The final experiential activity was to find a “sit spot”. The facilitator described this activity as sitting in a spot and letting the surrounding tell you a story or lead you to ask what if questions. She suggests doing this activity frequently and described how she had a “sit spot” where she would go out frequently for several weeks/months (I don’t exactly recall) and let nature just give her a story. We were given a piece of paper and a pen.

I found a bench and stared out in the distance for about 20 minutes. I struggled at first. I was getting antsy and ready to go. I was anxious that nothing would come to me. However, I noticed a broken branch and thought about broken bones. I wondered what if we processed pain differently? I also wondered what if physical pain wasn’t intrusive with our thoughts? This about how we would function if our pain wasn’t a limitation and we didn’t obsess over it or it didn’t overtake our thoughts. As I continued to sit there, I looked at the trees and how the light came through. I heard the breeze blow through the trees and the following story came to me.

The wind ruffles the leaves of a tree.

The leaves reflect the light as they move.

It reminds me of a disco ball.

Other tress rustle as the insects and birds add their music.

The tall grass dances as the butterflies’ fly.

I don’t know why I thought this or what it means, but that is what came to me.

After the activity, we came back together and shared. I chose not to share because I did not want to extend our time together. Myself and my colleague were ready to go.

Overall, I’ll say the experience was interesting. I like nature but would not consider myself a nature lover. I believe that some would benefit from the experience, especially those who need to go to a space to be mindful or those with a nature intelligence. I think if I went with a bigger group the experience would have been different.

Would I recommend Forest Bathing? Maybe.

There was a cost and for me the cost was not worth the experience. It is a very privileged activity because you have to pay a facilitator to do something that is essentially free. I do recommend getting out in nature, but this could be accomplished independently with just some mindful activities. If someone is naturally attracted to nature and has the funds, it may be a good experience for them.