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.

Intellectual Bravery

Forbes posted an article entitled To Foster Innovation, Cultivate a Culture of Intellectual Bravery. I'm very interested in organizational culture because it really does make or break an organization. I recall my graduate school admission essay I wrote about my desire to create socially justice organizations. In my mind, this goes beyond the work product of the organization by focusing on employee wellness. I believe there are a lot of organizations out there who work towards justice, but their internal work doesn't always reflect that value of justice. I digress...

The author describes 7 ways to create intellectual bravery. The first of these steps, "take your finger off your fear button" (Clark, 2020). This is not about an individual's fear, but the fear a leader creates within a team or organization. Leaders must be aware of ways they can create fear and actively work against that. Fear can thwart progress and can cause team members to be silent and self-censor. In my mind, the opposite of creating fear is modeling vulnerability, which is the final step. 

No one wants to be vulnerable. It exposes us to the possibility of harm or loss. It requires self-awareness and the ability to expose our imperfections. Part of advanced social work practice requires the social worker to engage in reflective practice. This practice of reflection positions us to allow ourselves to be vulnerable. 

Intellectual bravery is needed organizations. Social workers are well trained to see the entire eco-system and understand how decisions can impact the eco-system. We live in a society with very complex problems and the solutions to those problems are layered and complex. The issues facing our communities require innovation. We need intellectual bravery so we can "think outside the box"; so we can address systems of injustice. 

As part of my leadership coaching, I have been encouraged to speak out more and share more. I am an internal processor by nature, but part of it is because I don't want to sound dumb. It's partly fear on my part with my own false narrative that people want to see me fail. I have been challenging myself to talk more in meetings, share my ideas (even if they are incomplete), and be vulnerable to say I don't have all the answers. I want to collaborate and to improve my thoughts by hearing from people who think differently than me. I am in spaces where it is not always safe to practice intellectual bravery, or at least I don't perceive them to be, however being brave requires that I challenge myself to practice that vulnerability even when it's not safe. 

I hope leaders can start cultivating a culture that embraces intellectual bravery, but even in our own spaces we change chose to practice bravery. 

Ready for Change?

At a private practice meet-up recently we were discussing the difference between people going to community mental health and those seeking treatment in a private practice. The first point someone brought up was a difference in payment. This person felt that in community mental health most clients aren’t paying for a service so they may not be as invested while in private practice there can be things like co-pays and deductibles. I think this is a valid point considering so many people going to CMHCs are on Medicaid and do not have to pay for services. To be clear, I don’t think paying for a service automatically makes a person more invested, but I do think for some it does.

When going to a CMHC, a lot of people have a lot of psychosocial issues or issues around the social determinants of health. Housing, employment, transportation, childcare, the list can go on and on about the challenges people face daily. These issues can present obstacles for people to engage in treatment.

We are familiar with the stages of change model. Here is a quick reference and a visual if you are unfamiliar.

It appears to me that we tend to believe that clients who come into a community mental health center are at that action stage of change. Why would someone make an appointment and then show up to an appointment if they are not ready for change? It seems logical, but that may only be from our frame of reference. A client coming into an agency may still be in the preparation stage. The task in the preparation stage (I’ve seen places call it determination) is to find appropriate strategies to help make the change. Looking at a website on an agency or research information on treatment is definitely part of that preparation stage, but I would argue that making an appointment and keeping that appointment is also part of the stage.

When I worked in psychiatric crisis, I would educate patients and families on the art and science of therapy. While it is based on science, we naturally do not “click” with everyone. If a therapist is assigned that doesn’t mean they are the best fit. It’s ok to change the agency and the treatment provider. From my perspective, an individual finding treatment provider they can work with is all part of the preparation stage.

If a client comes to you seeking services it may be that they are ready, but they may not be ready. This really speaks to the need to develop motivational interviewing skills for all staff. Reception and intake staff can start to recognize change talk and help enhance motivation. We need to do better at meeting clients where they are. That includes fully recognizing where they are in the stages of change.

Forest Bathing/Forest Therapy- My Experience Part 1

A few weeks ago, I tried forest bathing. If you aren’t familiar you what forest bathing or forest therapy is check this out (https://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20190611/forest-bathing-nature-time-hot-health-advice). Over the past month, several people have mentioned this to me and I was exploring it with a social worker I provide training supervision for. He found a local, certified guide and we scheduled our experience.

We met the facilitator and she seemed what you would expect. A nature love with overall shorts, a flannel shirt, and no shoes. She had introductions and she gave us a quick overview of our time together. We walked into the park and found a spot just off the trail.

Our first activity was a series of invitations. We stayed in this spot and experienced it with out senses. First our sight, and then we closed our eyes and listen to and felt the nature around us. We could move around however we felt appropriate like swaying or such. This lasted about 20 minutes. At the end we were encouraged to turn and find the direction that “called” us. Once we felt that direction we could open our eyes and contemplate why were we drawn to that direction and what could we learn from it.

Honestly, I didn’t feel called in any such direction. I did, however, chose a direction that was different than when I closed my eyes. I chose that direction because it was where I was able to feel the sun on my face. When we began, I was looking into trees and it was dark yet peaceful. This new direction was grassy and sunny. Maybe I did feel drawn to that direction, but I’m not sure it taught me anything.

After these invitations we sat on the ground and were encouraged to share our experience. Neither me or the individual I supervise really shared anything. He may have said something; I don’t completely recall. I know I did not say anything. Specifically, I remember shaking my head instead of actually saying I did not have anything to share. The facilitator didn’t prey anything out of us, which was nice. She did state that sharing was not required, and she maintained that throughout our time together.

To be continued…