Social Work - Theses
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ItemThe accounts of men in an Aboriginal-controlled Alcohol and other Drug Recovery Service: contributions to relationally-informed practice( 2023-04)This thesis documents the experiences and knowledges of men at an Aboriginal-controlled alcohol and other drug service. The men participated in the project in the hope that their accounts would be helpful for others. The contributions of the men supported new ways of thinking about the delivery of respectful AoD (alcohol and other drug) services to Aboriginal peoples by ‘universal’ services, and for all peoples irrespective of culture and the kinds of services involved. A framework of relational theory is proposed, drawing on social construction and related contributions. This framework reflects the role of culture in determining identity, knowledge, meaning and lived-experience. The framework provided the theoretical basis underpinning the project. The men provided access to transcripts of narrative therapy counselling and groupwork sessions, which were then examined using a narrative inquiry methodology. The men described the importance to them of identities as Aboriginal men, fathers, family and community members. They gave accounts of how the service had contributed to significant developments in these identities. Key themes included the Aboriginal-managed nature of the service, providing an environment free from judgment, supporting recovery, healing and re-connection with culture. Relationships with staff differed from those experienced by the men in other services: including respect for culture, being ‘on the same level’, sharing of experiences and different approaches to role boundaries. The thesis draws on these accounts and literature to propose implications for universal services seeking to provide culturally-respectful and responsive support to Aboriginal men. Attention is then directed at implications for all services, irrespective of the particular sector or cultural context. Drawing on a range of literature, it is argued that all practice and research should be assumed to be ‘cross-cultural.’ Theory and practice frameworks are proposed to support this approach. A schema for a ‘borderlands’ concept of practice is proposed, drawing on Anzaldúa (1999), Bhabha (2004), Baltra-Uloa (2013) and others. In this schema, practitioners would draw on Western and Indigenous relational understandings. The schema is also applied to social research, drawing on Chilisa (2020). Both schemas include the Journey of the Self proposed by Bennett et al. (2011), as a metaphor for the progressive development of self-awareness and decolonisation of methodologies, irrespective of the cultural setting. The thesis brings attention to the limited explorations in literature of the contributions of the ‘therapeutic relationship’ to therapy and casework. It is also argued that contributions of peoples subject to therapy, casework and research to the professional and personal lives of practitioners are under-acknowledged. Frameworks proposed in the thesis could be used to explore these important areas of practice and research. Training materials prepared in association with the project are included in Appendices.