Social Work - Theses
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ItemAn exploratory study into the use of Christian spirituality in counselling( 2012)A growth in popularity of Christian counselling (Buri 1990; Garzon, Worthington et al. 2009; McMinn 2010) and use of Christian spirituality in psychology (Richards 2010) highlights the need for more research exploring the effectiveness of Christian counselling (Pargament 1999; Koenig 2007; Pargament 2007; Rice 2009; Richards 2010). In order to explore the unique role of Christian spirituality and how it impacts on mental health, a grounded theory approach has been used to research how counsellor-client relationships, counselling methodology and faith in a supernatural God have influenced Christian counselling outcomes and client satisfaction. Clients and counsellors were categorised according to their counselling methodology: pastoral care, Christian psychology, Christian (prayer) Ministry, and Biblical counselling – all categories suggested by McMinn et al (2010). A fifth category combining Christian psychology and prayer ministry was added as this was prevalent amongst the participant responses received. Themes around the influence of love and authority in impacting mental health and of healing by the Holy Spirit emerged from participant comments. Client participants indicated that they trusted Christian counsellors more than secular counsellors, partly because they both held the same Christian world view and also because they believed the counsellor considered the will of God within the sessions. Counsellor participants demonstrated that they use both secular and spiritual therapies. A hierarchical organizational chart inspired by Attride-Stirling’s (2001) networking approach, unraveled a thematic pathway to sustained mental and emotional health. This pathway began with clients first having their immediate needs met and experiencing Christian love from their counsellor. They began to feel they have value to God and to realise that God loves them. As this belief is appropriated in their lives they increasingly were able to overcome their mental and emotional problems and came to seek out truth from the Bible and to submit to its teachings in a gradual process called sanctification. An hypothesis has emerged from the ordering of these themes that suggests: “Spirituality as used in Christian counselling supports sustained improvement in mental and emotional health.”
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ItemSocial work in secure forensic mental health inpatient services: towards cultural competence( 2011)International migration has moved to the forefront of the global agenda and has become a challenge for governments around the world. According to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship [DIAC] (2007), Australia has become “one of the most culturally diverse societies of the 21st century” with more than six million migrants having arrived since 1945 (p.1). This is despite Australia’s history of racist immigration and indigenous policy, and continued social disadvantage and discrimination experienced by many indigenous and CALD (Culturally & Linguistically Diverse) Australians. Secure forensic mental health inpatient services, like many services, are not meeting the needs of the indigenous and CALD population. This paper will use a critical literature review, from a critical theory and social constructionist perspective, to answer three fundamental questions: What are the problems for indigenous and CALD patients in secure forensic mental health inpatient services? What factors contribute to, and sustain, these problems? What can social workers do about these problems? While cross-cultural forensic mental health research is scarce and often methodologically flawed, key themes emerge. Secure forensic mental health inpatient services are influenced by a complex, socially constructed tangle of institutions, policies and practices. The ‘caring’ mental health system and the ‘custodial’ criminal justice system often have conflicting goals and expectations. Furthermore, public and media perceptions of danger frame the policy context. This leaves patients commonly experiencing discrimination, disempowerment and social exclusion. However, patients from indigenous and CALD populations are further marginalised and have reduced ‘social quality’ (social inclusion, socio-economic security, social cohesion and empowerment) (Huxley & Thornicroft, 2003). The literature attributes this to factors including: discriminatory and reactive government policies, an ethnocentric mental health system that relies on culturally invalid classification systems, and culturally incompetent clinicians and organisations. Social workers have been implicit in these systemic failures through their lack of contribution to the literature and their lack of influence in forensic mental health. This is despite the compatibility of the social work person-in-environment perspective, and its focus on social justice and social quality, with good cross-cultural practice. Frequent references to ‘unexplored’ socio-cultural and environmental factors in the literature, and a mental health policy shift in Victoria towards social inclusion and community development, provide a timely opportunity for social work to assert itself. In this paper, my purpose is to demonstrate how social workers can affect structural change on a professional ecosystem that impedes culturally competent practice. Through this conceptual framework, I have developed Culturally Competent Guidelines for Social Workers in Secure Forensic Mental Health Inpatient Services. These guidelines aim to provide social workers with tools that might empower them to become more culturally competent clinicians, and in the process, enable them to strive for social justice by improving social quality and cultural competence at all levels.