The Development of Dual and Multiple Relationships for Social Workers in Rural Communities

Mental health professionals who work in small, rural communities often have to contend with dual and multiple relationships. The more integrated service providers are within the community, the more likely they will encounter overlapping personal and professional relationships with clients. Although there is extensive literature on the potential risks of dual and multiple relationships, little empirical evidence exists which addresses the contextual factors that specifically lead to these relationships in rural social work practice. This qualitative study explored the experiences of twelve social workers or social service workers practicing in northern and northwestern Ontario. Findings provide some insight into the complexity and dynamics of dual and multiple relationships in small towns, as well as worker perspectives on the specific contextual circumstances that result in mental health workers encountering these relationships. The unique contribution of this paper to the literature is to highlight factors that increase the likelihood of dual and multiple relationships when they are not as obvious as a clear and immediate conflict of interest. Greater clarity about such precipitating factors will contribute to supervision, training, and sound policy development informed by contextual sensitivity

Localization of Social Work Knowledge through Practitioner Adaptations in Northern Ontario and the Northwest Territories, Canada

Social work is only just beginning to adapt knowledge and practice to the realities of a geographically diverse world. Within the social services, one of the most exciting diversity-related initiatives is a localization movement that calls for a social work knowledge base that is fundamentally different from one geographic milieu to the next. Few, if any, studies to date have considered the Canadian North (an area populated by diverse aboriginal cultural and linguistic groups) as a basis for localizing social work knowledge. This study reports on interviews conducted with social work practitioners in northern Ontario and the Northwest Territories to gain insight into how changes in the current social work knowledge base could be the locus for meaningful and contextually sensitive social work knowledge and intervention. This initial exploratory study presents a number of key findings that aid in developing an understanding of social work practice and knowledge specific to the Canadian North. These findings identify geographical areas where social work knowledge requires adaptation, changes in the personal and professional behaviour of practitioners, or modification of mainstream knowledge; use of appropriate and inappropriate social work theory and practice; specific challenges faced by agencies; ways agencies can modify programs to meet community needs; ways for clients to access service; and the relationships between practitioners and the surrounding communities. We conclude with implications for the Canadian North related to social work, allied disciplines, and social welfare structures.Le travail social ne fait que commencer à adapter les connaissances et les pratiques aux réalités d’un monde géographiquement varié. Sur le plan des services sociaux, l’une des initiatives les plus intéressantes en matière de diversité prend la forme d’un mouvement de localisation faisant appel à une base de connaissances en travail social qui est fondamentalement différente d’un milieu géographique à un autre. Peu d’études, voire aucune, n’ont porté sur le Nord canadien (une région peuplée par des groupes autochtones linguistiquement et culturellement variés) en tant que base de localisation des connaissances en travail social. Cette étude fait état d’entrevues réalisées avec des praticiens du travail social dans le nord de l’Ontario et dans les Territoires du Nord-Ouest afin d’obtenir un aperçu de la manière dont les changements caractérisant la base de connaissances actuelle en travail social pourrait être le centre d’interventions et de connaissances significatives en travail social, interventions et connaissances tenant compte du contexte. Cette première étude exploratoire présente un certain nombre de constatations importantes qui permettent de mieux comprendre les connaissances et les pratiques en travail social propres au Nord canadien. Ces constatations identifient les régions géographiques où les connaissances en travail social doivent faire l’objet d’une adaptation, de changements du point de vue du comportement personnel et professionnel des praticiens ou de modifications des connaissances primaires. Elles portent aussi sur l’utilisation de théories et de pratiques adéquates et inadéquates en travail social; sur les défis particuliers auxquels les organismes ou agences font face; sur les manières dont les organismes ou agences peuvent modifier les programmes afin de répondre aux besoins des collectivités; sur les moyens d’accès aux services par les clients; et sur les relations entre les praticiens et les collectivités environnantes. Nous concluons en présentant les incidences sur le Nord canadien sur le plan du travail social, des disciplines connexes et des structures du bien-être social

An Investigation of the Relationship Between Psychological Strengths and the Perception of Bullying in Early Adolescents in Schools

This study explored the association between psychological strengths and perceptions of being a victim of a bullying relationship in the school environment. Using self-report questionnaires with grades 7 and 8 students, the role of psychological strengths as potential protective factors against various forms of bullying were examined including the patterns of strengths associated with the bullying experience. The results showed no significant association between global indices of strengths and perceptions of victimization. However, significant relationships did emerge between specific strengths and victimization. Strengths in school functioning among boys but not girls and strengths in personality functioning for both sexes were associated with lower perceived victimization. In contrast, strengths in spiritual and cultural identification were associated with perceptions of increased victimization. The implications of these results for anti-bullying strategies are discussed.Cette étude a porté sur l'association entre les forces psychologiques et les perceptions d'être victime d'intimidation à l'école. En nous appuyant sur des questionnaires d'auto-évaluation auprès d'élèves en 7e et 8e année, nous avons examiné le rôle des forces psychologiques comme facteurs potentiels de protection contre diverses formes d'intimidation. L'étude a également porté sur les modèles de forces associés à l'expérience de l'intimidation. Les résultats n'ont indiqué aucune association entre les indices globaux de forces et les perceptions de l'intimidation. Toutefois, des relations significatives sont ressorties entre des forces spécifiques et l'intimidation. Des forces relatives à l'école chez les garçons mais pas les filles, et des forces relatives à la personnalité chez les garçons et les filles, étaient associées à une perception amoindrie de la victimisation. Par contre, des forces relatives à l'identification spirituelle et culturelle étaient associées à des perceptions accrues de victimisation. Nous discutons des répercussions de ces résultats sur les stratégies contre l'intimidation

Multiple Relationships

Working in a rural community locates the professional in a wider social network as community members often expect more from their professionals; not only as service providers, but also as engaged members of the community. This can result in the rural social worker being highly visible both personally and professionally and it can also lead to overlapping relationships. These higher expectations can place stress on the worker in terms of maintaining accepted professional roles and a sense of professional identity. This qualitative study explores the first-hand experiences of a cross-section of service providers in more than a dozen communities within northwestern Ontario and northern Manitoba, Canada. The responses of the participants provide some insight into how rural practitioners maintain their professional identity when working within the unique demands of the rural and remote context. Recurring themes from the interviews suggest that these professionals craft their own informal decision-making processes to address intersecting roles, community gossip, and personal isolation, even while, in some cases, practicing in their home community. The findings provide greater understanding of the pressures and realities of working in small remote towns and the challenges of responding to the expectations and realities of relationships including the expectation of working with friends and family members of friends or colleagues: issues that have not been adequately studied in the literature to date

The top 10 research priorities in cystic fibrosis developed by a partnership between people with CF and healthcare providers

There remain many treatment uncertainties in cystic fibrosis (CF). With limited resources, research should focus on questions which are most important to the CF community. We conducted a James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership in CF. Research questions were elicited and then prioritised in successive surveys. A workshop agreed the final top 10. Online methods avoided cross infection and widened participation. The elicitation survey had 482 respondents (1080 questions) and prioritisation survey 677 respondents. Participants were drawn equally from the patient and clinical communities globally. We have achieved a consensus on 10 research priorities which will be attractive to funders

A Politico-Communal Reading of the Rose

Lettura del Fiore in rapporto alle fonti retoriche e politiche di ambiente comunal

Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 in people with cystic fibrosis in Europe between February and June 2020

Background Viral infections can cause significant morbidity in cystic fibrosis (CF). The current Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic could therefore have a serious impact on the health of people with CF (pwCF). Methods We used the 38-country European Cystic Fibrosis Society Patient Registry (ECFSPR) to collect case data about pwCF and SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results Up to 30 June 2020, 16 countries reported 130 SARS-CoV-2 cases in people with CF, yielding an incidence of 2.70/1000 pwCF. Incidence was higher in lung-transplanted patients (n=23) versus non-transplanted patients (n=107) (8.43 versus 2.36 cases/1000). Incidence was higher in pwCF versus the age-matched general population in the age groups <15, 15-24, and 25-49 years (p<0.001), with similar trends for pwCF with and without lung transplant. Compared to the general population, pwCF (regardless of transplantation status) had significantly higher rates of admission to hospital for all age groups with available data, and higher rates of intensive care, although not statistically significant. Most pwCF recovered (96.2%), however 5 died, of whom 3 were lung transplant recipients. The case fatality rate for pwCF (3.85%, 95% CI: 1.26-8.75) was non-significantly lower than that of the general population (7.46%; p=0.133). Conclusions SARS-CoV-2 infection can result in severe illness and death for pwCF, even for younger patients and especially for lung transplant recipients. PwCF should continue to shield from infection and should be prioritized for vaccination

Missed Opportunities for Growth in the Posttraumatic Helping Environment: The Role of Spirituality

This paper focuses on social work’s understanding of how posttraumatic counselling may help or hinder recovery from trauma. A qualitative case study was conducted using an autobiographic memoir that provides an in-depth personal narrative of one woman’s experience of trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, the posttraumatic helping environment, and healing journey. Inductive thematic analysis uncovered themes that align with the existing literature. Novel or understudied aspects for consideration also emerged, including the importance of psychoeducation, behavioural activation, and secondary factors related to the posttraumatic environment that impede healing. The analysis highlighted missed opportunities to clinically address issues of identity and meaning in a spiritually sensitive manner. Although the narrator made it clear to helping professionals that she was struggling with religious beliefs and was in spiritual crisis, helping professionals seemed to eschew exploration of these concerns. Implications for clinical social work practice and future research are discussed