Interesting Articles

On rebooting your emotional health

Taking care of your emotional hurts is just as important as taking care of any other injuries or illnesses. Here are some tips on how to reboot your emotional health from psychologist Guy Winch:

7 ways to practice emotional first aid

How do you do it? The hard but rewarding work of Social Workers.

Working for years as a social worker, I’ve had many people ask me “How do you do it”? The answer for me wasn’t and still isn’t simple. The work is hard, rewarding, heartbreaking, heartwarming and more.  Here’s an excellent look at what we do:

http://www.socialworker.com/feature-articles/practice/I_Could_Never_Do_What_You_Do/

Does everything happen for a reason? An article questioning grief & growth.

We’ve gotten used to saying that everything happens for a reason. Yes, some people experience tremendous personal growth, develop new skills, deepened relationships or other types of positive changes after tragedy or loss but does this always happen and does it always happen for everyone? In fact, can this kind of expectation that grief results in growth do more harm than good? Read more of Tim Lawrence’s writing on the fascination with “fixing” grief.

http://www.timjlawrence.com/blog/2015/10/19/everything-doesnt-happen-for-a-reason

Congratulations to Cindy Blackstock (a fellow social worker), Executive Director of The First Nations Child & Family Caring Society of Canada for leading the way to ensuring that children living on reserves receive equitable access to services that Canadian children receive elsewhere. Read more here:

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/01/26/ottawa-discriminated-against-kids-on-reserves-human-rights-panel-says.html

 

Healing Books

Kitchen Table Wisdom by Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D.

http://www.rachelremen.com/books/kitchen-table-wisdom/

The Power of Kindness. Why Empathy is Essential in Everyday Life by Brian Goldman

dare to lead. brave work tough conversations whole hearts by Brene Brown

Resources

Thought these might be helpful:

Bringing humanity through storytelling into medicine and hospitals: The Sharing Clinic.

Research suggests that patients’ experience a mental health boost by telling one’s health story and through the experience of others listening to their stories and puts patients’ in the “drivers seat” of their health care. Read about this innovative story-sharing kiosk at Mass. General Hospital at: http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2016/01/sharingclinic-mgh

Social Work and Health Inequalities Network (SWHIN): http://blogs.coventry.ac.uk/swhin/

Join this network and collaborate with other social workers interested in promoting research, discussion and action to combat the causes and consequences of unjust and damaging socially created health inequalities.

White Coat, Black Art (CBC Radio with Dr. Brian Goldman)

On Helping families of children with complex illnesses http://www.cbc.ca/radio/whitecoat/a-shot-at-normal-1.3296396

Apps for Social Workers   https://tech.co/social-work-apps-2015-10

Brene Brown  http://brenebrown.com/

Rachel Naomi Remen  Remembering your power to heal. http://www.rachelremen.com/

 

 

 

Reflections

Stay tuned for musings on various topics related to life, research, interesting people and lots more.

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Dr. Beverley Antle

Remembering a dynamic colleague and friend, Dr. Beverley Antle. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about her. Whether I’m writing, thinking, contemplating a new project or stepping in the doors of SickKids Hospital, my thoughts wander off to Bev. What would we have been working on together if she were still here?  There was so much more to learn from her. And so much more to do. She is around me in so many ways but I miss her beyond words. http://www.thestar.com/news/2007/01/25/beverley_antle_47_a_force_for_good_with_a_zeal_for_life.html

Social Workers are experts.  We provide services for those from all income levels and backgrounds, we advocate for fairness, we teach and we are researchers. For more information check out : http://www.oasw.org.

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