Posts

Now that my trip to Australia has come to an end and I am back in the states, I realize just how much I learned from the agencies while there. I have been excited to share the knowledge I gained about the Aboriginal culture and the child welfare system and children’s metal health with others as I tell them about my experience abroad. One area that impacted my learning the most was discovering the history and culture of the Aboriginal people. Before this trip, my knowledge about this population of people was extremely limited, but thanks to the women at VACCA, I feel like I have a greater understanding of the struggles they have gone through throughout the course of history in addition to realizing that there are many struggles they still face today.

The Aboriginal population is the oldest civilization in the world, and yet they, like so many other indigenous groups worldwide, were targeted and slaughtered when the Europeans arrived and wanted to colonize Australia. There was no recognition of the hundreds of tribes who lived and thrived across Australia and most importantly considered this great country to be there home. Similar to the Native Americans in the United States, the Aboriginals’ weaponry was no match for the English and they also became victims of smallpox that the Europeans unknowingly brought with them. Unfortunately, the hardships of this group of people do not end here. The many different Aboriginal communities, languages, and values were not respected and instead they were discriminated against and the communities were disbanded by the government. The government also implemented a policy for the removal of Aboriginal children from their families in what became known as the Stolen Generations. The women at VACCA shared personal stories about how their own family members had been personally impacted by this horrible movement. What shocked and outraged me even more was that the official apology for the Stolen Generations was not issued by the Australia government until 2008.

Despite the horrors the Aboriginal population has faced throughout history and the discrimination they still face today in the form of conviction rates, disproportionate drug and alcohol statistics, and the widespread racism throughout the country, this group of people has shown great resiliency and determination to rise above all the negativity and honor their ancestors and culture. Today, land and spirituality are still very important to the Aboriginal people. 35% own their own homes and more than 70% of students in grades 7 through 10 are attending school. While there is a long way to go in regards to Aboriginal’s civil rights, they have come a long way as a population since the English arrived in 1788.

Visiting VACCA first and learning about the Aboriginal history and culture allowed me to recognize and appreciate the other agencies we visited acknowledging this group of people by flying the Aboriginal flag and giving recognition to the land along with the elders and ancestors. It made me realize that many of the social service agencies are pushing for true equality for this group of people which I found to be really valuable.

In addition to the Aboriginal culture, our time at the various agencies also taught me a lot about the child welfare in Victoria and throughout all of Australia. Overall, I found the child welfare system is Australia to be similar to that in the U.S. One of the main differences, however, is that Australia uses the title “foster carer” instead of “foster parent” like the U.S. does. This was representative to their reluctance to “replace” the parent with another caregiver. Many studies show that separation from their family can be detrimental to a child’s wellbeing. The U.S. tends to place a strong emphasis on reunification with parents, both because of this research and also because there is a shortage of foster parents. It seemed like Australia emphasized keeping the families together even more and that the laws in place to remove children were slightly different. That is not to say they would not remove a child if the situation warrants it, but by calling the new caregivers foster carers, they are creating an atmosphere in which the parent is not giving up their title and therefore are not as hurt and angry over the situation, thereby allowing more possibilities for the parents to have the motivation to get the help they need in order to care for themselves and their children.

Unfortunately, one similarity Australia’s child welfare system shares with the U.S. is that at 18, the children age out of the system. This leaves many children on their own with no resources or support to live independently and be a contributing member to society. Multiple organizations we visited are working towards addressing this issue. Lighthouse targets homeless young people between the ages of 16 and 22 in order to give them a loving, safe home and the support they need to succeed on their own. Anglicare is the largest foster care agency in Victoria, and they also mentioned how they are in the process of developing programs to help with the negative impacts aging out of the system has on many young people.

Since I have my undergraduate degree in psychology and am specializing in mental health, I was especially interested to learn how approaches children’s mental health and how it differed from the U.S. The most notable difference is that Australia has universal health care which makes mental health services more widely available to children and families than it is in the United States. While more expensive, private agencies do exist, many mental health agencies in Australia are publicly funded by the government and therefore free for the consumer. I think this approach opens up many more opportunities for individuals and families to be able to access the mental health services they need. In the U.S. there is not only a shortage of available services, but they are also incredibly expensive and often difficult to get covered by medical insurance.

I am not saying that Australia’s system is perfect, however. When we visited the Bouvarie Centre, we learned about the many different methods they were using to help families in Australia address and treat their mental illnesses. Despite the high quality of this organization and the many people they have been able to give mental health services to, the waiting list is always longer. Like in the U.S., Australia seems to have a greater need for mental health care than there are services provided. While more funding and an increase in the number of mental health organizations is needed to help address this issue, I still feel like they are doing a much better job than the U.S. at making mental health care accessible to everyone.

My experience in Australia was absolutely amazing. Not only did I learn about the child welfare and mental health systems here, I also had the opportunity to explore a new place and learn about a new culture. I enjoyed seeing the various sites in Melbourne and loved even more seeing the penguins on Phillip’s Island and exploring the scenery and wildlife along the Great Ocean Road. The memories and relationships, both personal and professional, that I am taking away with me are invaluable to my life moving forward, both personally and in my education and future career as a social worker. Learning about child welfare and children’s mental health in Australia has inspired me to not only keep learning about these areas in other cultures, but to complete more research in them in my own. While I am still eager to begin my career working as a clinical social worker focusing on children’s mental health, I am also more interested in investigating mental health policies in the U.S. and using other countries, like Australia, as an influence to implement a positive change.

Before leaving for Australia I was so nervous (my family can attest to that!) It was my first time traveling solo at all, let alone across continents! However, after studying abroad, I can truly say it was an unforgettable experience. In more ways than one. I learned not only about facts and figures that set the U.S. and Australia apart, but I gained incredible insight into how individuals feel about the policies, practices, and services being implemented. I also met some incredible people along the way, and was exposed to several ideas and opinions that both challenged and sparked different ways of thinking.

One layer to this entire experience that moved me greatly was hearing about Aboriginal experiences first hand (through VACCA- the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency) and also seeing how welcoming and accepting the other agencies are to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals. I did have limited prior knowledge of Aboriginal people and the varieties of cultures they encapsulate (you can’t really speak for everyone as there is so much diversity!) But hearing about the Stolen Generation, where thousands of Aboriginal children were taken and put with other families or in state care, and how recent it was, very much gave context to what we were learning. Trauma can move through generations, and though Australia has recognized the need to apologize, one still has to recognize all the trials faced even today. Though one resounding theme was resilience. Through hardship, there is still a thriving community of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals that are proud to be so, and that is so incredible to see and experience.

In addition, we visited an organization, VICSEG, which lends support and services to newly arrived immigrants. Melbourne is a wonderfully diverse city, as is Australia as a whole (over 25% of permanent residents are born outside of Australia). Australia also offers English language lessons to newly arrived immigrants (and childcare for their kids during) free of charge. VICSEG has unique groups that, in some cases, allow mothers and children to learn English together. They also have soccer groups for kids and teens, playgroups, and tons of support services and training.

In the visits to the other agencies, I was reminded time and again that culture really flows through several aspects of life. Agencies were ready and willing to not only learn from people of different backgrounds, but take their suggestions and make their voices be heard. And that’s incredibly important working in the mental health field. One may think they know what’s best for a person, but through hearing about their unique experiences and really having empathy for different struggles, a middle ground may be found. Cultural competency and sensitivity to other cultures is a necessity.

Beyond the need for cultural sensitivity, I’ve learned so much that will help me in my future endeavors. I’m a psychology major, and I actually learned psychology and social work go very well together! Having never taken a class in social work, I didn’t know quite what to expect, but there were definitely some similarities in the different concepts we talked about. Among my favorites are strengths-based approaches, and the family therapy components, which we learned quite a lot about. I will definitely take into account different strategies utilized by some of the agencies. And it just solidified my love of family therapy. If one doesn’t understand a client’s environment, there may be a crucial element missing from treatment.

This experience also gave me insight into other professions (beyond social work) and how they all work together on an individual’s case. I was very fortunate to be able to go to a renal team meeting at Royal Children’s Hospital. Doctors, nurses, a dialysis nurse, a psychologist, an Aboriginal services liason, social workers, and others have a team meeting every week where they discuss every patient (recent admits, current patients, and future admits) to the renal ward of the hospital. It was so cool to hear everyone throwing out ideas and really respecting each unique perspective on a patient’s case. The holistic approach is very much reinforced in Australia, which I love.

Studying in Australia was an incredible experience. From the diverse, thriving city of Melbourne, to the small towns we saw along the Great Ocean Road. Meditating in the rainforest, to setting up a playgroup for young kids at Berry Street, to visiting amazing historical sites. This trip was filled with so many experiences I will cherish and utilize going forward. Until next time, Australia!

Did anyone else know that Australia had such a diverse culture?

Forty-six percent of Australians have at least one parent who was not born in Australia. Wow. That is nearly half the entire population!

In my first blog post, Parisa and I spoke a little to the diverse foods, such as Asian and Italian, that we were seeing but I wanted to complicate that a bit. Whenever I asked about “Australian food” I was typically bet with several phrases such as “Uhhhh,” “Well,” and “Uhmmm”.  But when you think about it for yourself, I can’t really think of hardly any traditional American foods either. As it seems, Australia is just as much of a melting pot as the United States is, and perhaps even more so. Arabic, Bosnian, Cambodian, Chinese, Dutch, French, Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese are all spoken in Australia, just to name a few. Of course, the first people’s to arrive to Australia were the Aboriginals. Then in the 17th and 18th centuries many Europeans came to explore, such as the Dutch and the British. During the 1800s several Chinese and other Asians came to New South Wales to work in the gold fields during the gold rush. Consider too, the simple proximity of Asia to the land down under. After World War II was another time of massive immigration from European countries to Australia.

Being an egocentric American, I always thought that the United States was always where refugees and immigrants came when they needed to escape or leave their home country. If I wanted to leave my home country, though, I think Australia would be an excellent choice. I was amazed at VICSEG by the emphasis that they placed on linking up refugees with people of their own culture via playgroups. The idea of having community workers who have recently undergone the immigration process themselves show new refugees the ropes of day to day living really struck me as well.

Did anyone else know that Australia had a rich Aboriginal history?

The Aboriginals have had their own culture for the past 40,000 to 60,000 years, marking themselves as one of the oldest living populations on Earth. In this time, the organized their own government, produced their own language, created rules around mating and marriage and found a way to make a highly functioning society. They created their own methods of healing such as herbs, massages, secret chant and steam baths. I appreciated learning that if the Aboriginals were living on a piece of land too long and they noticed it was taking a toll on the environment they would move to a new location. Furthermore, Aboriginals traditionally only took what they needed from the ecosystem: if there were two eggs in the nest and they only needed one at the time they would leave it. As an American, that blows my mind, only taking what you need- we’re so greedy. Though much of their history is not written, the Aboriginals have a thriving oral history that includes over 500 language groups.

Many are doing all that they can to save and preserve the Aboriginal culture. Today, several Aboriginal families still follow traditional gender-based roles, such as only the men being allowed to play the didgeridoo. When it comes to the elders, men play the biggest role in settling disputes meanwhile women handle mating totems and marriage. And every time we walked into an agency and they acknowledged the original owners of the land I got chills. Unfortunately, however, this has not always been done. It breaks my heart to know that the government did not issue a formal apology to the Stolen Generation until February 13^th, 2008, and still there is much work to be done.

Did anyone else know how innovative Australians could be?

The Lighthouse Foundation, Young and Well and Reach Out all struck me as highly innovative and original.

Coat of Arms, picture taken at The Melbourne Museum

Young and Well and Reach Out are doing a fantastic job of researching and creating new ways that technology can affect and improve the mental health and wellbeing of young people. I think the United States is currently underestimating how much technology can influence teenagers and that we really need to follow Australia’s footprints in this department. I also really loved how The Lighthouse Foundation is set up, placing four youth in one home with two full time carers and a community base around that home to support them. The foundation plans to expand from just forty beds to one thousand beds over the next year and it is my hope that there framework can become the basis for other agencies all over the country.

Also, I just wanted to mention the Australian Coat of Arms, or crest, because it has been something I have been so absolutely hung up on and something that I have shared with nearly all of my friends and family. The Coat of Arms is the official symbol of the Commonwealth of Australia and features a red kangaroo and an emu. Okay, so what? Many people say that these two animals where chosen not only because they are indigenous to Australia, but because they are two animals that cannot move backwards. The kangaroo and the emu only move forward, signifying the progress Australia is striving to achieve.

Did anyone else know how similar the US and Australia are?

When most people think of Australia I would venture to guess that they either picture beautiful beaches or a dry, dangerous dessert. I had this idea that Australia would be so absolutely different from the United States. Sure, Australians drive and walk on the opposite side of the road and every living creature there could kill you, but on a day-to-day basis it really was not that different. Just like in Columbus, the people of Australia wake up every morning and go to work, use their selfie sticks, love their football and cannot escape road construction for the life of them.

Helena at VACCA spoke of the systematic racism that Aboriginals still are facing today. According to her prison rates for Aboriginals are still disproportionately high compared to the general population. Aboriginals face stereotypes of being violent, angry and always on welfare. Still, the Aboriginal history is not really taught in the school system. When she was saying all of this I could not help but to think of how Americans still portray and treat our American Indians.

Did anyone else know how absolutely friendly and helpful Australians are?

One thing that always makes an impact on me is how people treat me. Just walking the streets, on the train or in a shop nearly everyone we came across was kind. People went out of their way to be nice to us, even given our awkward group of fourteen loud women. On our first day in Melbourne we were walking to the Preston Market and a older gentleman stopped us and asked us if we would like to pet and play with his dogs. How simple (and of course we wanted to pet them, we’re young women!) but that struck me so and I can say that I have never had that happen here in Ohio. Everyone is so self-involved in the states. We tend not to think of others unless it benefits us. In the trains and trams we often had people ask us if we needed help getting somewhere, and often time we did. When we asked a question on the street we were always met with a positive attitude, rather than annoyance or rudeness.

Playing some beach volleyball with Outback Billy!

Our agencies were very warm and welcoming as well. I feel like I keep saying this phrase but I was amazed that almost if not all the agencies had morning tea and coffee with biscuits for us as soon as we got there. A few agencies even offered us lunch on their own dime. In down time, faculty usually engaged with us one-on-one asking about our personal lives. I value all the time that Trish took in helping Dr. Cash organize this incredible experience with us. I never expected for her to bring her whole family out just to have dinner and meet all of us. And honestly, Outback Billy and Holistic Hiker, Katie, went above and beyond for us. Looking back, it really touched my heart that Outback Billy drew up a mock volleyball court on the beach and started a little game of volleyball with us.

Did anyone know else how much I would change from just one-month abroad?

I grew up in a little village in Appalachia. I thought Columbus and its diversity had changed me, and it has, but it was nothing compared Australia. I have lived a sheltered life. I had never been west of the Mississippi, let alone out of the country. Now that I have been, I cannot wait to leave again! People keep asking me if I want to go back to Australia, and sure, I would love too but I cannot help but asking, what else have I been missing out on? Where else can I go next? A fire has been lit inside of me.

Now, I am only twenty-one and only going into my fourth year of undergrad. I do not feel that I can say that I one hundred percent want to work in the social work field for the rest of my life. If anything, Australia and this program have left me questioning my plans for the future—but that is okay, it is actually a good thing. Even though I am a social work major this program has given me a newfound respect for the field. It is one thing to learn about social work in the classroom but it is truly a completely different thing to watch it happen in front of you in real-world situations. The added culture value was a pure bonus!

Trip Abroad…Learning Experience

Spending three weeks studying abroad can certainly change any individual. After spending twenty-one days in Australia it has completely transformed my life, my perceptions, and how I view the world professionally. While answering questions about my trip to my friends and family, the only thing I can seem to say is: “ I do not know where to even start, I can talk for days.” This was the first time I have ever traveled over seas without my family, and I can certainly say this is the first time I fed kangaroos and meditated in the rain forest. I have met many individuals that I hope to be friends with for a lifetime, and even professionals that I can go to for career or professional advice. This trip was empowering, and incredible to be surrounded by individuals who care so deeply for mental health as I do, and all diverse individuals regardless of their race, orientation, or culture. After an internship at Child Services, I thought I could sum up social welfare or the social work field and agencies pretty well since I am a psychology major, based on my experiences since I have never had a social work class. However, like many others, I was completely wrong and this once in a lifetime opportunity abroad solidified how involved in every aspect of life the mental health professionals are.

I may be able to show pictures of the twelve apostles or the breathtaking views of the beaches, but the agency visits are impossible to describe to anyone. Overall, the entire atmosphere of each agency seemed to be more welcoming and displayed an entire different message than what I have experienced from agencies in America. One thing about Australia’s agencies that stands out is the immense focus on relationships with their young people or clients. Each organization genuinely cared for, and strived towards trying to build up a relationship, which makes an overall positive impact therapeutically on the young people. Trauma moves through the entire system, and this has been one piece of advice that has made an impact on me. I have worked places in youth residential therapeutic settings, and I feel that this approach was not being utilized. The approach that I saw here in my experiences, was not a lot of relationship building with young people, and it is impossible to make positive strives forward therapeutically without a comfortable bond. The main key to recovery is the process of close and comfortable relationships, and Australia has confirmed how important this is, and how well it works in their agencies.

The entire organizational culture is critical in the therapeutic setting. Many workers surround young people, and every relationship in the organization can make a small difference in their therapeutic journey. This is definitely one piece of the trip from the agencies that made a huge impact on my life for the long run. Australia has numerous hard working mental health agencies, and agencies seem to be more prevalent in their communities. They run on an evidence-based framework, and I believe that our country can adopt many of Australia’s practices. 

Critical History Lesson…

Australia overall seemed genuinely welcoming to our big group of tourists. However, most cultures may have a deep and saddening history. Before coming to Australia I have heard of Aboriginals, but the only facts that I thought were correct were all myths on their lives or culture. Coincidently not only did I learn about their positive therapeutic relationships they work so hard on in agencies, but I learned of a negative tragic relationship between two people. Their history happened to be undoubtedly heart breaking between the Aboriginals and White individuals. Our first visit at the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) was very informative to my knowledge of the real truth of the Aboriginal people who have a culture of 60,000 years old! These individuals have the longest culture in the world, and discriminated against for years and unfortunately still in many places in Australia, which we witnessed first hand. This is a huge issue in America currently of racism, and this goes to show it truly is seen everywhere in the world and forever present. One day the Aboriginals were run off their land that they have inhabited for years, and presently still fighting oppression. Not only did we get to hear the didgeridoo being played live for us from real Aboriginal men, but also we heard the heartbreaking stories of the Aboriginal women of many generations of racism and oppression who work at the agency presently. These stories were eye opening to an entire culture fighting for a free life, and that many Americans simply do not even know the truth. One piece of information that is critical is the Stolen Generation where thousands of children were stolen from their families and many never seen again. Many of the unique stories of the stolen generation really made our group put our selves in their shoes, especially the visual project. We all lined up together in a line, and slowly we all were ripped apart and spread out all over the room. I cannot imagine being torn apart from my family and never seen again. Just in 2008 an official apology came through for the Aboriginals from the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Australia truly is trying to make steps forward to respect the people of the land, and even have signs at each agency respecting the first people of the land. Hopefully our own agencies and country, (as we have had a great week in improving equality to all) can adopt some of the ways the agencies in Australia recognizes the first people of the land.

Professional Growth…

As it is known in the field, psychology and social workers work hand in hand but have such similar jobs that overlap. This can be quite the decision while deciding on what route to go to for graduate school. Currently I am aspiring to become a therapist for children or a psychologist. Social workers and psychologists work in similar settings, and can perform some of the same services for clients. I have always wanted to work with clients who are victims of sexual violence/assault and I learned how easily I could even do this with the social work route. I had the chance to learn about Gatehouse Centre a service inside The Royal Children’s Hospital who works for victims and most were social workers. Before my trip to Australia I mostly thought of social workers working in child services or hospitals only due to my internship experiences. However, after my trip I realize how closely psychologists and social workers work together in many clinics and agencies. They both can be involved in family therapy, and closely work on effective treatment methods together. I was even shocked at how much they resorted to primary caregivers and occupational therapists all working within the field as well together for clients. If all professionals can come together, it can really make a powerful impact on individuals in the community when it comes to mental health. I believe that there needs to be more services or clinics where there are many professions under one roof. Clients may have trouble with transportation, and if there is more services available with many professions together, with the help of guaranteed health care to all and many services working toward genuinely helping all clients no matter the disability or issue our communities can get the therapy they need. I would love to one day work in a clinic where individuals and children can come to get family and individual counseling, and there be other services such as occupational therapists and speech and audiology professionals. I absolutely love learning American Sign Language, and many times during the trip I was able to relate some of the deaf individuals troubles with many others such as Aboriginals and individuals who need mental health services. With the help of all professionals, I believe our communities can get the critical help they need.

I have truly learned how closely related all cultures and individuals are no matter the location, and how everyone has their own struggles. I was able to relate many areas of my life from experiences I have had. Deaf culture has been oppressed for years as well as the Aboriginals or immigrants coming to Australia, which was learned from our emotional Vic Seg agency. Overall, I have definitely seen a different side to the social work field, and my future career path in the mental health field will be formed around my new perceptions from this trip.

Goodbye Aussie…Final Words

             My last day in Australia was surreal. As I wrote my last journals, and reflected back on the entire exceptional journey abroad it was sad to say goodbye. I never thought that I would study abroad, and I even applied to this program spontaneously and not even thinking I would get accepted. While in Australia, I constantly tried to just take in all the phenomenal views surrounding me, and forget all my other stressors back in America. This was not hard to do with all the amazing beach views and night walks in the rain forest. To any individual thinking about studying abroad my advice is to absolutely do it and not to hesitate. No matter where you travel to, you will meet many wonderful individuals that can change your life. I would like to thank everyone that I met who made my experience outstanding just one last time. I hope to return to Australia one day so that my family can view and experience all the wonderful sites that I was fortunate to visit! G’day.

“I do not bring back from a journey quite the same self that I took.”

-W. Somerset Maugham

Lessons Learned 

Studying in Australia turned out to be a much more thought provoking and reflective trip for me than I anticipated. After visiting VACCA, the Royal Children’s Hospital, the Young and Well Center, Reach Out, Berry Street, Bouverie, VicSeg, and Anglicare, I am left with a much wider perspective on how to serve others. Each organization/agency visit was better than the last! I couldn’t write fast enough to keep up with all of the information that I wanted to absorb. In general, there seems to be a larger emphasis on the holistic approach to caring for people and communities in Australia. In contrast, in the U.S. we tend to like more singular approaches to serving others and as a result often miss the bigger picture. There is also a greater emphasis on primary prevention work in Australia. Many of these organizations aim to help people before greater problems arise rather than trying to go back and help people after the fact. Social Services in Australia seem to be more valued than they are here in the U.S.

On that note, I especially appreciated learning about how the Aboriginal communities care for and support one another. There seems to be a greater attitude of responsibility toward one’s community in this culture that I wish our culture in the U.S. would adopt. Australia as a country is also trying to repair their relationship with the Aboriginal people in a different, and in my opinion better, way than the U.S. has done with the Native Americans, for example. Every agency we visited began the presentation by paying respects to the land and it’s traditional aboriginal owners. It’s a small, however significant gesture to work towards reversing all of the damage colonization in Australia has caused the Aboriginal people. In addition to the organizations focused on repairing this relationship, organizations like VicSeg work towards helping immigrants settle in Australia once they have arrived. They have a strengths based approach towards strengthening communities. It focuses more on problem prevention through education, training, and other programs that foster community growth and cohesiveness. I love how they embrace diversity and seek to spread cultural awareness throughout other organizations and communities in Australia.

There are many takeaways from this trip that I know I will carry with me throughout my career as a social worker. One is the idea that when I serve people who have experienced trauma, I remember to focus on their transition from being a victim to a survivor and then to an achiever. I will also remember that this scale is fluid and sometimes part of the journey is sliding back and forth between these stages. And as I learned from many of the agencies in Australia, the strengths based approach is most effective. We must learn how to build people up and focus on their strengths rather than their failures and shortcomings. Learning how to give and receive constructive criticism really is key! Part of this approach is also realizing that people are complex beings. There are many different parts to us, and different factors that affect our behaviors and personalities. Using a holistic approach in tandem with the strengths based approach assures that as a service provider I am not only focusing on a person’s strengths, but also focusing on the person in their environment. I need to remember to understand each person in his or her own context and then work from there. Speaking of person in environment, I have also been reminded of just how important cultural competence is when working with others. Culture is not stagnant; it changes and evolves over time. It is critical to understand where a person comes from and what his or her values are (or what his or her culture’s values are in relation to that persons own values) to be able to best serve him or her.

And finally, one major thing I have realized on this trip is that one does not have to be a social worker to serve people! We had women from many different professions on this trip, which made for a wonderful interdisciplinary learning experience. I appreciated the opportunity to learn how to work together and discuss our individual perspectives after each agency visit. There are so many different ways to help people and to bring people together in a community. This realization will undoubtedly help me in my future career as a service provider.

This study abroad experience has greatly broadened my perspectives, taught me new lessons, given me an insight into a different culture, given me the chance to experience some truly unforgettable adventures, and has allowed me the opportunity to create some new and lasting friendships!

Over this past month in Australia I learned much more about Australia’s history, the benefits of a public health care system, and how social workers play into that system. Right from the start of the trip I was challenged, educated, and encouraged by the knowledge of Australia’s history. I knew very little about Australian Aboriginals or how grossly mistreated they were during colonization. I was grieved to learn about the acts of discrimination and persecution that had happened so recently in history.

The more I travel the more I see how similar patterns have played out in history, and the further I am inspired to fight the current destructive patterns for a brighter future. After hearing yet another story of how a few people in power influenced the masses to oppress a smaller group of people, I was ignited to take on the responsibility of reflecting upon my own personal history and question how my ancestors built the community that I was raised in. There are such common themes in the histories of developed nations…genocide, racism, oppression, disregard to human’s basic human and civil rights. Why do we continue to make the same mistakes over and over again? After seeing how Australia finally acknowledged their wrongdoing and wrote an apology to the Aboriginals in 2008, I know that change is possible. As a future social worker, I know that I need to be someone who will actually listen to people’s stories when they are not being heard. When someone in power is belittling a population, we must understand that there are two sides to every story. The Aboriginals had generations of knowledge of how to live off the land; they had a culture rich in traditions and a love of community that few people value today. Everyone has value, and deserves the right to be heard and respected.

Valuing individuals equally is a foundational element behind Australia’s public health care system. I believe health care should be a basic human right, and in Australia people are guaranteed these services. I saw that many of the fears and concerns Americans have about having such a system were honestly not much of an issue there, but there were multiple different factors that need to be taken into account. Australia is unique in the fact that about 85% of the population lives within 50 km (~31 miles) of the coast. This means that Australians are very centralized by living in the few big coastal cities, making access to services extremely easy. Australia also has a much smaller population than America as we have a population of about 319 million and Australia is only home to about 23 million. This is a huge difference and it would be a much larger task to take on to try to serve a population as large as ours the same care as Australia. So although there were many benefits to their health care system, and as much as I would like to see America to eventually follow a similar model of care, it would take a lot of time and improvisation to figure out the logistics of doing so.

Amongst the countless new ideas, programs, and approaches that I learned while abroad, my experience with the Lighthouse Institute stands out the most. I wrote in a previous blog about the radical ways they are changing care for young people in Australia. The way the Lighthouse Institute has seen the need for young adults around the ages of 17 and 18 year olds is so inspiring to me. We have a multitude of resources in America for children and teens, but once they legally become adults…they are on their own and expected to hold their own. The only resource that I am aware of for this age group in America are for teens who have aged out of foster care. However, there are so many young people who were never given the gift of being taught responsibility and basic job skills like interviewing. Just because a child was not in foster care does not mean they were adequately raised with the blessing of affectionate parents who were willing to teach them independent living skills. I think that if there were more programs such as this, we could provide another important net to catch the young people who were not caught earlier by the system. The kids who somehow went through the system and did not have their needs met. It would be one last network to reach out to before adulthood to gain the resources these young people need.

It was also at Lighthouse that I feel like I got a better idea of the theories behind their practice and was given valuable insight into working with children. One of the psychologists talked a lot about how all behavior is a form of communication…so in order to change the behavior you have to understand what is being communicated. No child wants to misbehave simply to cause harm. There is usually an underlying message trying to be communicated, or something that they are gaining from the misbehavior, whether it is attention or whatever else. I know that I will use this insight in working with future families, and it will give me greater compassion for anyone who is treating others unkindly.

Taking into account all of the experiences (both educational and tourist) that we were so lucky to enjoy on our travels, I came back feeling empowered. Traveling to and from Australia, I had bought a separate plane ticket so I got to experience what it was like to travel completely on my own. It was a little intimidating at first, but I made it and now feel confident I could do it again! I came back with a better sense of who I am as an individual, as a social worker, and with a better understanding of the obstacles that I may run into in my future career. I grew in my cultural competency, especially after the visit with VACCA. I learned about how they encouraged the younger generation of aboriginals to embrace their culture. By encouraging young children and teens to value their culture, it gives them a sense of belonging and community from which they can draw strength. It is very important within the Aboriginal community to include the extended family just as much as the nuclear family in discussions and decisions. Aboriginals live as members of the broader community, and this is important to take into account as a social worker. I know there are many other cultures that also have these similar values of communal living and decision making, and it would be important to draw upon that strength with clients if that is important to them.

I also really appreciated how in Australia the holistic approach to care seems to be much more frequented than I have experienced in America. Australia did not seem quite so focused on the use of prescription drugs to solve all problems and were much more open to alternative forms of healing. After talking to many of the social workers, it seems they understood the importance of taking into account the mind, body and spirit when creating interventions for clients. Even outside of the social work setting, we were introduced to holistic care by our tour guide Katie Lucas who took us on our grand adventure around the Great Ocean Road. She called herself the “Holistic Hiker”, and took us on a spiritual journey of meditation on one of the beach stops and in a beautiful field to watch the sunrise. The morning meditation was definitely a highlight of my trip, as it reminded all of us to stop and appreciate exactly where we were. Taking the time to breathe, be thankful, and affirm yourself of your own strength can totally change your perspective positively, and I will always refer to mindfulness as a wonderful tool for my own mental health as well as tool to offer future clients.

I will always look back on this study abroad trip as one of the best decisions I ever made and I hope one day to travel back to explore more of the beautiful country. Australia will  forever have a special place in my heart.

Twelve Apostles, Great Ocean Road

There were plenty of overarching messages I learned from visiting the Australian agencies we did. I think what stuck with me the most was how everything worked efficiently and effectively for each agency and for the Australian people. We struggle in the U.S to have the right systems set in place to help those less fortunate. But what a few agencies mentioned and what I definitely picked up on was that it all works because they know the ingredients to making it all work. Some agencies were specific and others were broad but they never tried to do too much to help everyone they possibly could. It was about reaching out to a certain population and making a difference in that society and I can respect them for that concentration. Sometimes doing too much isn’t the best and that’s a message I’ll take away from all of our visits.

The specificity of this message was clearly seen when learning about the Aboriginal peoples, refugees, and children in Australia. A majority of the agencies we visited targeted assistance towards one of these three groups of people. VACCA, VICSEG, Royal Children’s Hospital, and Berry Street all had focuses in these populations and again they never tried to do too much but just help these people in ways they knew how. Each agency acknowledged the Aboriginal peoples in some way and it was great to see different people’s perspectives on that population of Australia. Some opinions were positive and others were controversial but it all contributed to so our learning. Seeing the programs at VICSEG acknowledge the aspects of acclimation when living in a new country contributed to the idea of not doing too much. They took care of refugees from all over and focused on women and children. The influx of refugees into Australian was similar to the U.S in that both countries were melting pots. There is so much diversity amongst all the people in both countries. So much hope for refugees in both countries.

Visiting Australia has helped me prepare more for my future career as an occupational therapist more so than I thought it would. I incorporated what I learned about social work and underserved population in what I’ve learned about medicine and how to work with such populations. Social work and medicine when brought to their core are about helping and taking care of people. It’s about relating to your patients and how to take care of them in the best way for them, not for you. Working with children and adolescents has always been my goal and our visits solidified that. What these agencies are doing is helping children now and for the future. There’s nothing we do today that we don’t do for the intention of keeping it for the future. I see the future in the children of the world and intend on helping them succeed in every way. I learned more than expected from the social workers who focus on the care of children and intend on taking those lessons with me in my profession.

Saying Australia changed my life is an understatement. Or it’s completely dramatic. Either way, I was impacted in more ways than one. Visiting Australia just before my final year at Ohio State was probably the best time to take such a trip. It’s changed how I want to go about going to occupational therapy school, what I want to do in my career, and mostly where I want to go in my life. Seeing how efficient a universal health care system can work for a country and how all citizens and patients can get the care they need is more than accomplishment in my eyes. It’s fair, it’s right, and it makes all the difference. Australia has differences compared to the U.S and that was something I constantly had to remind myself. Systems that work there do not in the U.S for a multitude of reasons. There are things I would do differently in the U.S because of what I learned on this trip and there are things I would do differently the next time I visit Australia. Although a month was a long time, it wasn’t enough to explore everything. I don’t regret a thing from this trip but plan on a different experience for the next trip. I have a lengthy list of people to thank for this opportunity but ultimately I just thank Australia for taking me in and changing everything in my life. Thank you!

Fruitful Learning Experience

Australia was a world of firsts for me. This was the first time I was taking a course that was not a GE, required for my major, or science-related. This was the first time I learned about the social welfare and mental health system. This was the first time I met Aboriginal people and learned about their history and culture. This was the first time I went to a hospital that gave their citizens free health care. This was the first time I fed kangaroos, wallabies, and parrots. This was the first time I mediated on the beach. This was the first time I traveled across the world without my family. This was the first time I was surrounded by a group of people who all had the same goal of improving aspects of life for all people regardless of ethnicity, income, and education level.

Unlike many others on the trip, I was not a social work major. I was actually the complete opposite: a medical dietetics major with aspirations to attend medical school. The reason I joined this program was due to my interest in working with the under-served population, issues regarding homelessness and food insecurity, and my end goal of eventually running my own free clinic. My previous experience with social workers was very limited but I knew some were involved with helping under-served populations and this would be a great experience to learn more about what they do, the services they provide, and how I could work with them to improve the healthcare of the target populations I hope to serve in the future. I did not know what to expect when entering this trip. From what I heard in the past about social workers were that their main job was to take kids away from unsafe homes and that in the health field, they were only involved in discharge planning. My experience in Australia made me realize that they do so much more than that and changed my views on social workers in an extremely positive way and I am grateful for that.

During our time in Melbourne, we visited various agencies whose purpose was to help provide social welfare and mental health services to children and adults alike and tackle issues regarding youth homelessness and violence. Each agency presented to us and they each had empowering technique to get their message across. I also was impressed by the amount of evidence-based practice each agency utilized. I had no previous background in social work so during each agency visit I learned so much information about issues that I realized were happening but did not think about on a day to day basis. Learning about high-stress related issues such as suicide, family violence, domestic violence, and mental health issues really opened my eyes to the vast array of problems Australia and our own country faces. I also learned about programs agencies were developing and the push for policy to advocate for children and young adults and the importance of funding mental health services to these age groups. We learned about trauma-informed practice and one particular agency’s push, Vic Seg, for cultural competency training.  One of my favorite programs I learned about while visiting agencies was called Theraplay with Children in Foster Care. This program was run by an agency called Berry Street and they have multiple programs focusing on children and families in foster care, abuse, domestic violence, and homelessness. This specific program, Theraplay, uses positive experiences and fun activities to help create a connection with the carer and child and help them see through the lens of their child and increase their understanding of what the child has been through. The goals of their program include giving carers additional training in a fun way, build upon attachment, and have fun in a non-judgmental area. I did not have much knowledge on what play therapy was and it was such an interesting concept that I wish was utilized more. Likewise, the Royal Children’s Hospital-another place we visited- also had a program called Comfort First that utilizes a play therapist. The Comfort first team assists the parent and child with medical procedures associated with their child’s treatment. The aim of the program is to promote coping skills and good procedural outcomes for children and families. We had the opportunity to talk to a play therapist and she showed us how they explain medical terms such as what a stethoscope is and the purpose of it in a manner that children understand i.e. use a stuffed puppet who was the patient, color objects, etc.  These are just a few of the amazing programs we learned about in Australia and all the agencies were young, progressive, and seemed a little bit ahead of the U.S. in ways they were improving social welfare and mental health services to children and adults.

The Aboriginal History

Learning about the history of the Aboriginal people was astonishing and surprising. Before I came to Australia, I thought that the Aboriginal people were recognized and admirable people in Australia. As I came to know quickly, during our first agency visit at Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA), that this was not the case. Although the aboriginal culture is 60,000 years old, the longest living culture in the world, they were kicked out of their land by the white people and discriminated against for years including present times. It was eye-opening to hear the personal stories from those that worked at VACCA and experiences of racism and neglect their entire families have faced. We learned about the Stolen Generation- thousands of Aboriginal children who were taken from their families due to an assimilation policy. I had never heard of the Stolen Generation and it saddened me that their grandparents had to go through something like that and that this policy only ended in the 1970s.  Additionally, it also surprised me that only in 2008, was an official apology (made by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd) given to the indigenous peoples. It seems like Australia is moving forward by taking steps to create respect and a better life for the indigenous peoples but it still astonishes me that it took so long to do so. They still face problems such as racism, homelessness, and crime at a higher rate than other Australians and only time, new programs and initiatives such as those VACCA provide will help the indigenous peoples heal and promote their rights. I feel optimistic because every agency we visited at Melbourne paid their respects that we were on the lands of the Aboriginals and it would be the first thing they would say before starting their presentations. Moreover, almost all the agencies had at least one Aboriginal person on their staff or a program specifically working with the Aboriginal peoples, which shows the progress they have made in the past several years. One quote I took away from VACCA was “No matter how much milk you put into coffee, coffee is still coffee.” Differences in race and culture are problems that occur in every part of the world but it is disheartening when violence and crimes are outcomes of it.  As our own country is making steps towards equality, I hope that we can be more accepting of everyone’s culture, traditions, and skin color.

Social Work and Future Professional Goals

Many people asked me why I was participating in a social work program when I am in the medical dietetics program on the track of becoming a registered dietitian and also planning to apply to medical school. What could be the possible connection between social work, dietetics, and medicine? As I learned through this trip- EVERYTHING! Social workers are not there to steal kids away from families, their primary job is to help families who are in tough situations and make better lives for them. They help counsel on family, behavioral, and mental issues and increase access to services to those that do not have any. Healthcare professionals may help in a different way that social workers, but they also have the common goal of improving the health and outcomes of their patient/client.  As I came to realize during this trip, social workers do much more than just discharge planning. They are the bridge between the patient and the doctor and are the ones that listen any troubles the patient may be experiencing that affects their health such as substance abuse and domestic violence.  They do everything to ensure that the improvement of health done by the doctor is maintained such as connecting the patient with resources and providing financial support. There are many aspects of a patient that is not covered in the checklist that the physician goes through during the beginning of a visit. This is where a social worker becomes a valuable resource. They know that patient in a different context than a physician does and a lot of times that information is critical in the treatment plan of the physician. For example, if there a baby who is living in a house that is infested by cockroaches, how is she supposed to stay healthy? A doctor would not realize the reason the baby was frequently coming to the hospital was due to that unless the social worker talked to the family, figured out their situation, talked to the doctor and helped find another place for the family to live.

Moreover, I found many similarities between social workers and dietitians that I did not expect to occur. They are both professions that are not as highly regarded as they should be. A person’s diet is also pertinent in their overall health but most of the time medication is the first solution instead of diet change and exercise. Dietitians also do a lot of counseling and motivational interviewing to find out the client’s internal motivation to make a change. They use the different stages of change to help a client move towards their goal. Social workers also use the stages of change and motivational interviewing to effectively communicate with their clients/patients. At the Bouvarie Center, Dr. Young taught us the concept of the single session therapy. This concept focused primarily on getting the most out of session with your client because they most likely will not see you again. This reminded me tremendously of what dietitians do with clients because many of the times you do not know if you will see your client/patient again and it is entirely up to them for a follow up visit. It is imperative to focus on the points that are most important to their situation and develop strategies for them on those issues in case you never see them again. The parallels between dietitians and social workers were not one I expected to find and ones I found very interesting.

My favorite part of Australia was that they have publicly funded universal health care system and each citizen is guaranteed public health insurance! My goal is to work as physician in an under-served area and increase access of health care to those who do not have it. I also hope to focus on primary intervention efforts and be an advocate for interdisciplinary health care. My end goal is to eventually run a free clinic. When I asked about free clinics at the Royal Children’s Hospital, the social worker looked at me like I was crazy and said that healthcare is free for everybody! If the U.S. could adopt a system similar to Australia’s I think the health of the general population would improve immensely. I also believe the best care for the patient is one where the whole healthcare team works together to solve the problem. Australia has a huge push for primary intervention care and I hope that America will start to adopt this strategy. Many chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity are all nutrition related and could be prevented with intervention early on. As a future healthcare professional with backgrounds in dietetics and now social work, I hope to eventually run a free clinic that provides mental health services and nutrition consultations. This trip has emphasized to me the importance of interdisciplinary education and learning about what other professionals do and how to effectively communicate with them.

G’Bye Deadly Australia

This was a life-changing and valuable experience I will never forget. I met amazing people, tried Vegemite (probably won’t do that again though), watched groups of penguins emerge from the sea to the shore, and learned priceless information. As others have expressed, I have found a hard time articulating my experience to my friends and families. I usually sum it up as it was an awesome experience and I learned a lot about a profession that I now have developed a great respect for. I have taken away so much from Australia such as the importance of social work to the value of effectively communicating your views/opinions to others. This trip has given me valuable context on understanding the under-served population and information I can use in the future. I have improved my cultural competency and the trip brought to light many issues I have heard of happening but did not truly recognize the prevalence of. I encourage every Ohio State student to study abroad where you will learn more about yourself and appreciate the different cultures and history that surrounds us. The amazing views and wildlife will always be in my mind and I have hundreds of pictures to remind me of everything that we did in the last three weeks from the train station, to the 12 apostles. This trip has motivated me to continue traveling and learn more about issues regarding social welfare and health in different countries. Thanks for everything Australia! I hope to see you again in the future 🙂

-Anna Cherian

Australia was not necessarily at the top of my list of countries to visit, but now that I have carried out the wise decision to take advantage of an opportunity to learn there for a month, I have to encourage everyone to move it to the top of theirs. Australia is so unlike the stereotypes, depending when and where you go in the country. To be fair, we only had a month and when we prioritized, the true outback got left out. Australia is a LARGE country despite what skewed modern world maps would have you think. Melbourne was like a mini-NYC on the Southern/bay area of the country and is very diverse and cultural. We were not quite prepared for just how diverse the people there are. The public transit system is impressive and the architecture throughout the city is something to marvel at for the sheer variety of styles splattered throughout downtown. At first, we thought the suburb we were staying in was a bit rough, because there was graffiti everywhere, but that was before we realized street art COVERS the city – and it is spectacular!

This trip will go down in my personal history as one of the best things to ever happen and our weekend on the Great Ocean Road was unforgettable!

White Australia Has a Black History

I stole the title of this section from a sticker I saw on a restaurant in Newtown in Sydney. One of the most profound things I will take away from Australia 2015 is the deadliness of its aboriginal population. The term “deadly” is a positive way aboriginal people refer to themselves. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the oldest surviving civilizations in the world (40,000+ years). After the U.S. gained independence, Britain set its colonial sights on “unsettled” Australia. Issue was hundreds of aboriginal nations covered the whole of Australia and they had unique eons-old customs, languages, and agricultural practices. The U.K. was imprisoning high levels of citizens for even the pettiest of crimes and they needed somewhere to dump them, so they sent them to Australia. They could barely grow food, ruined the aboriginal way of life, and introduced more than one invasive species (cough cough, rabbits) that wreaked havoc. The Australian government actively removed aboriginal children from their homes during the 1900s, often when fathers were off at war or at work. The children were put in camps and converted to Christianity. The strategy was to mix them into white society and to literally breed aboriginal people out of existence. Much in line with the immigration policies of the time, the goal was pretty stated as “White Australia”.

You can see here that Berry Street went so far as to display apologies to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, for any participation of theirs in the Stolen Generations.

As you can see here, Australia’s historic treatment of immigrant and minority groups is strikingly similar to the U.S. (picture taken at the Melbourne Immigration Museum)

I was lucky to visit the Melbourne Immigration Museum. I used to want to be an immigration attorney and I am passionate about immigration issues within the U.S. As I explored the whole of Australian immigration history in the museum, I realized how many parallels there were with U.S. history and how many of the policies favored some categories while discriminating against others at politically opportune times. I think a lot of Australian immigration and native treatment issues parallel with the American experience, and I can see parallels between Australian aboriginal people and immigrants and Native Americans, African Americans, and immigrants. These populations – historically subjected to severe intergenerational trauma and institutional disadvantage – have symptoms of oppression in common >> more poverty, more drugs, more gambling, less education >> they are overrepresented in these areas because they’ve been underrepresented for too long by their governments. Australia is an example of a country that is doing things a bit differently from the United States and succeeding to an extent in increasing the standard of living for Australians via social programs and policies, such as universal healthcare. Programs are becoming trauma-informed, culturally competent, progressive, and noteworthy. The research done on new programs is creating an evidence base for the changes social workers for years have argued are necessary to empower human beings that are often simple, cost effective, and produce results when executed properly.

A photo of the book published by Lighthouse Foundation/Institute – they are primarily concerned with helping homeless youth through trauma-informed care.

aUStralia 

It is interesting to compare the U.S. and Australia, because Australia is so similar to the U.S. in many ways. In fact, at times, we noted how aside from the accents, we wouldn’t know we weren’t in a U.S. city. On the other hand, poverty and homelessness seem to be less visible here than in major American cities. We were told that the minimum wage is much higher than the U.S. and happens to increase with age. This is compounded by the fact that the welfare benefits are more robust and single parents receive additional payments. In addition, as became very clear during our visit the Royal Children’s Hospital, the country guarantees public health insurance to each citizen – no documented person was on the streets on account of medical bankruptcy. One group member wants to attend medical school and run free clinics and her questions surrounding coverage issues and free clinics were virtually obsolete under the Australian system. How insane is it that their norm is “any sick Australian child can come into this hospital and receive treatment, without the fear of crushing charges”? Can you imagine a U.S. system in which free clinics aren’t necessary?

 The Australian Way: Governance

I slowly came to a major realization that is important in understanding what we saw in Australia and how their agencies are able to thrive. I was beyond impressed with the nine agencies we visited for the program and the 4 additional agencies I visited with for personal research. They were generous with sharing their knowledge – each had a solid philosophy, commitment to values, evidence base, commitment to research, and a truthful and holistic way about them. I was surprised that none of the 9 agencies the program visited –and only 1 I visited on my own – was run by the government. Jeff Young of the Bouverie Centre ended up confirming that the Australian government has largely stepped away from service provision, therefore it now sets policy and funds community organizations to design, implement, and test programs. This seemed to be a significant positive, due to the fact that I witnessed progressive and innovative programming that appeared to be catalycized by a lack of red tape and bureaucratic attitudes. Organizations were young, diverse, and dynamic – which made them adaptable. Their physical spaces were mindfully created or repurposed and they were resourceful – very unlike the sterile cubicle environment you almost always encounter at a government-run agency. The downside to this model is, of course, now much of the legal and other burdens that used to be shared or held by the government are now shifted to the service providers.

My Australian Motivation

Why am I so concerned with funding and government structuring? I am heading into my final year of my master’s programs in social work and public administration. I have spent the past 3 years working in child – with an internship with the Children’s Defense Fund, followed by a caseworker position with Franklin County Child Support Enforcement Agency (FCCSEA), which led to both a policy internship and social program developer grant position. A good deal of my master’s research has centered around drug policy and social justice. My research topic for the John Glenn School will be comparing drug policy’s effect on the welfare of children in The United States, Australia, and Portugal.

Agencies Visited For Program:

• Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA)
• The Royal Children’s Hospital
• The Young and Well CRC
• ReachOut.com
• Berry Street
• Lighthouse Foundation/Institute
• The Bouverie Centre
• Victorian Cooperative on Children’s Services for Ethnic Groups (VICSEG)
• Anglicare

Agencies Visited for Personal Research:

• Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA)
• Turning Point Alcohol & Drug Centre
• The Australian Drug Foundation (ADF)
• Australia Child Support Agency (Sydney)

 Empowering Clients as Experts On Themselves

The Bouverie Centre specializes in “single session” or “no bullshit therapy”, in which a long assessment is abandoned in favor of infusing the first session with as much discussion of the crucial issue at hand as possible. This is based on the research that shows 75% of clients report being happy with just one session of therapy and many don’t show for more than that one. Knowing this information, they decide to get realistic and create a model that fits the client, rather than the administrator’s perceptions. A couple of more micro-tracked master’s students commented they are taught 14-session therapies and that they were surprised to learn of this approach. This example goes to show that there are very different ways to deliver the same service and often, there are tradeoffs associated with all of them. What I found unique about the Bouverie Centre’s approach was that it really tapped into what the clients report and the statistics show, rather than a program conventional thinking would have designed. The fantastic track records of these organizations prove they are doing a lot right. I am a huge proponent of comfortable, bright, open, safe workspaces for social workers and others working in difficult positions with difficult issues and the Bouverie Centre really impressed me in that respect. Their office was laid out in a circle and I noticed the director’s office was no bigger than the rest. In addition, their two-way mirrored rooms were fascinating – not because of being two-way (of course I’ve seen those before!), but in how they are used. I love that Bouverie Centre actually has the family watch the clinicians debrief about what they saw during the family’s session. This seems a genius way to increase client trust and access to information – not many programs provide that level of empowerment for clients.

Here you can see the Bouverie Centre cares about being culturally inclusive – their front desk was full of multilingual greetings and had a sign that said “Don’t see your language here? Let us know!”

Better Than Souvenirs

I did not end the trip with much in the way of souvenirs due to being a broke student and the strategy with which I failed to pack my luggage, but I left Australia with experiences and insights that are priceless. There is a significant amount I have taken home from Australia that I can apply to my professional realm. I was already a proponent of universal healthcare, increased use of social workers, a more robust welfare system, and quality public transportation. Australia has solidified my commitment to bringing these qualities to the United States. We often hear that such policies cannot work in the United States – we are too big, we are too diverse. Australia rivals the United States in its diversity and issues with immigration, the economy, etc. and they are finding unique ways to function within the context of their aboriginal and immigration issues. Australian agencies we visited were inspiring for how culturally sensitive and trauma informed their policies and programs are. The Australian government officially apologized for its treatment of aboriginal populations, but has done little to aide in reparations for the splitting up of families and intergenerational trauma caused. One thing I noticed is that much of Australia, such as every single one of the agencies we visited and numerous businesses, acknowledged the traditional aboriginal owners of their land. We also saw signs such as “White Australia has a black history” and “Real Australians Say Welcome”, which demonstrate a community movement to confront issues of maltreatment and alienation of aboriginal and non-white populations in general. Berry Street even included an apology for any role they played in the stolen generations. Almost every agency we visited had aboriginal staff, aboriginal-specific programming, operating within cultural and trauma-informed frameworks. The United States is doing some of this as well, but we need to be more consistent. I know that the agency I work for has not always had the best of community relations reputation and is working hard to better understand the low-income, immigrant, and historically disadvantaged populations we work with so we can create and implement smarter, humane, evidence-based practices. I will also take back the lesson to keep in mind that convention or “common sense” practices are not always best and that it is important to tap into intuitive programming with strong research support – doing so can be revolutionary.

The Three Sisters // The Blue Mountains // PURE BEAUTY

I MISS YOU ALREADY, MY DEAR AUSTRALIA!

I WILL be back.

You’re going on a trip…
Twenty-one days spent in any location, can definitely change a person. When I got my acceptance email, I knew this trip was going to change me and I knew I was going to learn a lot about Australia, but I did not know how much and the end result was mind-blowing. My experiences in Australia changed me, for the better. Not only did I learn about the culture, I became the culture. I took from each agency a sense of pride for their work, a love for community, and a respect for diversity. Each team member, in every agency, were full of knowledge and they were excited to share it all with us.
It was exciting to learn this little country is organizing their communities and serving their citizens very well. These organizations care so much about the populations they are working with, the people they serve, the work they put into their passions, and they are proactive. The people in Australia were incredibly diverse, kind, and welcoming to us visitors.
From all the agencies, I learned how they started their journeys and how the agencies came to life. It takes a lot of hard work, care, an open mind, and passion. Although, the fight for funding and support can be difficult, they do not let that sway their goals.

From the beginning…
Australia did have a rough beginning, similar to the United States. When new settlers came to this country, the struggle for power and recognitions can be overwhelming and can leave a path of destruction and in the midst of this power shift, and the Aboriginal people were given the short end of the stick. They were torn from their homes, transported to different places, their children were taken away, and they were left powerless to the new settlers. They had no rights according to these new settlers and were treated like dirt. Taking this recent history into consideration, Aboriginal people need time to heal, healthcare, mental healthcare, and support to rebuild their communities. In saying so, mostly all the agencies we visited provided some kind of program and assistance specifically for Aboriginal people. That was great to see because they recognize that not everyone has forgiven the past and not everyone can, so they designed programs to help, without crossing boundaries and comfort. With such a small population, the programs and services agencies provide, can be more successful because they can serve a lot more people. The United States has a huge population, with a huge piece of land, programs and services can be hard to reach because there is not enough of these services proportional to the population.

Starting young…
It seems like the United States and Australia have a similar goal in protecting children and its young people. The ultimate goal is to make sure that the child is safe, cared for, and is stable. Overall, the agencies provided an abundance of resources for the parents and foster carers to utilize. The agencies focused on fixing the environment and the family as a whole, and not the individual. This strategy can be quite powerful because not only does it open the dialogue between family members, it helps each person see their role in the family system. I learned that it helps create a more honest conversation, and it allows more interaction between family members.
The biggest difference I noticed between Australia and the United States way of handling child welfare, was that social workers as mandated reporters. In Australia, social workers do not have the obligation to report, when a client tells them something, but in the United States, social workers are obligated and are punished if they do not report.
However, they care a great deal for their young population and most, if not all of the agencies we visited, had some kind of care and support aspect for young people. It was refreshing to see that Australians know that starting young is the key to prevention and intervention.

What a learning experience…
It was an amazing trip. I learned so much about Australia and its people and culture. It was interesting to learn about their healthcare system and their political influences. Their systems are quite different from the United States and we have a lot to learn about making our systems more effective. From all the agencies, I learned the importance of environmental influences, family systems, and relationships in general. These agencies care a lot about their work and it really shows.
It takes a lot of work and willingness to fix something and with that, it takes a lot of courage to admit there is a problem. To start a dialogue can be difficult and most of these agencies are very successful and have figured out a way to do it, in a caring, understanding manner, which is remarkable.

The future is bright…
From this trip, I have learned more about myself and the world around me. Professionally, I have learned that I need to speak up more and have clearer communication skills. If I want to be an advocate for my clients in the future, I need to be willing to say what I think and defend and support my client. I need to have a voice, before I give a voice to my clients. I also learned that networking and relationships go a long way. People will usually remember how you make them feel and so being your best, can pay you back later on. The relationships we build with others are extremely important and is the basis for being a human being. I learned that passion can spark a fire that can spread to great things, unimaginable things that become real. The agencies we visited all started small, but have grown into amazing organizations, but the idea to start the agency started with an idea and passion.
With my new knowledge and skills, I can take this with me for my future in social work. I hope to take it with me and create a better tomorrow for my clients and even friends and family. I want to help people because I like people and don’t think that people should be suffering, everyone should have someone as an advocate and a voice, and should get help, if they need it. Australia has opened my eyes and have made me so much more appreciative and thankful for what I have. With my background, my experience, and this experience, I have gained so much more insight and empathy.

They say it takes twenty-one days to start or break a habit. I think my new habit is learning more about the world around me, connecting to more people and my environment, and the desire to come back to Australia. If given the chance to change anything, I would not have changed anything about the trip. I learned so much and met so many amazing people, it was all fantastic. If given the opportunity to go on another trip like this, I would take it immediately…