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.

The past week in Melbourne was bitter sweet. While we enjoyed visiting the last four agencies on our agenda and learning about the services they had to offer, it was hard to say goodbye to the city that was home for three weeks and to the people we have come to know as close friends. While many of us are traveling on, the main part of our Australia adventure is now complete, leaving us with great memories and insight to reflect on.

One agency that was of particular interest to me (Laura) was the Bouvarie Centre. Having a background in psychology, I was really excited to visit a mental health agency and learn about their family approach to children’s mental health care. I found it interesting to learn about the history of Bouvarie and the fight to turn it into the family-focused agency it is today. I liked that we talked about other systems potentially involved in a child’s life that would affect their care instead of focusing only on the family system. While the family is obviously an important factor, I liked that Jeff mentioned that they look into all the factors in a young person’s life as they all work together to make an individual who they are. Therefore, it is important to have an understanding of the various systems and how they impact one another in order to treat a person successfully. Discussing this approach to practice brought me back to the many social work classes I took this past year learning about the importance of just such an approach.

While I appreciated Jeff’s insight using a multi-system approach and the overview of the center and its history, what I valued the most out of the day’s visit was the time spent discussing the single session therapy approach. This concept was completely new to me as it seems we have spent time in class learning about therapy and treatment methods with the assumption that we would spend multiple sessions with one client. However, Jeff shared some surprising statistics with us that contradicted this idea. He said that a majority of people who seek out therapy only attend one session. What really shocked me about this is that of those who only attend one session, 75% feel were happy with the session and feel like it helped. Jeff’s argument, therefore, was that we need to conduct our therapy sessions with clients as if it will be there only one, and with this new information, I couldn’t agree more.

These statistics along with the advice Jeff gave about conducting a single session therapy appointment have changed my views on mental health treatment. If the clients have more say in the direction of a session, more than likely they will get the greatest benefit from it which is ultimately what a therapist’s goal should be – to help a client the best they can. Even though most people do not return for a second session, I liked that the Bouvarie Centre allows them to come back for services at any point. This ensures people have a place to come for help when they need it, and if the first session is successful in helping them, they will be more likely to utilize such a service in a time of need. One factor the group kept returning to on the trip that makes this access to care easier than it is in the States is universal health care. All of the many services offered at Bouvarie are free which greatly simplifies a child and family getting the necessary mental health resources. While we are a long way from making this a possibility in the U.S, learning about the relative ease of access Australians have to medical resources (and mental health resources) has made me more critical of the American system.

As Laura pointed out, our last week in Melbourne was emotional to say the least. Emotional to see friends go and surprisingly emotional at our agency visits as well. Personally, my (Elena) experience at VICSEG was conjured unexpected feelings. To back track a bit, VICSEG stands for Victorian Cooperative on Children’s Services for Ethnic Groups. This social service agency aims to help refugees and other immigrants adjust to life in Australia and get their lives settled comfortably in a new country. I deduced that simply from the introduction by Janet and John that this day would remind me a lot of my family, specifically my parent’s journey to America. And it did. Although my parents were not refugees from Lebanon, they did immigrant due to conflict and war and have been in the U.S for over half their lives now. It surprises me how detached they have become from their childhood and young adult life in Lebanon. Not to say that those memories aren’t still there, but I know and they know that their lives are here now. That’s easy to say now but not a day goes by during these three weeks that I don’t remind myself of why I’m here in Australia living what once seemed like an impossible dream—it’s because of Mum and Dad. Their hard work, determination, resilience, and love have gotten them through thick and thin.

With a lack of U.S education and money, they have obtained a life for each other, my siblings and I, and their direct family. After watching the film at VICSEG, these were the thoughts and memories I had floating through my mind. Those thoughts broke through in the form of tears I couldn’t hold back any longer. Saying I could relate to the families in the film is a very far stretch because my parents (from what I know of) and my siblings and I have never had it that hard. Nothing in the realm of it. But luxuries, vacations, being job free as a teenager weren’t in the cards for my family. Every day is work. And when you’re your own boss, in the case for my parents, work is from sunrise to sunset. That effort is something I never take for granted and is what I’m grateful for having instilled in me growing up. I look at my experience and don’t take anything for granted and capitalize on every opportunity. That is what I find refugees and all immigrants can relate to. Life being hard and knocking you down but getting back up and working even harder for even just a glimpse at a better life. The services VICSEG implements to support these people and their children is extraordinary, especially with how diverse Australia is. Transitioning to what feels like a whole new world is unimaginably difficult, and having even one person let alone an entire social service agency dedicated to helping you along on your new journey is remarkable. And for that alone, I appreciate and respect what VICSEG does for the state of Victoria.

This past weekend, the group took a two-day trip with Outback Katie along The Great Ocean Road. We traveled many miles, stopping at look-out points to admire the view, exploring the rain forests, interacting with the animals, and relaxing on the beach. The experience was absolutely amazing and far surpassed any expectations Elena and I previously had.

While on this incredible journey, Katie taught us many things about the land, the people, and the culture along the road. Having grown up in the area, she was full of knowledge and was excited to share it with us. We learned this road, that winds a path through beautiful landscapes for miles along the coast and through the Australian bush, was built by soldiers who returned from World War I. While this was an incredibly difficult task (much of the work involved digging through the cliffs by hand with nothing but an ax), the idea was that working on the road would give them a newfound purpose now that the war was over and help them heal from all the horrors they had recently seen and experienced. Katie put these challenging thoughts the soldiers were facing in perspective by expressing, “Why me? Why did I survive and not the other men? Why was I able to come home?” With this contemplation came a revelation that the soldiers channeled into creating The Great Ocean Road.

While I have no way of knowing if these soldiers did find peace as they worked, I would like to believe they did. After spending just two days in this environment, I feel refreshed, re-energized, and grateful to be alive. Gazing out onto the ocean and listening to the waves crash into the cliffs was very calming for me, and I believe it would have been for the returning soldiers as well. Breathing in the fresh air that one can only find in the countryside was also rejuvenating, and I hope that this, along with the incredible scenery and the satisfaction of completing a hard day’s work would have helped the soldiers move on with their lives after World War I.

Having contemplated all of this, it was really moving to be able to stop and visit the Memorial Arch dedicated to the soldiers that worked so tirelessly to build this road so that people for many generations would be able to experience the wonderful scenery and wildlife the southeastern coast of Australia has to offer.

By the end of the first day on The Great Ocean Road I felt empowered, and by the end of the second day I felt changed. Our sunrise meditation on the hills was a beautiful way to start the day. Relaxed and appreciative to be living in the moment, Katie challenged us by having us set our intentions for our lives, and more specifically the day. Room 602 (Laura and myself) ironically enough set similar intents for the day which was to appreciate what we have around us while in nature and on The Great Ocean Road and not focus on the negativity that life hands us. Easy to set but difficult to uphold. Breathing in deep, calm breathes and simply expressing to ourselves that our intent actually means something to us was enough to keep that goal alive throughout the day. Looking out the window and seeing the ocean follow us which ever bend and wind in the road we took was enough to assure us that everything would work out and be alright. No worries, ever.

Back home, I’ll always be known as the first to say that I’m a city girl. I grew up in Cleveland and go to school in Columbus. City to city. But I always seem to contradict myself when put in nature. The calm, quiet, serene atmosphere is enough to make a city girl never go back downtown and stay upstream permanently. That’s what The Great Ocean Road did. It captivates you. The waves don’t just crash into sand, but grabs you and takes you, never letting go and you’re trapped and entranced by the beauty of it all. How is it possible to leave when you’ve been hooked? It was difficult to say the least but it was impactful. Never before have I been so mesmerized by Mother Nature and all her mysteries. We appreciate our relationships, the people in our lives, the opportunities we are given on a daily basis but do we appreciate nature? Not only daily but at all? Katie told us a story about her Uncle and his construction business. He and his crew, locals from The Great Ocean Road, would build homes for others. Her uncle would always add two weeks to the project timeline, whether the house needed it or not. Reason being? He would let his crew go to the beach and surf when there would be a beautiful, worthy wave to catch. He not only appreciated the locals’ lifestyle, but the Southern Ocean in all its glory for he would do the same thing to surf a good wave. His appreciation for nature impacted his crew in a positive way, making them work harder for a respectable man, causing his business to thrive and ultimately make him a happy man. Who knew narly waves could do such great things to your life.

Entering the city again was saddening. Hearing the traffic, not being able to see the stars, no ocean in sight, it made for a melancholy evening. But I will now never go a day without appreciating what I know is out there. I don’t have to see it and I don’t have to be near it to know that nature and all our great intentions for life are bigger than who we are.

When first arriving in Australia, neither Elena nor I knew much about the Aboriginal culture. We understood that they were the native people of Australia and have fought oppression since the Europeans began settling the country, but our only reference point was our knowledge of the Native Americans in the United States. However, now that we have been in Melbourne for one week, our understanding has grown exponentially.

The first agency we visited was VACCA where we learned all about the Aboriginal history, culture, and issues they still face today. Both of us were struck by how recent most of the history was – the Stolen Generation, which lasted through the 1970s, was a period of time where Aboriginal children were taken from their families because the government determined that their families could not properly care for them. At this same point in American history, we were moving forward with our human rights in that all American citizens, including all minorities, had the right to vote. While minority populations in the U.S. still face discrimination today, they seem to have made much more progress when it comes to human rights than the Aboriginal population has here is Australia.

Since our newfound knowledge from the women at VACCA, our awareness of Aboriginal culture in Australia has grown, and we now can easily recognize their presence in the country among the rest of the population. We’ve seen the Aboriginal flag flying at multiple locations we have visited and we noticed that people at the Royal Children’s Hospital and at Phillip’s Island gave respect to the elders and the land as is custom to do in Aboriginal culture. We were also able to use what we learned from Helena at VACCA about Aboriginal languages to better understand the language map at the Melbourne Museum. Within the Aboriginal countries, people spoke different dialects of the same languages but had shared suffixes. We noticed this on the language map which helped us better understand the communication between different Aboriginal populations throughout history.

This past week has been full of fun and educational experiences which makes us excited for the rest of the trip, especially so we can continue to learn about the Aboriginal population here in Australia and make connections to the minority populations in the U.S.