Our second week in Australia was a once in a lifetime opportunity filled of spirituality and meditation, and even a heavier subject such as trauma at Lighthouse Foundation. The Lighthouse Foundation is a centre for young people who are experiencing homelessness. Many of these individuals have been exposed to trauma or family disfunction. The residential program is split up into ten houses for the youth, which may include up to four young people at a time, and two carers which work at alternating schedules. A carer is a loving and helping individual who serves as a guardian for the homeless youth. These carers receive regular training and debriefing sessions for self support. In order to adequately provide support for the youth, they must take care of themselves, and in order to do this they have weekly meetings to debrief. In addition to support from carers, the youth receive guidance from the community as well. Coming from a psychology background, we both connected with Lighthouse and their approach to working with individuals of trauma, and connecting it with the community. Having a strong connection with the community is a key approach to working with young people. Lighthouse aims to work on relationships, because it is key to the healing process. The group experience being positive is critical because trauma flows through the entire system as a whole, and this can lead to the traumatized system. The quality of the therapeutic environment and the relationships that are formed in the community are tremendously important for mental health, and this should be stressed more. This approach needs to be highlighted more in the United States in residential services for youth. Without the connection of the community the process can be hindered and we can bring this back with us for future practice with children. We both aspire to counsel children one day, and we hope to bring the approach Lighthouse uses with connecting the community to our areas. After learning a lot about homelessness at Lighthouse, we even learned a lot about meditation and spirituality at The Great Ocean road tour, which we hope to one day bring forward more in the mental health field.

The Great Ocean Road was built by 3,300 WW1 veterans after the war over the course of thirteen years. This beautiful scenic route was carved out and built along the coast line, with a mesmerizing view of the ocean. We like to think that during the process of the road being built, the soldiers had the opportunity to feel somewhat of a calming and therapeutic relationship with the ocean. The ocean is so powerful and mesmerizing, and therapeutic. Our group had the opportunity to meditate in three different locations on our journey down the Great Ocean Road. The first time at the beach, second watching the sunrise in the countryside and lastly in the rainforest. This allowed us to refocus ourselves on gratitude and self-appreciation. So often people in helping professions get burnt out, and taking care of yourself is a necessity.

I (Emily) would love to one day either be a psychologist or therapist for children and victims of domestic violence and trauma, and to teach meditation classes to these individuals. I feel passionate about helping these individuals through the healing process, and to show them to be one with their mind. Changing your thoughts are the first step to changing the world that you live in.
I (Megan) would love to work in an elementary school as a school counselor or intervention specialist. Looking at issues from many different perspectives is needed and often beneficial. Just because many people feel treatment for a certain disability or disorder needs to be a certain way, everyone has their own strengths that need to be drawn upon for progression. Differences should not merely be tolerated, they should be celebrated.

Overall, the Great Ocean Road was a wonderful spiritual journey and a great time to step away from our busy stressful lives and to truly be thankful for everything that we have. Meditation is a great way to get in tune with yourself and to calm the mind. This journey in Australia has so far been a life changing experience!

This past Saturday and Sunday our group finally took our exciting trip down the Great Ocean Road. As a whole, we really did not expect the tour to be so full of history, stories and culture but rather more of just a fun touristy type of thing. Our weekend was beyond what we had ever imagined.

Great Ocean Road Arch: Parisa, Vy, Demi

One of our first stops was at The Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch, which honors the 3,300 World War I soldiers who built this magnificent scenic way. The road is a total of 243 kilometers (151 miles) and took the soldiers thirteen years (1919-1932) to create using mostly their pick axes and dynamite. This majestic road was built by these soldiers to honor their fallen brethren and also gave the soldiers a renewed sense of purpose, which perhaps lowered some effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. Much of the road very closely hugs the southeast coastline, but some parts also extend into large dairy farm areas and rainforests.

Right before we got off to see the arch Katie played us a song titled “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda”. Though the war ended much earlier, a Scottish-born Australian by the name of Eric Bogle did not write the song until 1971. The song was extremely powerful and had a very profound effect on Demi in particular. To put into context, here in Australia to be “waltzing Matilda” means to be wandering the outback place-to-place looking for work with nothing but your blanket and swag, which has been a very important tradition in Australian culture. “Waltzing Matilda” is also the name of one of the country’s most famous songs, which is sometimes referred to as the unofficial anthem of Australia. Bogle wrote the song from the prospective of a young man going from a free mate to being called into the war. In the song, the young soldier is maimed by the Turks and makes the comment he “never knew there were worse things than dying” and that he will never be able to go waltzing Matilda again.

Loch Ard Gorge: Demi, Parisa

Loch Ard Gorge Top View

On Sunday morning we stopped at Loch Ard Gorge, another place full of history. The Loch Ard ship was built in Glasgow, Scotland in 1873 and was a huge, magnificent ship made of iron. The ship departed England on March 1^st, 1878 with passengers and crew of 51. On the foggy morning of June 1^st, while trying to thread the needle of the Bass Strait, the ship struck the limestone rock. Some of the passengers where crushed by falling cliffs while others were washed overboard. The Loch Ard sunk within fifteen minutes after impact and only two people on the ship survived. Tom Pierce was eighteen at the time and a member of the crew while Eva Carmichael was an eighteen-year-old passenger simply travelling to Australia to begin a new life with her family. Eva did not know how to swim but was able to cling to a chicken coop and after five hours in the icy water finally saw Tom on shore and was able to call for his help. Tom pulled her out of the water and into a nearby cave where she collapsed from the trauma. Completely exhausted, Tom then climbed the cliffs to get out off the gorge and walked several kilometers to find help. While telling us this story, Katie pointed out the resemblance of this tale to Titanic to lighten the mood.

Demi and Parisa

Coming to Australia we had no idea what to truly expect, though Demi had her worries and Parisa was excited to try everything. It seems like Australia does not have a specific cuisine on its own- the food so far has been very eclectic. Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese and Japanese sushi all seems to be abundant. Italian food and pizza seem to be very prominent as well, though one does not order on a topping-by-topping basis but rather based on pizzas listed on the menu. Fish and chips and burgers are popular take away items too. On the whole, everything tastes much more fresh, less greasy, less processed and just overall better for you. If you look at the nutritional labels, one can actually read and understand all the ingredients listed. To experiment a bit, we created the following video tasting some local snack favorites, including vegemite!

https://youtu.be/iYUSjNSyWZE

First Impressions –

Melbourne is definitely not the stereotypical image of Australia. We weren’t exactly sure what to expect upon arrival to Southern Victoria – maybe something along the lines of shaking hands with a kangaroo fresh off the plane. However, as we made our way to our extended stay hotel in Preston, it became apparent that we underestimated the industrialized city. Instead of dry lands and ‘roos, we found ourselves in awe of the urban art on every wall and an amazing collection of Asian markets and cuisine. Though Melbourne is lacking in those typical Australian outback stereotypes, it is quite abundant in culture. This is obvious through the diverse peoples and multicultural areas. One moment we were walking through China Town and the next we were under English Victorian style arch ways. We then had an Indonesian dinner followed by amazing gelato. After gelato, we watched a clock tower open up and play a tribute song to Australia. Our day was almost as unpredictable as the weather…We weren’t sure what we would see next! And speaking of weather, it is wise to always have an umbrella handy because Mother Nature likes to randomly start spitting on Melbourne. Sometimes the rain only lasts for a few short minutes and then the sun shows its face again. It’s a fun game trying to keep up!

VACCA Visit –

When one thinks of Australia, the general stereotype is the “Steve Irwin type outback lifestyle”, or a society still consisting of convicts from England. We also expected lots of desert and anticipated occasionally dodging some kind of poisonous animal during our stay here. What we did not expect to learn, is that there was a whole population of indigenous peoples living here already. The Aboriginal people have a history not unlike the Native Americans in the United States. Even as recently as the late 1900’s, Australians have been marginalizing and stigmatizing the Aboriginals. It wasn’t until 2008 that the government finally issued a public apology and began to try to make reparations for the Aboriginal people…

Kathryn – “I had this idea in my head that Australia was vacant until England decided to drop off their murderous convicts. I couldn’t of been more wrong. First of all the “convicts” were more or less people being arrested for population control in England. These men and women were arrested for a range of misdemeanors from stealing a book to impersonating an Egyptian. Furthermore, the land was less than vacant. The fact is the longest surviving culture in the world inhabited the dangerous planes of Australia before England came and did what England does, colonize. The Aboriginal people were an intelligent and thriving society. However, because England didn’t recognize the practices the land was considered fair game. Families were torn apart and the Aboriginals were forced to thrive in frameworks that weren’t built for them.”

While we learned a lot about the traumatic history of the Aboriginal people, we also learned about their resilience and how they have been able to stick together as a community and support one another through it all. There are many efforts being made, like at VACCA- Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency, to restore pride in being Aboriginal and to start owning their culture and past traditions that have been lost over time.

Chloe – “My major take away from this visit is the quote ‘from victim to survivor to achiever’. I am interning with the Salvation Army right now for my placement on the anti-human trafficking committee. This idea of having victims instead see themselves as survivors is a crucial part of their healing. It is also important for them to then see themselves as achievers so that they can truly begin to move forward with their lives. Everyone’s journey is different, but it is good to know that we can all be connected through this concept of helping each other become achievers in our own way. It was very inspiring to learn about how supportive Aboriginal people are for one another in their communities. They work to build each other up and constantly look out for one another. I think that without this supportive network, the concept of victim, to survivor, to achiever would be much harder to attain.”

Royal Children’s Hospital Visit –

Our group visited the Royal Children’s Hospital on two different days. The staff there had individualized itineraries planned for each of us before we arrived, which was amazing. They catered to each of our interests and ensured that we got to fully experience different aspects of what a social worker does in different departments of the hospital. For example, Chloe is interning with the Salvation Army back in Delaware, OH doing anti-human trafficking education, awareness and prevention. Part of her schedule involved a meeting with the social workers practicing in the Gatehouse, which is the program where they counsel children who are victims of sexual assault…

Chloe – “I really appreciated the emphasis on family systems approaches to counseling children in the Gatehouse. They take a very holistic approach to the rehabilitation process and attempt to address all aspects of the child’s environment. I also appreciated the way social workers take responsibility for their patients in the emergency department. They follow up with patients even after they have left the hospital to make sure they are receiving necessary services after referrals are made from the hospital.”

Kathryn’s schedule included shadowing adolescent psychiatrist Andrew Court and neonatal social worker Dani Gold. This was great because Kathryn works with children with disabilities back in OH. This a lot of the time means working with families for the best educational outcome for the child.

Kathryn – “Royal Children’s Hospital really had a great emphasis on supporting the family in order to support the child. I found this incredibly helpful to learn how it is they provide these supports because often, when working with children who have special needs, it can be easy to forget that the parents are  experiencing a range of emotions like, grief and frustration. In order for my students to succeed, I need to make sure my families have the correct supports to create a positive cycle of learning in all environments.This is exactly what RCH does with their patients. I really appreciated this approach as it not only creates a swifter recovery, but also encourages healthy generalization and maintenance.”

-Kathryn & Chloe

This past week we have been able to see bits and pieces of the entire city, learn about two local organizations, and taste lots of different food! The first agency we visited was VACCA (Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency), and it was an incredible learning experience. None of the people in our group previously knew much about Australia’s Aboriginal history, let alone understand the rich cultural traditions and values of the population.

I (Rachel) was particularly struck by the similarities in how both of our countries glorified colonialism. Australia seems to have done a much better job of recognizing their fault quickly and taking action to preserve the Aboriginal population, but it is still a work in process and both countries have a lot more to do. The stereotypes associated with the Aboriginal population here are similar to the United States view of Native American reservations, assuming that they are all alcoholics and dependent on social welfare…but it’s simply not true. The resilience within this population is truly inspiring. One of my favorite quotes by Helena (one of the speakers from the agency) was, “We need to succeed within these systems that were not designed for us.”

As a social worker, this is such a powerful statement alluding to the oppression that minorities all over the world are facing. The Aboriginals had such a better understanding of the environment…they knew how to work with the land rather than against it. They had a beautiful system of working together and sustainably living off the land without destroying it before the Europeans came, and the country is just now beginning to realize that maybe the native people understood how to live in Australia better than the “civilized” foreigners.  I am intrigued by the wisdom and knowledge that the Aboriginals here and the Native Americans back home have to offer, and as a social worker I hope to fight to find those strengths within whatever population I work with.

From the First Peoples exhibit at the Melbourne Museum:

When we went to the Royal Children’s Hospital on Wednesday May 13^th, many of my classmates got split up. I (Vy) got put into a group with three others and we headed to Gatehouse, a center for sexual assault.

It was fascinating. Gatehouse focuses on children and young people who have been affected by sexual assault. Gatehouse provides many different services. There are counseling services, crisis care, consultations, advocacy, training, and research being conducted. The one thing that blew my mind was that Australia has a totally different system than the United States and I learned that they too are frustrated with their positions and power, or lack there of. Their police system, child protective services, and social workers are separate entities. I could see their perspective on why it was so frustrating working with the system, when it seems like the system is working against them. In Victoria, social workers are not mandated reporters, which means they do not have to report any disclosure of harm to oneself or harm against another person.

It is fascinating to see that one service has all these resources and plans to help a client, but they do not have the power to directly report the issue. They can only refer and recommend to another agency. Social workers in the U.S. have the duty to report and if not, get in trouble. That is a huge difference in the two systems that I found interesting.

After this experience, I can take the information from Gatehouse that I learned and perhaps create a service in the U.S. that incorporates the amazing services Gatehouse provides. We had smaller meetings with social workers that discussed vulnerable children, trauma, and bereavement. Those were interesting as well. We got a lot of information on their legislation and processes the government has been debating on.

Just within the first week, our worldview has been challenged in big ways by seeing a different social system and experiencing another culture.

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.

Aussie Rules, Literally.

This past Wednesday (May 13th) and Friday (May 15th) our group had the privilege of visiting the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne. We each received individual schedules which allowed us all to have unique experiences more tailored to our courses of study. Overall, at the end of the first week, the Royal Children’s Hospital seemed to make an everlasting impact on us.
The main lobby is open and inviting and there is art everywhere. Soon after, you see a giant aquarium. Other areas include a meerkat exhibit and a starlight room with fun activities for the kids. Each floor has a theme animal as well. It seems extremely catering to children and their families (who understandably may be hesitant going or staying at a hospital). Small things like this make a huge difference. Imagine being a small child and being ill, and having to go to this massive scary hospital. However, with the friendly staff, inviting aquarium, and game room a child can feel more comfortable. Being both psychology majors, we both got a taste of what it is like being in the psychology department at the Royal Children’s Hospital. Although our two days at the hospital differed on the second day, our first day at the Gatehouse Centre was together. We are both interested in learning more and want to help individuals who have suffered emotional and mental trauma. The Gatehouse Centre is a therapeutic service for children and their families who have suffered from sexual assault and trauma. Although we learn about this in class, we never have the experience of asking questions to social workers who work in sexual abuse. We learned about their court system and their theories that they use to work with their families such as family systems. One interesting fact about this service that really struck us is the fact that the children do not have to testify in court many times in the same room as their abuser. Children are prepared for court by explaining the justice system, and they conduct pretrial education and processes with the child to make it less frightening.
The second day at the hospital was also a wonderful experience. I (Emily) had the opportunity to shadow a research assistant that is also a general psychologist in the neuro psychiatry department. This was a wonderful experience because I had the chance to view a screening assessment of an adolescent being tested for a learning disability. I have never had the chance to sit in on a screening and scoring of an individual and to see all the cognitive tests that they receive during this process. I left the testing feeling drained and sad due to the information that the individual disclosed involving substance abuse and suicide. I felt as though the individual needed more help on finding a counselor for these issues, and was not receiving it. Overall, this entire week was a wonderful experience, and we feel so fortunate to have been able to participate in all the agency visits including VACCA.

In addition, there’s an aboriginal health center with a small area with couches and a tv, in it’s own area apart from the rest of the hospital. Some aboriginal families may travel from very far, so having a familiar area can help families feel more at ease.
And there’s a Ronald McDonald (Ronnie Macca) House very close to the hospital. I was extremely happy to hear Australia has Ronald McDonald houses as well. It’s an invaluable resource for families whose children are staying in the hospital. Though it does work on a waitlist system, so it really depends on if there are enough beds. If not, the hospital has a few rooms (without nurse care) for families to stay if their child is having surgery the following day.
In Australia, everyone pays into a system to provide them with public health insurance. If someone makes more than a certain amount, they are encouraged to take out private insurance. Royal Children’s is a public hospital, so the majority has access to it (and Royal Children’s is a leader in a lot of specialties, so that’s a huge plus).
I (Megan) was able to sit in on an interdisciplinary care meeting for the renal ward on Friday. These meetings are held every Friday for approximately two hours. Doctors, nurses, health educators, social workers, and an aboriginal health liaison meet to discuss the patients currently admitted (and even home care patients, as many do home dialysis). I sincerely appreciated to efforts on the part of all staff to be sensitive to the various biological, mental, spiritual, and social aspects of each patient’s care.
All in all, Royal Children’s was an incredible experience and I’m sure what we’ve learned will be invaluable tools we can take back with us. Theories discussed in the sexual assault training can be applied to other areas of trauma in our classes, and the screening assesment for disabilities is universal, can be used in our future practice.

By Emily Sorrenti & Megan Johnston

What a week we have had.  Everyone survived the awesome 16 hour plane ride and made it to the land of Oz.  The first day we toured Melbourne…pictures to come.

On Tuesday, we visited the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Center (VACCA).  What a great experience.  The students, in their blog, I’m sure, will provide a more in-depth reflection on their experiences.

On Wednesday and Friday, we visited the Royal Children’s Hospital, where students were introduced to the hospital and were able to shadow social workers, attend interdisciplinary case presentations and treatment planning, and learn about their universal health care system.  It made me wish even more, that the US had a similar system, where everyone could access care, regardless of their income.

Friday we also had the opportunity to visit the Queen Victoria Market.  For those of you who live in Columbus, the North Market is similar, but is about a tenth of the size.  We need to find a place to have a bbq so we can buy fresh meat and vegetables and have a cook out.

Off to a footy match today at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds.