The Critical Social Worker Podcast is hosted by none other than our very own proffessor, Christian Ace Stettler. The main goal and mission of this podcast is to look at different perspectives on a variety of topics by hearing peoples stories. This week marked the 35th episode of this podcast. This episode delved into profound discussions about grief and healing in social work, the situation in Palestine, and transformative approaches in social justice.
The special guest on this episode was Causha. This was actually Causha’s second appearance on this podcast as they were also in episode number 9. Causha is a black, queer, non-binary human; a passion advocate, activist, and visionary. They are also a social (justice) worker, educator, public speaker, cooperative developer, consultant, and officiant. They believe that health and well-being are human right, and that stable, affordable, adequate, and safe access to basic resources is undoubtably a contributing factor to said health and well-being.
They talked about a lot of different things in this episode. One really good point that Christian brought up was the fact that as social workers it can be really easy for us to just ignore these kind of problems or situations that are going halfway across the world or that we might not know much about. It may not seems applicable to us or affect our daily life but as social workers, it is our duty to talk about the sensative topics and issues that are going on. Causha agreed that as social workers we need to stay informed and we need to show up for our community. We should take the time to research these things and form our own opinions. The truth is that I’m not very good at doing this. Currently, with the war that is going on in Pakistan, I try to stay out of all of the politics and everything else just because it is really overwhelming for me and I don’t know that much about it. So I can’t really voice my opinion on who I stand with.
As social workers, how can we make a difference in these kind of situations that feel so far away from us or like there isn’t anything that we can do? One way is just by spreading awareness. Asking people’s opinion on these matters, why they believe that way, and even challenging them to stand up and fight for it. Another way might be traveling, maybe actually going overseas and being able to work there and make a difference there. You could also work and try and get people resources and the services needed to actually make a change and make a difference. The main thing that each and every one of us can do is to make sure that these kind of topics that people don’t really want to talk about, don’t just get swept under a rug and never talked about.
Someone needs to step up and make sure that these things are being talked about and discussed, and as social workers that is our duty.
A point that Causha brought up, that I found particularly interesting, was that they always stand with the oppressed. Later on in the episode they state that “being oppressed is never a reason to become an oppressor.” I think that this is a really great point and one that I feel like we’ve sort of steered away from in today’s day and age. I feel like when we see that someone has been oppressed or have been oppressed ourselves, our initial reaction is to get revenge on them and unleash our wrath so they can know how it feels. This is just going to cause more harm and more oppression and not really solve any issues.
They also talked a lot about how all it takes is for people to listen to one another. Not just hear the words, but to actually listen and take the time to understand what they are saying and apply it to your life. As a social worker, you are the one that people will look to. The one who should listen to and discuss stuff with others.
Another intersting thing that was brought up was a healing-centered approach. A healing-centered approach is focused on a solution and is strength-based. The focus is on pulling out the strengths that are already inside of each one of use to help fix or maintain whatever the issue is
Causha brought up the quote, “Are you healed or just distracted?” I feel like most of us can relate to this. How often we think that we’re better and growing and moving on and then something happens and we end right back up where we started.
There were too many good things discussed in this episode that it would take way too long for me to go into detail about each thing. I highly encourage you to watch the entire podcast more than once so you can really soak in and understand all that was talked about. These were the main takeaways that I found most applicable to my life.
Here is a brief overview of the topics that were covered in this episode:
- Grief and Healing in Social Work: The episode opened with an exploration of the integral role of grief in social work. Causha shared profound insights on the necessity of acknowledging and processing grief, not only for social workers but also in the lives of those they serve. The discussion highlighted grief as both a personal and collective journey, significantly impacting the practice and ethos of social work.
- The Palestine Situation: Stettler and Causha tackled the complex and sensitive issue of the ongoing conflict in Palestine. The conversation covered the social, political, and humanitarian facets of the crisis, reflecting on how these grave circumstances intersect with the core values and ethics of social work.
- Revolutionizing Social Work Practices: Causha spoke passionately about innovative approaches to social work, emphasizing the importance of holistic well-being and equitable resource access. They argued for an evolution in social work practice to better address the diverse and changing needs of communities.
- Personal Journey Towards Balance: The dialogue also ventured into Causha’s personal journey, focusing on their commitment to health, well-being, and a deep-rooted connection with nature and community. This personal narrative shed light on how individual experiences can profoundly influence professional practices in social work and activism.
- Embracing Diverse Perspectives: A significant aspect of the episode was the emphasis on incorporating a wide range of voices and experiences in social work. Causha’s unique approach, grounded in social justice and healing-centered methods, provided an enlightening perspective on the necessity of inclusive and empathetic practices in the field.
Here is the Youtube video of this episode. I would love for you to watch/listen to the episode and let me know your thoughts.
Olivia Taylor
Thank you for providing such an excellent blog. It was one of my favorite podcasts to listen to this semester. During the podcast, Causha, the co-host, shared some moments of self-reflection that were insightful to me. I was impressed by how respectfully and kindly she expressed her thoughts. Causha is a great role model for all of us in this field. Thank you for mentioning the quote that she mentioned which I believe is of note, ” for the oppressed to not feel oppressed is to oppress someone else. This was significant because it gives you a lot to think about. It’s a cycle that I believe all social workers view as something they would like to fix and come to a clear understanding of what they can do to prevent this from continuing.
Kay Howse
Hello Brendon
I must say that you are blog on your Episode of 35 revolutionizing social work a reasoning session with Causha was well written, and I mostly enjoy the fact that you included picture diagrams, and made a lot of pop-ups as to what is most important regarding your blog. Not to mention you had a well organized portion that I truly enjoyed that was right about the video where you spoke about a brief overview of the topics that you covered in the episode 35. I even more so enjoyed the fact that you emphasize about grief and healing and social work, the Palestine situation, revolutionized and social work practices, the personal journey towards balance, and most importantly, embracing diversity perspectives I truly enjoy your podcast, and definitely was really well written and organized. I felt like you did a great job, and I’m sure the podcast itself was enjoyable to talk about because it showed healing approaches and how to be center upon that which is something that I truly enjoy reading about and going more towards so this was a great read easy read because it had a lot of things that I find interesting. Emphasizing the fact that you question, how can we make a difference as social worker in all of the situations that were mentioned just to spread awareness and making sure that you wanted other peoples opinions, and to see what we can be believable and even challenging them to stand up for what is right to fight for it is what the world really needs now especially with social workers and people going into mental health. It makes a difference that, these questions are being asked and people are actually standing up for things that make sense and believing in the right aspects of them and having a plan and how it can be activated and see-through. So once again thank you for that!
Mindy Haley
I am with you when I say I struggle to stay up-to-date with current events that occur halfway around the world. There are so many news articles, each with its own spin and bias, I don’t trust myself to read and interpret them and form an opinion and I find myself just tuning them out. Hearing that it is our responsibility to engage with these current events instead of ignoring them is something that I needed. I will try to improve upon myself in this way, and I appreciate that you were candid enough to admit that you struggle with this as well.
The portion of the podcast where Causha talked about the distractions really resonated with me. This brings me all the way back to when I first listened to Brene Brown and The Power of Vulnerability, or Dr. Gabor Mate’s TED talk about addiction, but every time it comes up I nod emphatically and find myself reassessing my own habits and looking for the numbing behaviors. We all deserve a break from our overstimulated lives and we may have different ways of recharging our batteries (reading, watching TV, crafting, exercise, meditating, etc.) but I think what matters is the relationship we have with that behavior. Are we doing it compulsively? Does it bring us joy, or simply create distraction and noise? Does it take away from other meaningful things in our lives?
Thanks for your thorough and thoughtful reflection on this podcast episode.
Ariel Oviatt
Brendon,
This is a great summary of the podcast with Causha. They offered many insights on ways to improve and challenge the norms in the social work field, and that is so important for growth as a profession (a social one, nonetheless). I value anyone that brings up the importance of grief and grief work as a crucial part of social work, so that resonated with me, but I’m glad you mentioned it here, as well. Grief work is something I really look forward to diving into in practice one day, but also because grief looks so different on many people and is experienced differently for many different reasons and learning about that is fascinating.
With the advent of social media – good and bad, I think younger generations have definitely strayed away from watching just solely the news. I do see both the positive and negative sides of that, but I also think that this generation of young people has more access than any one before them, and I think that touching on the importance of doing your own research is invaluable (and say it louder for the people in the back)!!! Formulate that opinion, but do it with facts – not hearsay. You provided such a nice overview of this podcast, and you did a really nice job summarizing it with so much meaningful information to unpack.
Awesome job!
Regan Gray
I understand the challenge of staying engaged with complex situations like the ongoing war in Pakistan, especially when it feels overwhelming. It’s commendable that you acknowledge this and express a desire to improve your engagement. The suggested ways to make a difference, such as spreading awareness, initiating conversations, and potentially getting involved through travel or resource provision, are great suggestions. Each of us can contribute in our own way, and collectively, these efforts can have a significant impact. It’s heartening to see a recognition that uncomfortable topics should not be swept under the rug. By fostering open dialogue and encouraging informed opinions, we can contribute to a more informed and compassionate community, both locally and globally.
Hailey Luder
Brendon,
Firstly, I really like the layout of your blog, and the inculcation of the quotes and photos. I also liked how much thought you put into it, and how in depth you went about what everyone in the blog said and how you felt about it. I also did like how the podcast talked about a lot of ways improve.
Good job!