MEET THE CAST
THE GUEST: Alicia Stettler is a LCSW who grew up in the UK where she obtained her bachelors degree. Then, she moved to America to work on her masters and met our professor, Christian Stettler. She’s worked in juvenile justice, medical social work, private practice, foster families, and now as a clinical supervisor in Fairbanks. To top it all off, Mrs. Stettler is also a yoga instructor. This odd job inspired her to blend yoga techniques with clinical social work to create a revolutionized practice.
THE HOST: Christian Stettler, MSW and PhD candidate. He first started his social work journey in Salt Lake City supervising a large youth treatment facility. This work led him to Utqiaġvik (formerly known as Barrow), AK where he learned about talking circles through the Elders and culture bearers of the region. After receiving his BSW he went on to receive his MSW from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Key Takeaways
- Focus on learning and understanding the root cause of a clients behavior(s) and building a relationship with them
- Social Issues Discussed: Racism and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.
- Alicia advocates for a human-centered approach to social work that considers each person’s unique history and experiences. She also uses yoga therapy to promote unity, love, movement, stillness, and nourishment for a promising future
Anti-Racism
For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.
Nelson Mandela
In this episode Alicia talks about finding the root cause of a client’s behavior(s), building a relationship with them, and using a human-centered approach to social work.
It’s important to note that this entire episode, like many others, is focused on racism. However, Alicia provides an outsider view on American culture. She explains how, at first, race was a concept to justify enslavement and social constructs in the UK. Then they both begin to discuss how anti-racism in America is hyper-focused on a continuous cycle of race.
I think this topic keeps coming up because it is so popular in the US right now and has been for a while. There’s racial profiling left and right where ever we go. Like Alicia says, she gets labeled as an African-American woman, but that’s not her true identity. She identifies as mixed race and Jamaican Caucasian. The world, as I view it is so diverse, that people may claim multiple races. As social workers, we have to not assume a person’s race and respect them no matter the color of their skin. Which is an important personality trait in itself. As well as considering a person’s unique background and experiences.
Weaving Yoga into Social Work
As we know, Alicia Stettler is a yoga instructor. I looked into some basic yoga practices and it’s pretty cool to see how they compare. Yoga is centralized on self-care and stress reduction, which is key for lowering burnout rates as Barbara Morrison, PA-C put it in the article linked here. Yoga is also great for mitigating ADHD, PTSD, anxiety, depression, and addiction just to name a few. Its unique calming techniques can help clients obtain mental health strategies. I could see this as being a cheaper option for a person who doesn’t have access to health care or can’t afford a therapist. It may be a cheaper option as well as a good choice for families/individuals who have a stigma against therapy. I found an interesting article that I’ll link here that I thought was extremely informative when it came to using yoga in a clinical setting if you’re interested.
Israel & Palestine
I totally agree with Alicia on this part. For those who weren’t able to listen to the entire podcast, she discussed that instead of taking sides, that there should an emphasis on learning and understanding the situation instead. Who is being impacted and how can we, as social workers, help keep the peace. She briefly mentioned that children and other innocent lives that are being impacted and the life-long trauma that they are going to be carrying. Which leads me to thinking about when we should begin prevention and intervention practices. There’s going to be an entire generation that are going to need our assistance.
It’s in no comparison, but think about the Alaska Natives who are struggling to this day with alcohol addiction because of what happened many years ago. We failed as a community to help them then and are now on the backend of the disease. I’m afraid it will happen again in a different manner with the Israeli and Palestinian adolescents.
As with any conflict, I agree with Alicia when she says we should stay informed and promote peace over war.
Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Simone Smith
Great blog, thank you Jaelynn! I so enjoyed being part of the audience of this episode. Both Prof. Stettler and Alicia seem so down to earth and easy to talk to. I was inspired by Alicia’s outlook on her social work being organic. I work in a recovery center and see our clients being treated so clinical and spoken down to and it is not the way I work or want to be like in this field. As far as Israel and Palestine, I understand what you’re both saying as far as not taking sides. I agree that as social workers and humans it’s important to have compassion and try to understand where another human is coming from rather than fighting and or hating them. And for me, I take a side as far as looking at the governments and systems. So I am 100% on the side of Palestine… they are being colonized and I will never side with the system of colonization. So I will speak for a permanent cease fire and for Palestine to be 100% free and I will speak about colonization NEVER being okay. But I won’t hate an Israeli citizen for being raised in a system that has made them believe that way. I will take sides of systems, but have compassion for the humans within those systems.
Jaelynn Anderson
I like how respectfully you wrote your answer. You chose a side, but all in all don’t hate on those who disagree with you. I believe that’s how all debates and/or arguments should go. Choose which side, but respect the other. Kind of like agreeing to disagree but in a polite manner. I think that this is an important part of being a social worker.
Neveah Reese
In my child development courses, we talk and learn lots about yoga! Yoga is a great tool for providers to motivate their clients to focus on their self-love, mindfulness, and peace that is key for true healing. For children, it is preventative and helps teach healthy coping skills and emotional intelligence. Alicias human-centered approach paired with Yoga is so beautiful. Many times, rooted behavior lies within the way we feel and value ourselves. Poor self-esteem significantly impacts individuals, as well as their family and communities. Working on meeting clients where they are, respecting their story and points of view, establishing trust, and teaching how to be grounded and mindful are approaches I also plan to use in the future.
Jaelynn Anderson
I never realized how yoga and mental health were compatible until listening to this podcast. It was kind of mind-blowing, but now that I’ve heard about it, it makes so much sense! I loved listening to her approach to social work and after reviewing other articles about yoga, I can understand why she incorporates it.
Sharla Huckabey
I appreciate your blog, Jaelynn. I like how you pointed out the many different areas of the podcast. I did not get to sit in on this one, but I have sat in on others with Alicia and Christine. I enjoyed how they complement each other in a podcast. They can speak well with each other about multiple subjects during the podcast.
I have heard of several people who have brought Yoga into their practice of Social Work and also for their self-relief of stress.
Elizabeth Jackson
Great blog, Jaelynn. I feel your introduction of Alecia and Christian Stettler automatically makes the rest of the post more personal. As someone whose life changed tremendously through yoga and meditation, I admire Mrs. Stettler’s integration of yoga into social work. I think it absolutely has the power to change people’s outlooks on life, ultimately changing their perception of the value of life.