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I ‘ve been looking forward to the time it was my turn to write a blog on The Critical Social Worker podcast. I looked up the guest and did prior research on the background of Dr.Donna Baines and Dr. Bindi … Continued

The Critical Social Worker podcast hosted by Professor Christian Settler and Co-host Autumn Abu-Ka-Sees and guest host Doug Finkelstein. Host: Professor Christian Stettler, M.S.W currently at UAF and creating revolutionary social workers for the future. Guest speaker: Doug Finkelstein, former … Continued

For this week’s discussion we will be exploring the realm of psychedelics and the implications and roles associated with the use of psychedelics in the world of social work. For our first approach on this topic, we will first explore … Continued

This week’s podcast features an interview with Doug Finkelstein by the host, Christian Ace Settler, and co-host August-Michelle Abukasees. They delve into Doug’s experiences with psychedelics and discuss society’s perspective on these substances. The conversation covers the societal classification of … Continued

The Critical Social Worker podacst is hosted by Christian Ace Stettler. Christian is more than just a podcast host, he is the Assistant Professor of Social Work at UAF and also has two PhD’s (one in Indigenous Studies and the … Continued

Psychedelic assisted therapy does not have to be a challenge to traditional social work but rather it can be something that is used in conjunction with more normalized avenues of social work. I think that the main consideration that should … Continued

Host and Co-host information. The host of The Critical Social Worker is none other than our amazing social work teacher, Christian Ace Stettler. Mr. Stettler was previously a professor at the Hawaii Pacific University and the University of Hawaii at … Continued

Based on the article, Social Work Practice with people with Disabilities in the Era of Disability Rights by Richard L. Beaulaurier and Samuel H. Taylor Traditionally, the roles of social workers used to include information and referral, counseling, resource acquisition … Continued

Definition: A continuum of services designed to ensure that children are safe and that families have the necessary to support their children successfully. Child welfare social workers sepcifically focus on the well being of youths, children, and families in need. … Continued

Before knowing the forms of disabilities, it’s important to know what is defined as a disability. A disability is any condition of the body or mind (impairment) that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do … Continued

During this weeks podcast our guest, Dr. Michael Yellow Bird, discussed the concept of decolonization, mindfulness, and the positive effects that come from indigenous ways of life. How Can We Decolonize the Mind? Dr. Micheal Yellow Bird further explained that … Continued

Social workers should be helping with disabled people and not for them. You can’t be there just to be there, like a day to day job. Working with disabled people isn’t something you should think of as a professional job. … Continued

Dr. Yellow Bird bio: Presenter Bio: Michael Yellow Bird, MSW, PhD, is Dean and Professor of the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Manitoba. Michael Yellow Bird. He is an enrolled member of the MHA Nation (Mandan, Hidatsa, … Continued

What if one day, you woke up and heard a shocking story about your father’s treacherous actions towards me that made you cringe? However, what if your father treated you differently? He treated you amazing. At that point, you can … Continued

What is the ADA?The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which was passed in 1990, is an important piece of legislation that protects people with disabilities throughout public life. Essentially, the law helps to ensure that anyone with a disability will … Continued

WHAT IS WHITE FRAGILITY? “White fragility” is a term coined by Robin DiAngelo that suggests many white individuals may become defensive or disengage from conversations about racism because they feel threatened. DiAngelo argues that white people, particularly those who consider … Continued

As a black person in America, I don’t know how to feel about Critical Race Theory or antiracism. The growing ideas behind both movements are overwhelming for me. On one hand, I understand the need to talk about systemic issues. … Continued

Social Work and Child Welfare Every child deserves a safe, healthy environment to live in where they can learn and grow; unfortunately, to some these basic rights are a luxury that not all children are provided with. Social workers in … Continued

Chapter 7 of Introduction to Social Work at Ferris State University The United States Census Bureau defines family as “a group of people (two or more) that are related in various ways including birth, marriage, or adoption, and share residence … Continued

Like numerous states throughout our nation, Alaska is facing a crisis within its foster care system. The number of children in need of a safe and stable home outweigh not only the amount of licensed foster homes but the social … Continued

Host Christian Ace Stettler Co-Host Minnie Guest Daniel Mate Right or Wrong, Up or Down, Normal or Diffrent Daniel Mate, this weeks guest, touched upon the great divide between for example the right and the left (conservative vs. liberal). He … Continued

Unpacking Trauma and Abuse While incommodious, Chapter sevens topic of abuse, trauma, grooming and other wounds are of utmost importance to understand and saturate for future practice. Trauma and abuse is a subject that when spoken about is thorny and … Continued

A basic definition of “FAMILY” according to the United States Census Bureau, is a group of people (two or more) that are related in various ways including birth, marriage, adoption and share residence with one another. There are different types … Continued

The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) was established in 1978. This was passed with hopes of keeping Alaska Native/American Indian Children connected with their culture and their identity. There are countless stories of children who were fostered hundreds of miles … Continued

Social Work Navigating Antiracism. It is not out differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept and celebrate those differences. Social workers have a lot of potential situations to prepare themselves for. And oversimplifications of antiracism may … Continued

Host: Christian Ace Stettler is a Master of Social Work, PhD candidate, Professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and regular host of The Critical Social Worker, A Revolutionary Storytelling Podcast. Co-Host: Minnie joins the show from Anchorage, although she … Continued

(Image obtained from https://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/default/files/jrf/styles/jrf_full_mobile/public/infographics/levels_of_poverty-01_0.png?itok=-hVSSHeY) Understanding the Three Degrees of Poverty. In looking at the socioeconomic term that we label as being “poverty”, we first must understand the definition of poverty. As you can see in this image at the left, … Continued

What are human relationships? Human Relationship is a relationship with or between people or the social and interpersonal relations between human beings. Why are human relationships important? Family Values The original definition for family is a group of persons united … Continued

Ubuntu, a philosophy upheld and taught by Debra Lavender-Bratcher (the guest this week), was central to the discussion in this episode of The Critical Social Worker: A Revolutionary Storytelling Podcast. This podcast is hosted by Christian Ace Settler and each … Continued

Vocab: Behavior Problems: Symptomatic expression of emotional or interpersonal maladjustment especially in children (as by nail-biting, enuresis, negativism, or by overt hostile or antisocial acts). Ecological Systems: A system of people and nature interacting. Poverty: Lacking sufficient money to live at … Continued

In this article by Mary Eamon, she addresses a couple of ways poverty can affect children’s socioemotional development. She introduces Bronfenbrenner’s Process-Person-Context-Time module, which can be used to understand the dynamic interactions and transactions that occur within an individual’s life. … Continued

Homelessness meaning by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA): “A homeless individual is defined in section 330(h)(5)(A) as ‘an individual who lacks housing (without regard to whether the individual is a … Continued

Five systems will affect a developing child’s socioemotional development. These systems are microsystems, mesosystems, exosystems, macrosystems, and chronosystems. All of these systems within a Child’s life are important to produce healthy development, security, and comfort. When a child grows up … Continued

Ibram X. Kendi’s Center for Antiracism, located at Boston university Campus was made as a research center, all expenses were paid for with a $43 Million grant. X. Kendi is facing backlash after he carried out mass layoffs of his … Continued

This week’s podcast had Shannon as a guest speaker, to introduce a discussion they had with four arrows. Shannon is interested in anthropology and sees it as a blessing that she’s gotten to learn how so many different cultures celebrate, … Continued

Ibram X Kendi’s center for anti racism was founded to work towards a country and then an entire world that is based around anti racist principles and practices. The center for anti racism is located on the Boston University campus. … Continued

Many of the job opportunities for social workers can be found in many websites www.indeed.com and www.monster.com are amongst the few popular when searching for a job as a social worker. Upon searching for jobs related to social workers the most … Continued

Imagine earning a certificate or Bachelor’s degree from the comfort of your own home in your own rural community. Imagine a degree program that was designed to accommodate your specific needs, allowing you to participate in seasonal cultural practices like … Continued

Bridging the Gap: A Deep Dive into the GYO Approach and Its Implications for Rural Mental Health Services by David Shelton Something special is happening in a quiet part of Alaska called the Northwest Arctic Borough. Away from big cities, … Continued

Podcast Review: MINDFUL REVOLUTION David’s Insightful Path from Yoga Mats to Prison Cells In episode 24 of “The Critical Social Worker” podcast, hosted by Christian “Ace” Stettler with co-host Nico, we are graced with the presence of David, a yoga … Continued

Integrating indigenous wisdom and diverse community paradigms can enhance our understanding and response to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) by bringing in different perspectives and cultural knowledge. This can lead to more comprehensive and culturally sensitive interventions and support systems. To … Continued

History of Mental Health and its Relation with Social Work Historically, people who have suffered from mental disorders or disabilities have been subject to several forms of neglect, abuse, torture, and in extreme situations even death. Up until about the … Continued

According to our textbook, personality disorders are defined as: “a pattern of inner experiences and behavior that deviates from the expectations of the individual’s culture, is continuous, enduring and inflexible; it often has an onset in adolescence or early adulthood … Continued

In an ideal world, colorblindness has the potential to be a good thing. However, in an ideal world there aren’t pre existing prejudices and societal structures that oppress people of color. We don’t live in an ideal world. That is … Continued

Noor Shubair Episode 25: From Marine to LCSW | G’s Revolutionary Journey in Social Work Links The Host The Host is Christian Ace Stettler. He is professor of social work at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He was also the … Continued

Episode 25: From Marine to LCSW | G’s Revolutionary Journey in Social Work Episode 25 included guest G Ford. G was born in Atlanta Georgia and grew up with 2 sisters, his mother and his father. He struggled in high … Continued

(Image obtained from: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html) I think the concept of colorblindness is one that promotes racial inequity and only seeks to further cause a divide between individuals. This is because in denying race, we ignore systemic actions that oppress people of … Continued

What is ACEs and What is The Ace Test________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Have you been following a red herring regarding your health and addictions? Are you constantly questioning the root of your problems? Do you have a clear understanding of what trauma is? … Continued

The idea of racial inequality is never far from our minds when we encounter injustice. Despite significant historical events that have reshaped our perspective, discrimination remains a persistent challenge. The article “Colorblindness is Counter Productive” sheds light on one aspect … Continued

Statistics have proven that at least 1 in every 7 children have experienced child abuse and/or neglect in 2015. Every year, there is an average of 3.6 MILLION cases of child abuse that has been reported. Keep in mind, there … Continued

BY: MYAH SUNDBY In “The Critical Social Worker,” Episode 25, Professor Christian A. Stettler is our host. Professor Ace graduated with a BSW from UAF, earned his MSW while in O’ahu, and taught adjunct at Hawaii Pacific University, HPU. He … Continued

Integrating Indigenous Knowledge. Every culture should have shared knowledge in treating anxiety and psychotic disorders. Every person is different and so is every culture. We incorporate ones individual self into their treatment, and cultures should be equally as included as … Continued

Colorblindness as a subset of racial ideology purports that people choose to not see color, and by ignoring race, ignore racial issues that plague our system. As a whole, colorblindness as it stands is counterproductive. The ignorance that people of … Continued

Definition – Dignity is the right of a person to be valued and respected for their own sake, and to be treated ethically.  My Definition – self respect The way I would respond to a client about Human Dignity is … Continued