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4 social work practice models

29 September 2020
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In the field of social work, practice models guide patient care and an individual’s approach to treatment. These models act as a way of moving abstract theories of social work into the real world and applying them to concrete situations.

A social worker does not subscribe to a single practice model, but instead usually integrates them depending on the patient and issue at hand. Social workers may also choose to combine practice models into their own unique modes of practice.

Of the various models available to social workers, four distinct types are discussed below.

4 different types of social work practice models

1. Narrative therapy

Narrative therapy is often employed to provide objectivity to a client and the current issues they’re facing. In a narrative therapy model, clients are urged to separate themselves and their self-worth from their problems, as to not conflate the two.

This is done through third-person storytelling, from both the social worker and the client. By explaining the situation at hand as a story, clients can achieve a more objective perspective and potentially gain clarity into the direct causes of the issue. Through this process, the social worker may be able to develop “alternative stories” that show clients how the problem could have been avoided or what can be done to fix it.

2. Crisis intervention model

The crisis intervention model of social work is typically used when a client is experiencing a severe or critical issue. This could include crisis situations such as suicidal ideation or other harm (self-inflicted or otherwise).

In this model, a social worker follows a series of seven steps.

Stage 1: Perform a biopsychosocial and danger assessment
Stage 2: Quickly establish a rapport and relationship with the client
Stage 3: Identify what has caused the crisis and the major problems involved
Stage 4: Listen: encourage and allow the client to express emotion and vent
Stage 5: Offer alternative options to the crisis, collaborate on coping solutions
Stage 6: Enact a clear follow-up action plan
Stage 7: Plan and perform follow-ups

3. Task-centered practice

In a task-centered practice model, social workers assist clients through a series of clear steps. These are assignment-like tasks related to therapy or mental health goals that are completed on a schedule and evaluated. In this model, social workers will empower their clients to work through their challenges independently.

Task-centered practice acts as a means of goal setting but with the planned-out implementation of these goals. This is a future-thinking method that allows clients to think less about past issues and instead focus on future improvement and concrete steps to achieve this.

4. Integrative social work

Integrative social work is a model that approaches the field from a holistic, systemic perspective. This includes physical, emotional, community, and spiritual well-being when providing support to clients.

The integrative social work model believes that if you do not recognize all of the above dimensions in your practice, it will undermine the whole. Many times, this is referred to as a “person-centered” approach to health—the social worker sees a person as “person in environment” and tends to the individual well-being and resilience of that individual over the course of their lifespan. It also works to emphasize the conditions within a community that either support or undercut an individual’s well-being.

By deploying one or a combination of these practice models, social workers have found unique and personalized treatments to support both individuals and communities across the globe.

At Saybrook University, our Integrative Social Work department prepares students to create transformational change in organizations and communities, ultimately working toward a more just, humane, and sustainable world. By achieving a Ph.D. in Integrative Social Work, students receive an education that focuses on both the time-honored traditions of social work with the values of social justice and social transformation.

Visit our program page to learn more about Saybrook’s Ph.D. in Integrative Social Work or fill out the form below to request more information.

Curious about job opportunities in the field of social work? Learn more about these five career paths for a Ph.D. in social work.

The power of meditation

24 September 2020
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Many think that meditation is simply closing your eyes, clearing your thoughts, and breathing for about five minutes. Many do not know about the plethora of options when it comes to meditation.

Maybe being home more during the pandemic has offered you the opportunity to welcome meditation into your life. Or maybe you are looking into meditation to help you deal with new anxiety that has arisen. Either way, meditation is free, easy to start, and has many benefits.

“Mindfulness and meditation—tools for wellness and self-care—can provide calm and restoration,” says Luann Fortune, Ph.D., a Mind-Body Medicine faculty member at Saybrook University. “Research shows that related practices contribute to improved immunity and mental well-being, as well as better quality of life. Evidence also has shown such practices can connect us as a community to support health and healing.”

Dr. Fortune has been instrumental in the start and continuation of Saybrook’s Mindful Moments, a program offered since March 2020. She has presented many different types of meditation, including progressive muscle relaxation, guided meditation, guided imagery, abhyanga (self-massage), and loving kindness meditation.

To help others find peace during this stressful and chaotic year, Dr. Fortune offers further tips and explorations on how to practice meditation—and what kind might be best for you.

What is meditation?

According to The New York Times, meditation is a way to train the mind.

The origins of meditation can be traced back to as early as 5000 BCE, to ancient Egypt and China and tied to the religious practices of Judaism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism. Spread along the Silk Road, it moved throughout Asia. Before the 20th century, meditation spread from Asia into the west. In the past few decades, doctors and scientists started studying meditation for its medical and other health benefits.

Dr. Herbert Benson, a Harvard Medical School professor, found that people who meditated used 17% less oxygen, had lower heart rates, and produced increased brain waves found to help with sleep. Years later, he said the following about his research: “All I’ve done is to put a biological explanation on techniques that people have been utilizing for thousands of years.”

Who can practice meditation?

Meditation is available to all, requiring only a few minutes of quiet, an openness to try, and a willingness to let go. The mind is powerful—meditation is called a practice because its practitioners always have room to grow and try again. When you begin meditation, it is important to refrain from judgment of yourself and your process.

Before you meditate, find a quiet spot. You can either sit down in a chair or on the floor. You can even lay down if that is more comfortable to you. As you begin your practice, be patient. If your mind wanders, take a moment to pause and reflect and bring your attention back to center. And remember, the more you do it, the easier meditation becomes. With some commitment, you will be able to focus more deeply each time you practice meditation.

How do I start incorporating it into my daily routine?

Meditation draws from a vast array of traditions, histories, and methods. Selecting the “best” method depends on personal preference and background. Most practices are cultivated to bring emotional calm and mental clarity and involve setting aside time each day, from a few minutes to an hour for intentional practice.

Here are a few of the more common forms with an example of each.

Guided Meditation is the collection of techniques and practices that focus one’s thoughts on a particular object or invite suspension of thoughts, so it is often associated with our mental life. In guided meditation, a leader provides verbal prompts or instructions to direct the individual or group through the practice.

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Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) was developed to help people suffering from tension and stress and can provide many benefits. The practice, which can be considered muscle-body based, focuses on relaxing specific muscles in a directed protocol, tightening specific muscle groups and then releasing. Research shows that PMR can help reduce anxiety and reverse stress as well as help release tight muscles. In a recent study by Liu and colleagues (2020), PMR was found to improve anxiety levels and sleep in COVID-19 patients.

Guided Imagery, also called guided visualization, involves directing thoughts and sensations to engage positive mental images and sensory recall, meaning conjuring smells, tastes, sounds, and textures as well as visual images. Because it is multi-sensorial, it draws on our creative selves. Strong research supports many benefits, from invoking calm, improving performance, and healing trauma. Guided imagery can be conducted in individual or group settings. Multiple quality audio recordings are available that provide guided imagery, which makes it a suitable form for use in clinical settings where access may be restricted.

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Abhyanga (Self-Massage) is one active form of mindfulness practice that draws on the ancient (ayurvedic) practice of self-massage. It is meant to be practiced daily to stimulate the immune system and promote circulation and body-mind awareness. It can also bring calm and vitality. It is especially helpful during times of sheltering and isolation.

Loving Kindness Meditation, a gentle guided meditation, is widely used to support emotional and mind-body wellness as well as prevent compassion fatigue and build mindful leadership. Based on supporting research, it has gained prominence in clinical settings, particularly to prevent burnout for health care workers. It involves sending out thoughts and intentions for unconditional love toward oneself, outward to others, and to bring peace and healing. It is sometimes considered a “heart-based” form, drawing on feelings and thoughts of pure love.

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Learn what meditation practice is best for you

The examples provided are appropriate for mindfulness experts as well as those who are new to meditation and mindfulness practices. You can explore more practices as well by listening to Saybrook’s Mindful Moments. Faculty from the Mind-Body Medicine program provide these live guided sessions during the week and are open to the public. They are recorded and available at Saybrook’s website or through Spotify.

Taking a few minutes from the stress of daily responsibilities through a structured mindfulness practice can support wellness and a stronger immune system and help restore balance in these challenging times.

If you’d like to learn more about the academic programs available at Saybrook University, fill out the form below to request more information.

A Community Beyond Policing

24 September 2020
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We have all heard the tale of Sisyphus—forced by Zeus to push a boulder up a hill for all eternity. Whenever he would seem to make progress, it would roll back down. He was forever tortured, never making any substantial progress or seeing the fruits of his labor fulfilled.

The systemic inequities and racism that surround us can seem a lot like this torturous process—especially with the continual rise of police violence against Black men. In 2019, police in the United States fatally shot 1,099 people. So far in 2020, 1,021 people have been killed. By comparison, in 2019, 36 fatalities were reported in Canada; 21 in Australia; and three in the United Kingdom. Even when adjusting for population size, the United States’ numbers are far higher. Many would agree that this is more than what is acceptable for a first-world democracy, but more bothersome still is the fact that a Black man is twice as likely to be shot than a white male by police.

The problem is not new, but like Sisyphus, the progress put in place has not stopped the violent treatment against, and murders of, members of minority groups.

Ginger Charles, Ph.D., Saybrook alumna and former police officer explains. “There is no one size fits all approach to fix these problems—some departments need complete dismantling, while some need moderate education and reform,” she says. “Nothing will be successful, however, until we break down the language. A student of policing needs to learn the history—it is a systemic racist organization, but we can change it. Defenses automatically arise individually with, ‘That’s not me. I’m not racist—just one bad cop,’ and systemic racism doesn’t mean that you are racist, just that you are part of an organization with a racist history. But until you acknowledge you are a part of it, we can’t change it.”

Dr. Charles traces the history of policing—from Jim Crow to slave patrols—arguing that until law enforcement can acknowledge and become educated about historical implications of this type of racism, it is difficult to move out of these systems. “It permeates the culture, and then that culture—unless it’s addressed—never changes. So it’s never been addressed because people will not acknowledge it to this day.”

“When you look at the fact that we have oversight committees with doctors, massage therapists, hairdressers—where we have these boards they have to pass, where there are complaints that can be filed—why are we not doing more of that for law enforcement?” Dr. Charles asks. “This is a career where you are authorized to take somebody’s life, yet we don’t do that.”

It is no surprise then that many leaders and activists are ready to try something different, a new way to push the boulder up the hill—completely reforming the process to be less violent and more community based. Calls to defund and dismantle police departments have become the rallying cry for many, and some communities—like Minneapolis—have moved forward with these steps.

Dismantling the defunding controversy

Minneapolis’ City Council, after years of accusations of improper and racist policing—brought to light nationally with George Floyd’s murder—recently voted to dismantle its police force and replace it with a department of community safety and violence prevention to better address issues that police officers have traditionally dealt with. To begin, the new charter seeks to change the large financial support the police department receives. The city is looking to cut $200 million from the police’s $1.3 billion overall annual budget.

“The definition of defunding the police is controversial in and of itself. We are not looking to take away the police but reallocate resources to help them and others better address the public health challenges we currently and have historically faced,” says Marianne Jankowski, DHSc., department chair of the Division of Health Services at The Chicago School.

Working with other professional fields is not a new concept—but it has recently received a renewed sense of urgency.

“Mental health professionals and social workers have always collaborated with one another in a multidisciplinary team setting, tackling different problems and issues that communities face,” says Trent Nguyen, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Integrative Social Work at Saybrook University. “With this cooperation and collaboration between the two, different perspectives and skills are utilized to examine the root causes of the phenomenon, for the betterment of society in the long term.”

Addressing problems within the law enforcement community is not an overnight project with a simple, one-off answer. Additionally, some of the driving forces behind finding a new, innovative way to address issues that law enforcement officers often encounter will have to include public health officials, mental health practitioners, and social workers. It requires community support and collaboration from a variety of sectors—which inevitably requires funding.

“The defunding of police departments would increase funding support for a variety of experienced community-based nonprofit organizations that offer trained mental health professionals, community safety advocates, gang intervention specialists, case management, and other resources to address the various disparities impacting underserved communities,” says Mary Starks, Ph.D., MSW, program director of the Bachelor of Social Work program at Pacific Oaks College.

“I think that with the collaboration of community organizers and activists, community members, social workers, and public policy makers, we will better equip our police officers and our communities with the care needed. We cannot work in silos while addressing the needs of the community, whether it is responding to a crime or to someone’s mental health issues,” Dr. Starks continues.

Call 911

When someone hears about defunding the police, their first question might be: But who will come when I call? What about the times when society does need the protection of police officers?

“Extremists take the term ‘defunding’ and run with it to create panic for their own personal gain, making people think we are getting rid of law enforcement. Common sense should tell you that will not happen. No one system is isolated serving only its immediate role,” Dr. Jankowski says. “Public health, with law enforcement as a part of that larger group, is a collaborative approach to ensure our safety and security as well as addressing both health and social issues as identified in a given time. It will take the forces of many health care practitioners and law enforcement officers to unite and fight for solutions for the greater good.”

The next iteration of collaborative community care could involve social workers and public health officials to streamline prevention and early detection of issues, along with funding programs—like free mental health resources, after-school care, and skills training—that offer vulnerable populations ways to care for themselves.

Dr. Charles explains that in her research with communities of color, she asked a direct question of citizens: How would you want to be policed?

The answer? From a distance.

“In white neighborhoods, seeing police officers around, citizens feel safe and protected. But in Black neighborhoods, the opposite is true. The prevalence of patrols makes them feel less safe, which historically makes sense. Time and again, members of those communities asked, ‘Can you teach me to manage my neighborhood?’ but that’s not a quick hashtag,” Dr. Charles says.

In her conversations, citizens expressed that they wanted to learn how to manage their own community issues, to care for their own—without an outside force with a history of disproportionate violence against their community. “If you think about it from their perspective, if you’ve got somebody hovering over you, just on top of you, and an authoritarian state looking for something to go wrong or somebody to do something wrong, then that’s scary,” Dr. Charles says.

A new way of doing things could offer these vulnerable communities the tools they need to finally feel capable of protecting and policing themselves, without being scared of those doing the policing.

Enter social work and public health practitioners

The two professional fields of social work and public health have gained particular attention in discussions about reforming law enforcement systems.

Dr. Nguyen explains how social workers are especially equipped to deal with the complex problems that exist at many levels.

“Social workers can be seen as ‘jacks of all trades,’ meaning that we can work at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels,” he says. “This is a societal issue, and things have to take place at a macro level in order for real change to occur. When macro issues are resolved at the grand level, communities tend to experience the phenomenon less at the mezzo and micro levels. Social workers are trained to be crisis workers, therapists, advocates, social policy analysts, etc., so that they can utilize their skill sets to combat this societal phenomenon at all levels in society.”

Systemic issues touch many sectors of society, and as such, solutions to these issues are multilayered. From policy to practice, each helper serves an important role in keeping vulnerable populations safe and secure—free from police harm. Social workers and mental health practitioners work in schools, health care facilities, prevention programs, and places of employment that allow them to be some of the best public health advocates because they understand the issues from a human perspective. And other public health professionals are well-versed in understanding how to craft and implement policy on a broader scale to help address the various challenges our society faces.

“As a public health practitioner, it is important to advocate for access to equitable care as well as prevention and education programs through policy to support public mental health initiatives. Social workers also need to be advocates of policy,” Dr. Jankowski says. “Vulnerable populations should be allocated specific resources to minimize their vulnerability, but many see this as quite costly. However, as a public health and health care practitioner for many years, I can say that utilizing evidence-based approaches to policy development and ensuring the sustainability of the policy for the greater good of all populations should be first and foremost. After all, is there a price on human life?”

While a one-size-fits-all approach may not work to solve a centuries-long systemic issue that pervades the law enforcement arena, Dr. Charles agrees that focusing on the human aspect of all parties involved is a good place to start. “We have got to recognize in policing that these are human beings we’re dealing with, and we’re human beings. It may sound corny, but really when you think about it, we are in service of a community. Period. That’s why you have the badge. Somebody hands that to you from the community. You’re not militarized. You’re not a part of an army. And as bad as things get, your job is to go out there and try and educate and encourage people to be lawful and caring for one another.”

Learn more about Saybrook University

If you are interested in learning more about the community and academic programs at Saybrook University, fill out the form below to request more information. You can also apply today through our application portal.

The First Hug

29 August 2020
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Do you remember your last hug?

Maybe you hugged your co-workers before leaving the office for the last time, congratulated your brother on his engagement on St. Patrick’s Day, or consoled a friend who just broke up with their partner?

Do you remember the last person you hugged before we were told it was too dangerous—before we were warned not to hug people outside of our households?

Even for those who claim not to be big on hugs, after months without human contact (or not a lot of it), many of us miss hugging or at least hugging certain people. The value of human touch cannot be overstated—and because of COVID-19, we’re learning what is lost when we can’t embrace. How it affects our mental health. How it can bring such sadness.

My mom lives 15 minutes away, but during the lockdown we acted as if we live a thousand miles apart. Even before the pandemic, we spoke several times and texted throughout the day. My mother and I both suffer from anxiety to varying degrees, which may play a part in our attachment.

I will admit, in the first week of lockdown, I was sobbing on FaceTime with my mom. I was struggling with the demands of remote work adjustments, terrified by the unknowns of coronavirus, and failing horribly at pretending to be OK.

All I wanted was a hug from my mom.

My mom is extremely affectionate, and the idea of going without hugs for a prolonged amount of time was unimaginable. My mother’s depression and anxiety are severe, and she lives alone. During the months of quarantine, we have had to find new ways to express our love. We’ve resorted to FaceTime dates, front porch dinner drops, and sidewalk meet-and-greets with my dog.

But on the days that I didn’t have time to FaceTime or my wife and I didn’t cook anything to bring over to mom’s porch, I heard a heaviness and sadness in my mom’s voice. I could feel clouds and waves of darkness washing over our family. She became distant and quiet on our phone calls. Some nights she cried.

By May, two months into our hug withdrawal, my mother was barely sleeping or eating. She was always apologizing for being down. I was not sure if it was because of her work furlough or any host of other life circumstances. The pandemic had taken a toll on her finances and living situation, and I could see it stealing her joy. But she would light up every time we visited for puppy therapy and during our video dates, so we kept up our routine. I just wanted to keep her in a positive space.

We sat in silence often, partly because quarantine isn’t very eventful but also because she just wanted me on the phone with her. My heart would break when she would sob and apologize for her sadness.

Learning to be a virtual caregiver is really something our generation will perfect by the end of this pandemic.

The day our state announced its lockdown in mid-March 2020, I ran into my older cousin. Her wedding was two weeks away, and she had just left a hair appointment for her wedding day trial run. Everyone in our community was rushing around preparing for the impending lockdown—getting groceries, prescriptions, all of the necessities. But running into my cousin brought me a needed sense of calm.

With the governor’s order in mind, everyone around gave us the “Don’t get too close to each other!” judgey-eyes as we hugged. As my cousin leaned in, I said, “I’m not supposed to hug you.” She grabbed me into the warmest embrace and said, “You’re my cousin. I love you. If you go, I go.”

I did not realize that would be the last hug I would have from someone other than my wife for three months.

I know that many will say, “At least you had a spouse to hug during those months.” And I am grateful for the love and comfort my wife has been able to give me during this time of distancing from others. But there was no one I wanted to hug more than my mother. My wife knew it, and so did my mom.

In early June, my mother lost a close friend who was also dealing with mental health challenges. It hit her deeply. She was wailing and weeping when she told me the news. I couldn’t console her.

We couldn’t hug.

The next day, Tuesday, June 9, our governor lifted the stay-at-home order. The first thing I asked my wife was, “I’m going to hug my mom, right?” My wife, our pup, and I hopped in our car, and I told my mom we were on our way. Unaware of the governor’s announcement and in true mom fashion, she asked if we had dinner with us. (We didn’t. I was one-track-minded that day).

When we arrived, she was already a bit weepy—grateful for the surprise visit. Our dog was loving on her a little extra. I said, “Mommy, the governor lifted the stay-at-home order today.” She lit up—as if she had been waiting for this moment. We were standing at a distance, but she stood up from her slump on the porch steps and opened her arms to welcome me in.

We embraced. She wept.

She held me in a way she hasn’t since I was a college student home on break. She inhaled as if she hadn’t smelled me in years.

I gave my mom the time she needed to weep, to hold, and to remember what hugging felt like. We didn’t move for minutes. I thought I would cry, but I was just so happy to have her close.

I thought I was finished meditating on hugs and writing this piece, and then the next morning our world shifted again.

I was awoken with the news of the sudden passing of a loved one. The loss of this young son rattled the community and my family. I had never heard so many mothers in my community cry out in pain at one time. On that warm June night, a group of loved ones and I went to a candlelight vigil to honor this young life.

At the vigil, my wife had her first hug. My wife had not been able to hug her mother yet, but at the vigil she hugged students whom she mentors, grateful that they are still alive. She hugged community members who were openly grieving and sobbing. She hugged our nephew, only 7 years old, who wants to know why God would take such a young soul. These were her first hugs.

I witnessed so many mourners have their first hugs.

Weeping, grieving, and reuniting, people gathered, blocking streets and sidewalks, embracing. Everyone’s first hugs were not with the person they thought they would be. They may not have been full of joy or love. Some hugs were full of sadness and pain.

You will get to experience your first hug again, if you haven’t already. You may drive down the street and see strangers hugging in a driveway. That may be their first hug. Some people still have not had a hug in months and do not know when one is coming.

Whatever your situation, whether your first hug (handshake or shoulder pat) is full of joy, gratitude, or mourning, please honor that connection.

About Arielle D. Dance, Ph.D.

Arielle Dance, Ph.D., is a left-handed only child, currently living in Maplewood, New Jersey, with her wife, Stevana, and chihuahua-terrier, Minnie. She received her Ph.D. in Mind-Body Medicine from Saybrook University in 2017. Arielle is focused on highlighting invisible illnesses, inclusive family structure, and caregiving.

A pre-published children’s book author, Dr. Dance’s stories feature a young child named Spencer who loves unicorn dance parties, playing with the best dog ever, and hanging out with Mommy and Mama. When she’s not writing about Spencer’s adventures, Dr. Dance is writing about health-related topics in her community and advocating for health equity.

Within her community, Arielle is actively involved in numerous initiatives with the North Jersey Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., including co-chairing the Physical & Mental Health committee. Near to her heart, Arielle serves as an Ambassador for World Thrombosis Day, fearlessly sharing her Blood Clot Survivorship journey.

In her academics, Arielle is an Integrative Women’s Health Researcher and Endometriosis Advocate. Her most recent research focuses on noninvasive coping mechanisms for endometriosis and specific relaxation techniques, including meditation, deep breathing, and guided imagery. Arielle empowers those with chronic pain to break the silence and stigma related to their illnesses and advocate for their rights.

Learn more about Saybrook University

If you are interested in learning more about the community and academic programs at Saybrook University, fill out the form below to request more information. You can also apply today through our application portal.

Workplace wellness starts with leadership

26 August 2020
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Workplace wellness has most recently been synonymous with lunchtime yoga classes, smoking cessation programs, free healthy snacks, and even afternoon naptime. Employers have offered more and more benefits, but have these programs actually led to wellness? What is true workplace wellness? And what does it look like now during the COVID-19 pandemic?

As this crisis continues to challenge our health care system and economy, companies need to take care of their employees now more than ever. Millions of people are currently working remotely, and in a digital space, traditional HR efforts to offer wellness initiatives either don’t translate or lose efficacy. And as we come up against this existential threat, together, it’s going to take a lot to combat the mental health crisis accompanying this pandemic.

Defining what true workplace wellness is and how it can help employees requires an examination of creativity and leadership, a reconsideration of what “balance” means, viewing work and life as one integrated experience, and encouraging others to bring their full selves so they can do their best work.

We unpack both the theory and the practice of wellness at work with input from Saybrook University board member Gloria Chance, Ph.D., and President Nathan Long, Ed.D.

THE THEORY: GLORIA CHANCE, PH.D.

Since the 1970s, U.S. and U.K. corporations have taken an approach to work-life balance that treats work and personal and family life as equal. This approach resulted in stress to the individual when an attempt at these balances were difficult or illusive.

The COVID-19 pandemic is an opportunity for us to rethink not only how to find balance but also how to integrate our lives so that work, life, family, and health are one holistic experience. This approach will encourage a healthier and holistic individual as well as result in a more innovative and creative workforce but will require changes for individuals and dynamic changes for organizations and work policies. Leadership must make this shift strategically. As Elliot Ackerman, a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, wrote: “There is antidote to our fear. It’s called leadership.”

The logical and the creative

Society, over the centuries, has increasingly shifted its focus from internal (being introspective) to external (ego-based). As humans have evolved, we have moved into a “scientific culture that has increasingly surrounded us—and some would say imprisoned us—for the last hundred years (and) sees the world in terms of analysis, quantification, symmetry, and mechanism” (Briggs & Peat, 1999, p. 5).

Leaders must shift from this scientific culture that embraces analysis, quantification, and mechanism to one that embraces and combines creative attributes in an effort to cultivate openness, learning, imagination, emotion, and meaning.

Only 20% of leaders operate out of the creative mind, which is the leadership imperative.

The phrase “work-life balance” implies that there’s a formula that can make the experience just right. But life is not logical. Thus, a more holistic approach has better outcomes for all stakeholders. Ulrich and Ulrich argued that a holistic approach creates a “workforce that is competent, committed, and that contributes positively, but most importantly, these employees love to come to work.”

As the CEO of a management consulting firm focusing on expanding our creative minds, I believe that integrating the logical and creative parts of our thinking and emotions with strong inner health while also powering the imagination will drive our ability to enhance our performance and potential both at home and at work.

Both shifts in the leader and employee toward work-life integration begins an important, agile, and collaborative partnership that requires new skills and thinking. “Leadership is what you do with people, not to them” (Mathew & Gupta, 2015, p. 76).

The role of creativity

Years ago, I became fascinated with creativity, trying to figure out how it works and how I can drive others to be creative as a repeatable process. My research says that we’re all creative—we just haven’t been taught how to tap into it. I found that when people are creative and are able to use creative problem solving at work, amazing things happened: increased performance, better attitudes, more connection to self and others, increased teamwork and collaboration, better products and services, and expanded thinking to solve problems. However, only 20% of leaders operate out of the creative mind, which is the leadership imperative. The collective consciousness of leaders is not complex enough to provide the leadership needed to lead the cultural and systemic change needed to compete; creative or higher is required. (Anderson & Adams, 2016)

Traditionally leaders try to apply old ways of thinking to something new and ultimately fail. I believe this is the challenge we face regarding work-life integration. As Einstein stated, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” This applies especially today when deciding how to incorporate wellness into the workplace in the context of our changing paradigm. Creative problem solving is required to create models and approaches that are adaptable and lean enough to support the shift to an adaptable and dynamic work-life integration culture. According to Jerome, 2013, “Leaders who can satisfy employees’ self-actualization needs are the most effective leaders. This enables organizations to fully utilize employees’ ability and potential to enhance the overall productivity and effectiveness of the business.” This is the leadership call to action.

Breaking free: work-life integration

Work-life balance has been a mantra really since the 1970s. While it helped improve work culture at the time, it also forced people to feel like they had to choose one or the other—that they could never have both work and life simultaneously. That way of thinking separates us from ourselves, both psychologically and individually.

The opportunity we have with work-life integration is the creation of a holistic experience that supports both life and work, to support an individual’s entire experience. This will require leaders to create a culture that will not only support work, but will introduce holistic, creative, collaborative, and meaningful interactions that lay the foundation for all humans’ increased productivity at work as well as new energy and possibilities for their individual lives.

Individuals tend to hide their creative side during their day jobs, trying to keep who they are at home and who they are at work separate. Work-life integration enforces that you don’t have to make a choice. Teammate positive emotion and engagement is increased when we are encouraged to design work in a way that supports responsibilities at home. There is no one size fits all, so the need for openness and collaboration becomes the foundation for creative thinking to solve problems and creates a win for all.

Soft skills are the new hard skills: making the wellness shift

So how do you get people to feel comfortable enough to bring their full selves to work?

As leaders, we’re trained to keep emotions in check, but that’s the very thing that makes us robotic and builds a wall between the employee and the leader. And we can no longer afford to have walls. We must learn to build, improve, and flex our emotional and imaginative muscle. As author and researcher Daniel Goleman is often credited with saying, “Emotional intelligence is the ability to sense, understand, value and effectively apply the power of emotions as a source of human energy, information, trust, creativity and influence.”

There are times when leaders must focus on creating environments for positive engagement, and there are times when they need to stay focused on the bottom line and revenue. The humanist leader in my research is in pursuit of balance of both soft and hard skills to build an effective work-life integration experience. Leadership generally has been a sterile exercise. But leadership without emotion, heart, and soul gets us the results many organizations have today where employees generally feel disconnected from leaders. According to my experience and emerging trends, the humanist leader, armed with imagination techniques, is an instigator of change, a joiner and a bridge of things and people—connecting meaning and imagination to work communities for the good of all.

The leaders who are the most successful understand that one of the most important things in life (which will benefit work) is being able to transition to your creative self to bring your whole self to the table. When this happens, people come up with better solutions. People increase their execution and performance—they’re not operating in a robotic way and making mistakes. Because now there’s energy, sustainability, and greater teamwork, people are producing better results, not just individually but collectively.

Additionally, embracing creativity and imagination has health benefits that reduce stress, decreasing days lost at work and driving higher productivity, engagement, and personal authority and agency. Expressive arts, mindfulness, and stress reduction approaches can provide further expansion of this leadership shift. This shift will begin the journey to true wellness that puts the human experience at the center, propelling us toward sustainability, resilience, and expanded thinking and creative problem solving for a better experience and world. But more than anything, our challenges today can be improved by seeing, hearing, and supporting the humanity in us all. This requires everyone at the table to be willing to shift mindsets while increasing imagination.

When we think of our interconnectedness and the ways that we all want to connect, do you think there may be things we carry forward past this time?

Dr. Apprey: Presently, patients and family send emails, make phone calls, and message or meet via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Skype, Google Duo, and Zoom. If I have any more contact in any other forms of communication, I may turn into a patient.

I’ve always said that every day I wake up is a blessing. Everything else is a bonus. In my family, my father has always said, “learn in times of a recession.” My mother’s family has always said, “love everyone.” During this pandemic and the days ahead, I think it’s best to be grateful when we can wake up, keep learning, and keep loving regardless of the circumstances.

THE PRACTICE: NATHAN LONG, ED.D.

My first foray into wellness came out of managing the stressors of my own job and figuring out how to come into things more mindfully, more serenely, and in a more focused fashion. And that really changed my general leadership practice over the last four years in a very positive way.

So many things go through your mind as you’re trying to process work and enjoy life. Because as you live, you hear all the various voices in your head that arise from self-doubt and frustration. You get bombarded. Being more mindful helps me to capture and identify when I am going down a certain pathway whether it is in a meeting, in response to a situation, or how I was managing someone. It allows me to pause and say, “Wait a second. I need to reset and rethink.”

Taking care of myself in a more holistic way has made me be more present in my family relationships, be more effective as a father and a partner, and become a stronger leader. I’ve tried to stop the additional distractions that are out there as we’re engaging with one another, to really hone in and focus in on what’s in front of me. In that way, I can bring my full self to an interaction and actually connect with the person I am communicating with.

Re-centering and grounding

Every organization goes through difficult times. We’re living through a moment in history right now where every single individual is struggling with the ramifications of a global pandemic with COVID-19. The question for leaders everywhere is, how do we keep business going but also increase and improve faculty, student, and staff connection and morale—and take care of each other and everyone’s own unique needs?

Figuring out how people and profits interplay together in a very holistic humanistic way is crucial—they’re both essential for the other to be doing well. I can’t ensure that the Saybrook faculty and staff are OK and in a good space if we’re not doing well financially.

Part of being humanistic is recognizing yourself and what goes on inside you and those areas you need to work on so you can enhance how you show up in a situation and how that carries into your department, your organization, and ideally in your community—and embracing it.

In Saybrook University’s strategic plan, there is a strong focus on mindfulness. Not only in how we track faculty, student, and staff engagement but how we create an environment that people feel connected to. After all, the workplace is where we spend 40+ hours a week. It’s almost like your extended family, and how you show up and engage is really key to keeping up morale.

Part of what’s incredible about operating as a nonprofit is advancing a mission—especially in a university setting. Yes, the financials are important; yes, enrollment is important, but the primary goal is advancing our mission and we need everyone to be connected to what we’re doing. If I as the president or if one of our partners is not connected to what we’re trying to do, then we’re not really serving the mission.

Putting it into practice at Saybrook

One of the things that Saybrook stands for is this focus on mental health and whole health. It’s permeated the university in many ways, and it’s becoming more a part of the fabric of the institution.

A couple of weeks ago at a faculty meeting, our faculty co-chair started off with a guided imagery and mindfulness meditation moment to center the group. It was the most focused I have ever seen us. And that’s really what mindfulness is all about: what are we doing, what are we thinking in the moment, bringing ourselves or our group or the organization back into some sort of balance.

In the wake of COVID-19, Saybrook has started to offer daily Mindful Moments. Designed to be 15 minutes in length, our Mind-Body Medicine faculty have banded together to provide these sessions as a source of centering and solace in these extraordinary times. I’m so proud to be part of a community that are helping people show up better and find some peace in the world right now.

Our team is really committed to personal and professional growth in that regard. We’re looking to do some things around what they call gracious space. It’s at the beginning of a meeting where people go around the room and speak about where they’re at. It’s an opportunity to both receive positive affirmation or empathy and then from that moment create the space for individuals to start engaging productively, because everyone’s bringing their whole selves to a situation.

Part of being humanistic is recognizing yourself and what goes on inside you and those areas you need to work on so you can enhance how you show up in a situation and how that carries into your department, your organization, and ideally in your community—and embracing it. That recognizes the humanity of the situation rather than just the cog-and-the-wheel mentality.

We’re evolving as a university to think about the whole, not just the parts, and how all of these factors—financial state, enrollment, and employee and staff morale—affect the other in order to create a really dynamic great place to work. It’s figuring out how to get all those to play well together and help everyone feel connected to the outcome—because ultimately, it’s about sustaining the mission and ourselves.

Learn more about Saybrook University

If you are interested in learning more about the community and academic programs at Saybrook University, fill out the form below to request more information. You can also apply today through our application portal.

References for “Our Psychological Response to the Pandemic

26 August 2020
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From empty promises to policies and action

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For years, when tragedy struck, companies got off the hook by generally offering thoughts and prayers.

These words ring hollow in 2020.

Consumers see companies as people. Companies have quirky brand voices on social media, showing up in our feeds with posts much like friends do. No wonder people have come to expect more from them in the wake of so much hardship—starting with COVID-19 and picking up even more as protests erupted across the country in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd.

The past few months have seen companies speak up, call themselves out, and promise to be better. It’s a type of momentum that hasn’t been seen before—but all this leads to a critical eye, since words alone no longer cut it. What if a company donates money to an organization devoted to racial justice but then turns around and profits from prison labor (which disproportionately affects people of color)? By the time donations trickle down, who and what are they really helping?

“A lot of companies donate money, yet it doesn’t end up having the impact they expected,” says O’Dell Johnson, Ph.D., an alumnus of Saybrook University’s Existential-Humanistic Psychology program as well as a former Presidential Fellow. Dr. Johnson is the founder and CEO of the Institute for Education and Justice, a criminal justice reform organization. “What we’re seeing here is corporations giving money to entities, and by the time it gets to the people the donations should actually be helping, it doesn’t make as much of a difference as the original investment would have.”

So what would be better? The key word is investment. In order to have proper investment, companies need to build relationships with the communities they seek to help.

Even though it seems like companies should just “do the right thing,” they are often too focused on perception and their bottom line to focus on much else. What role should companies have in social movements like Black Lives Matter? And are they willing to do what it takes to actually create tangible change?

Hypocrisy in activism vs. actions

If a company says it supports Black Lives Matter, it needs to do more than just say so.

Companies can’t simply capitalize on the moment. Take Microsoft. Artist Shantell Martin was commissioned by Microsoft and its advertising firm McCann Erickson to make a Black Lives Matter mural on the Microsoft store in New York City on June 3. Martin, however, declined after receiving an insensitive email from the team, that said: “Hoping to complete the mural while the protests are still relevant and the boards are still up …”

Worth Rises is a nonprofit advocacy organization, dedicated to dismantling the prison industry. In May 2020, it published its annual report: The Prison Industry—Mapping Private Sector Players. They called out some big names in the sector, and for the first time introduced a harm score for each corporation that measures involvement in human rights violations in the prison industry and flags corporations that support prison labor. Each harm score takes into account the gravity of the violation, how they were responsible for it, and their responsiveness to advocacy engagement.

Corporations that scored more than 10 points are recommended for divestment. Microsoft has a harm score of 11.

“It’s contradictory. Companies want to show that they’re culturally and socially sensitive, but they’re still making their profits lead the way,” Dr. Johnson says. “All of this is guided by profits—and a lot is also guided by a large amount of racism and disenfranchisement as well.”

Aramark is another company that plays both sides—for profit (by using unpaid labor) and for credit. The American foodservice, facilities, and uniform provider is the main supplier of CoreCivic, one of the largest privately funded American prison systems. Aramark partners with more than 600 college campuses and is a $16.2 billion company. It has been cited by activists over the years for violating human rights and supporting the prison industry.

A Mother Jones article detailed the struggle of one previously incarcerated individual, Bert Davis, who worked for Aramark in prison—for no pay. Working out of Santa Rita Jail in Alameda County in California, Davis is now a part of a lawsuit against Aramark and Alameda County, arguing that the 40-hour work weeks of unpaid kitchen jobs were forced labor. A particular poignant point from the Mother Jones article: “While the 13th Amendment bans slavery, it makes an exception for work performed ‘as a punishment for crime,’ essentially permitting forced labor in prisons.”

“It’s like the new Jim Crow,” Dr. Johnson says. “This system has elements of enslavement. We have people who are in prison working for zero, practically. Some corporations are benefiting greatly from the products that are being made out of these prisons.”

Yet when protests began in May over the murder of George Floyd, Aramark released a statement citing its outrage and pointing employees to its Employee Assistance Program.

The harm scores of Amazon, Google, and 3M. Amazon is ranked #2, Alphabet (Google’s parent company) #22, and 3M #97 on the Fortune 500. 

A systemic upheaval

According to Dr. Johnson if companies are willing to put their skin in the game to reap the possible benefits of saying “Black Lives Matter”—of appearing woke and with the times—they must be willing to analyze AND sacrifice themselves. They need to take a systemic approach to uproot life and business as they know it. Otherwise, they’re taking a Band-Aid approach to a crisis that has festered for hundreds of years. To combat hypocrisy, they need to be willing to change.
A lot of the work that companies preach they are willing to do would actually require them to change their business models. It will require revisiting how certain companies make products or the business relationships they have. But that change affects the entire economy. For example, if prisons are shut down, especially in rural U.S. cities that depend on the boosts to the local economy that prisons bring, alternative investment strategies will be needed to help these towns survive. Currently, 70% of prisons are located in rural America. Similar to the arguments people are making about defunding the police and reallocating those resources, the same discussion needs to include prisons. Instead of prisons, build hospitals. Instead of prisons, build schools.

It’s a layered approach. Dr. Johnson explains what can happen, using an example of a company that hired 24 previously incarcerated people. While it was great to give these individuals the opportunity, most of these employees were living in halfway houses, surrounded by people who just got out of prison. They weren’t set up for a wraparound support that would allow them to truly succeed.

“If you’re going to take on this kind of work, fully take it on and address this holistically,” Dr. Johnson says. “Instead of just giving them a job and minimum wage, let’s provide access to housing so they can have a decent place to live, instead of still living in the system. If we’re talking about investing, truly investing, let’s invest in all of it.”

But how do companies begin to invest properly? One way is by building relationships with the community they’re hoping to impact.

“To have the relationship is key,” Dr. Johnson says. “When you have a relationship, you can share your stories—then you can identify how best to invest in the community. If you look at it from a distance as an observer, you’ll never get it right.”

When companies build relationships on the ground and in communities, they can actually get constituents what they need and create change. THAT is true investment. It opens the door on both sides, and these relationships can help build a more equitable future together.

“You have to send people down to those communities, tell them in person that you care, and build a relationship,” Dr. Johnson says. “Those real conversations enable people to be honest about what’s actually going on. These companies can actually hear honest answers, like, ‘I don’t need that. I need this.’”

The systemic issues in our society will only be solved from a multifaceted human approach. Humans have made it the way it is—and they can change it too. After all, who is behind the social platforms of companies? Who is behind the blanket statements that are released time and time again? Despite their voice and influence, companies aren’t people—they are run by people. And if they wish to see change in society, they must start with themselves.

Learn more about Saybrook University

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The early old bird gets the worm

20 August 2020
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Older generations have been revered for centuries for their expertise, secrets, and experiences. Researchers have studied for years what makes someone live longer—convinced that just maybe there is a trick we haven’t figured out yet. And advertisers love selling us the latest Mediterranean diet, red wine trend, or higher altitude methods that will keep us all alive for longer. This search for immortality makes sense when you remember that in 1940, the average life expectancy was around 60 years old. So when someone lived to 89, they were special—someone to be respected by children and adults alike. Stories about what they had eaten, drank, how far they walked, how they loved, and how they truly lived were shared throughout families and communities.

But in 2020, when the average life expectancy in the U.S. is 78 years, old age seems like old news. We’re less impressed and less curious about what these older generations have seen or done—apathetic to their presence.

Coronavirus revealed many inequities in our cultural system, and perhaps none so grave as the way we treat our elderly. More than 60% of those who have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. were 75 or older, and almost 80% were age 65 or older. It’s not just that the disease targets the older generation—it’s the lack of protection that society has provided them. Even with the news surrounding the impacts of coronavirus on our older populations, there is no shortage of disinterest in caring for them and their well-being.

Valuing older generations is not just about learning what they know but also is equally about their right to a future too. Respecting older generations means treating and caring for them well. In humanistic psychology, each individual’s experience is valued equally. Yet as society continues to value youth and economic progress, Baby Boomers and the Greatest Generation are dying at higher rates during this pandemic.

Valuing older generations is not just about learning what they know but also is equally about their right to a future too. Respecting older generations means treating and caring for them well.

Different strokes

Both of my grandmothers lived in my childhood home before their passing. They continued to be an important part of our day-to-day lives—no matter their physical conditions or deterioration. We talked about my day, about their days—presently and in the past. This intimacy and approach to aging and relationships didn’t start overnight—it was a value system in my family. Growing up, I wasn’t aware that this wasn’t the norm. Generational respect is not a given.

Depending on how one was brought up and what one places value in, treatment of our elder generation can vary. In any discussion of human behavior, especially from a humanistic lens, one must remember: Not everyone lives the same experience.

Theopia Jackson, Ph.D., co-chair for the Department of Humanistic & Clinical Psychology, chair of the Clinical Psychology program, and the president for the Association of Black Psychologists, Inc., explains that as a humanistic psychologist, it’s important to look at what it means to be human in context—in a socio-political-economic context.

“It’s important to acknowledge that there is not one way to be in regards to how we treat older generations,” she says. “In our Western thinking, we are trained to think either/or, right or wrong. But what humanistic principles are saying, we must do both/and because one person’s lived experiences and their values and practices are just as important. Certain socio-economic factors contribute to how we treat our elders and cultural traditions that directly affect how we treat our older generations.”

Take, for example, the ravaging of the nursing home population during COVID-19. Current statistics suggest that of the U.S.’s 155,000 coronavirus deaths, more than 40% have been residents or employees of long-term care facilities and nursing homes. Before we explore what this says about our values as a society, it’s important to note that even being able to send a loved one to a nursing home is a privilege.

Sending older people to nursing homes has become a rising practice, but looking through the long lens of history, it is a relatively new concept. In the past, most cultures shared one residence spanning three to four generations—simply out of necessity. From birth to death, you lived at home. Not only did you live at home, you added value, you were cared for, you were listened to.

But as families moved up and out, communities began the sprawl and generations began to separate. However, as Dr. Jackson goes on to explain, when long-term care facilities are working, they offer a valuable resource.

“They’ve probably saved many people; probably improved the quality of life for many who are aging, to be able to be in a safe place, a caring, loving place, surrounded by their own generation,” she says. “This can affirm them again in this new phase because the things that are of interest for them are similar.

“Yet we also know that in a capitalistic society, in a society that is born from white supremacist ideology and capitalism, there is a perpetuation for, ‘Me, me, me, me, me,’ a value for youth and individuality. All of a sudden having to care for your loved one can be a burden, and sending them away can alleviate that.”

In over a dozen states, more than 50% of deaths related to COVID-19 were residents of nursing homes or assisted living residences—as high as 80% in Minnesota and West Virginia. What was supposed to be a safe haven for older generations turned out to be a festering sore during the pandemic. The ACLU reports, “In some cases, facilities have not only failed to report, but have actively hidden deaths from residents, families, and the government.” The way systems have failed so many of our older generation during this current pandemic can be seen in the lack of care and assistance that nursing homes have been able to provide. You care for what you value, so this can be seen as a direct representation of our social and cultural values and practices. But what’s being overlooked is the ways in which this pattern and loss will negatively impact younger generations as well.

It’s important to acknowledge that there is not one way to be in regards to how we treat older generations…because one person’s lived experiences and their values and practices are just as important.

Where were you?

Even before it was written down, history has always kept us alive. Oral history has been a key part of social evolution and resilience since the beginning of time—we have survived predators, natural disasters, plagues, and dying crops because someone is there to remember what happened in the past and how they lived through it.

“Stories are better than simple explanations for history. Their content is richer and more applicable to a broad range of circumstances. Older people love to share stories and those stories are well worth listening to, if only for the value of hard-won insights over a long period of time,” says Drake Spaeth, Psy.D., co-chair of Saybrook’s Department of Humanistic and Clinical Psychology.

Our grandparents and elders can tell us what getting running water was like, how many friends perished in Vietnam, where they were when the Challenger exploded, when JFK was shot, what their first ride in an automobile was like—a vast array of big events that have marked their lives. But the small events provide some of the most important bits of advice too—a perspective that has weathered time and challenges. Learning how to live through the difficult and thrive in different situations proves a spirit that is valuable no matter the year, decade, or circumstance.

“What older individuals get from aging is an increasing openness through life experience to universal reality,” Dr. Spaeth says. “They more easily recognize patterns among events that allow for a depth of foresight, intuitive understanding, and an array of coping resources that were not available to them when they were younger.”

It’s not just that they have seen more. It’s that they connect more—they can put the pieces together for us. We often forget that we too will have these large events to mark our time—9/11, the coronavirus, Obama’s election—and we’ll be ready to share what we learned personally and as a society too. But will anyone want to listen?

“Elder is not simply a term of endearment or a term that one holds because they’ve gotten old. We learn of the idea of the term elder from our African traditions,” Dr. Jackson explains. “Like with other indigenous groups, including Native Americans, an elder means that you serve a role in the community or in the village. And most times they’re the wisdom keepers. They are the protectors. They are the storytellers.”

What older individuals get from aging is an increasing openness through life experience to universal reality.

Older than all of us

One of these valuable storytellers is Jeanne Calumet. You may have never heard of her or her story, but born in 1875, she did the unthinkable and lived through it all.

And lived.

And lived.

For 122 years.

For 122 years, she managed to outlive lovers, friends, children, neighbors—everyone. Recently, a few researchers have suggested that her age was fraudulent and she had begun lying about it much earlier in her life. While the evidence suggests that she was truly 122 years old—an outlier—in a world that equates beauty over age, prioritizing youth over all else, it’s difficult to believe that someone would willingly choose to lie about being older. But perhaps this high value on youth and diminishing value on age is a new phenomenon.

Relationships and mentorship between younger and older generations have been a large part of a variety of cultures throughout history. From Native Americans to African traditions, to quinceaneras and presentation balls for affluent white young men and women, initiations into the next part of life abound. Generational progress has long been praised and valued with older generations leading the young, but the value has been placed more on youth and less on what we can learn from our elders.

“In a Jungian or depth psychological sense, the adulthood initiation is archetypal—universal in the human psyche, a thematic pattern of striving that has evolved throughout human history,” Dr. Spaeth explains. “Without an adult mentor, that archetypal yearning is extremely vulnerable to the unconscious shadow—the repository of repressed aspects of humanness with which we are uncomfortable.

“Sadly, the wisdom of elderhood seems to be more neglected, and (alarmingly) even despised, in comparison to indigenous contexts where popular recognition of that wisdom would earn one honored places and roles in society,” Dr. Spaeth adds. “This disconnect impedes the meaning of formal and informal rites of passage or initiations into the experience of adulthood.”

The disconnect

We are living and working longer, which provides opportunity for older generations to continue contributing and affecting society for many more years. Our current president is 74, and the Democratic nominee who hopes to unseat him is 77 years old—meanwhile the resident favorite Supreme Court judge somewhat surprisingly passed at a spry 87 years old while still working doggedly, and the Speaker of the House keeps order at 80.

Yet in the demographic making up the electorate that will choose who leads for the next four years, one in 10 voters will be in Generation Z—meaning between the ages of 18 and 23. The generational divide between those leading and those living seems to continue to expand.

As the way we experience the world continues change, the frustration from the generational divide grows. “It may also mean that younger people may find it more difficult to attain positions of leadership, increasing the tension among generational cohorts who are coming of age and craving more meaningful responsibility and participation in social contexts. Understandably, resentment and frustration arise among younger generations for what they regard as the legacy and consequences of past mistakes when they are in less empowered positions with regard to making substantive and sustainable change,” Dr. Spaeth adds.

But by listening, caring for, and incorporating the world through a multi-generational lens—like generations before us—every generation can gain insight to thrive well into the future. The only difference between the young and the old is time. And if the young are lucky, they’ll one day understand what it’s like to be a part of the older generation.

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Our Psychological Response to a Pandemic

20 August 2020
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The coronavirus calls for dramatic behavioral responses to contain a pandemic of uncertain magnitude. Among the responses is the restriction of social contact through self-isolation so as to reduce likelihood of contagion. For psychology, this introduces a paradox. Isolation, as a theme in psychology, has preceded the coronavirus. One major contribution to psychology has been in understanding the importance of social contact for both physical and psychological, health and well-being (Caplan, 1974; Novotney, 2019). Social isolation has been shown to be a factor in weakening immune-competence and precipitating health breakdowns, ranging from cardiac and respiratory conditions to injuries from accidents. Breakdown is a generic term, including any form of mental or physical pathology. In epidemiological studies, the term is sometimes measured by number of medical service visits, excluding pregnancy. This provides a label for identifying overriding factors, like poverty or social isolation, which may contribute to illness that is expressed in diverse forms (Berkman et al., 2014). For the most part, people linked closely to others are better able to stay well. Evidence for this is summarized in Berkman et al.’s (2014) review of this prevalent theme in social epidemiology. Recognition of the importance of supportive networks has historical roots. Sydney Cobb’s 1976 presidential address to the Society of Psychosomatic Medicine states:

The conclusion that supportive interactions among people are important is hardly new. What is new is the assembling of hard evidence that adequate social support can protect people in crisis from a wide variety of pathological states: from low birth weight to death, from arthritis through tuberculosis to depression, alcoholism, and other psychiatric illness. Furthermore, social support can reduce the amount of medication required and accelerate recovery and facilitate compliance with prescribed medical regimens. (p. 310)

Since this time, there has been increasing corroboration of the evidence linking supportive ties to health maintenance. The spread of isolation and loneliness has led to documented accounts of increased behavioral disorders, including depression and suicide attempts (Putnam, 2000). It has also led to increases in arthritis, diabetes, respiratory disorders and failures to respond to cancer treatments (Novotney, 2019).

Evidence on the extent of mental health consequences associated with isolation during the coronavirus pandemic is still being assembled. The director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Use at the World Health Organization has drawn our attention to the psychological distress likely to be increased by the coronavirus crisis (McKeever, 2020). A large number of people are worried about their own health and the health of their families and are frightened about their loss of ability to hold a job. Among them are people who have had a history of mental disturbance. For them, the new crisis precipitates exacerbations (Solomon, 2020). The coronavirus is bringing with it substantial casualties and a significant degree of personal trauma felt by those bearing the illness and by those serving them. The effects extend to everyone and are exposing many unresolved problems of inequality and priorities of government policy. Responses to the coronavirus involving reduced social contact can surely add to the health effects of isolation. Paradoxically, the responses to the coronavirus offer both a chance for many to survive it and an opportunity to build a healthier society for the future.

Sensory deprivation and social isolation

The field of psychoneuroimmunology has added biological understanding to the question of how the immune system apparently recognizes, through neural and other physiological mechanisms, that one is loved (Azar, 2001). More to the point, there are studies suggesting the wide range of contacts needed to sustain healthy functioning. For some, the restrictions of the pandemic include a lack of tactile sensation—not divorced from the meanings ascribed to contact more generally.

Hugs and handshakes reinforce a sense of connection. Whatever the source or intent, isolation and separation as practiced in containing the spread of coronavirus add to vulnerability.

Isolation has been shown to increase memory loss in older people (Shankar et al., 2013). Early studies of people cut off from sensory stimulation (visual, auditory, and tactual) show that within a relatively short time, their cognitive capacities falter and some begin to hallucinate (Stribling & Essau, 2011). Prisoners in jail who are subjected to long stays in social isolation units show similar symptoms of disorientation (Smith, 2006). Totalitarian governments have used social isolation in painful experiments to wipe out former beliefs and replace them with official propaganda (Lifton, 2012; Taylor, 2004).

Solitary confinement was frequently used in colonial boarding schools as a punishment for American Indian children. Forced separation from families and from signs of tribal culture caused depression and illness, with more students dying than graduating from the schools (Estes, 2019). Classic studies of attachment and maternal deprivation show infants deteriorate rapidly if deprived of physical contact with a mother figure (Ainsworth, 1982; Bowlby, 1973). While social distancing is different from sensory deprivation, the latter does suggest harm from the former for some people under some conditions.

Empirical findings on the effects of supportive contacts

Human interconnectedness is multi-faceted and is better conceived as a theme of human existence than as the sum of component parts. It ranges from sensory transactions to affiliations with families and other groups. Physical touch is an important part of contact. In the classic 1965 experiment conducted by Harlow, researchers separated infant rhesus monkeys from their mothers and bottle fed them with a mechanical device. For one group, the bottle was held in place by a metallic mesh. For another group, the bottle was held in place by a soft cloth covering. The wire mesh group deteriorated quickly, while the cloth substitute mothers provided the contact apparently needed at this stage of development. Even the lactating wire mother was deserted after feeding, in favor of a dry cloth substitute (Harlow, 1965). Tactual sensations have a special place in human bonding.

More recent research has shown the value of physical touch when working with children in institutionalized settings with AIDS patients and with breast cancer patients. The mechanism appears to be a lowering of cortisol level and an increase in natural killer T cells (Pilisuk & Parks, 1986). Decline in the incidence of direct touch has been noted in the United States (Jones, 2018). The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2020) reports that neglected children suffer worse consequences and subsequent developmental impairments than those who have been abused. Touch deprivation is but a part of the larger problem of social isolation and threadbare networks of social support.

Events that isolate people or cut off a significant relationship puts one at a higher risk of health breakdown (Pilisuk, 1982). In this sense, the accommodations needed to contain the coronavirus can predictably preclude the contact with important caring relationships needed to reduce our susceptibility to illness (McKeever, 2020). If this contact, so needed for health and well-being, is placed out of reach, the necessary isolating response may be increasing our susceptibility to other illness. When we are requiring social distance, isolation in homes, and disruption in contact among friends and family members, can psychology help us to reduce the anticipated toll? What does the field of psychology have to say about dealing with this paradox?

First, psychology and related disciplines have confirmed the extent of the relation of social support to physical and psychological health maintenance. Consistent with findings from the laboratory, larger scale studies confirm the importance of social ties in limiting breakdowns in physical and mental health (Pilisuk & Minkler, 1980). A classic example came from sociologist Emile Durkheim’s (1951) study of suicide, finding its rates to be highest among people with low integration in their communities. Persons who develop schizophrenia, or who are admitted for any form of psychiatric hospitalization, are likely to share the fact of fewer supportive social ties (Lim & Gleeson, 2014). Social linkages among people are indirect communication but are also intangible exchange of resources. With this broader view, insufficiency of such ties comprise a definition of social marginality, which has been linked to most forms of physical and psychological pathology (Foster et al., 2018; Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2020). This same factor frequently characterizes the victims of suicide, alcoholism, multiple accidents, and hypertension (Novotney, 2019; Pilisuk, 1982; Stravynski & Boyer, 2001).

A study of coronary disease among Japanese men living in California showed those with traditional close-knit Japanese family ties to be at significantly lower risk than those who had been assimilated (Marmot & Syme, 1976). Another large-scale longitudinal study of residents of Alameda County, California, examined social and health status at one point in time and followed their records of illness and death over a subsequent nine-year period. It showed that disease, morbidity, and mortality rates, from all causes, were related to an index of the individuals’ personal ties at the start of the study. The relation appeared for both sexes, for all ethnic groups, and across socio-economic classes (Berkman & Syme, 1978; Pilisuk & Parks, 1986). For those who do fall ill, social support is important in fostering compliance to medical treatments. These seminal studies have been replicated and expanded to document the scope of conditions affected by isolation and by the relation of isolation and of support to resilience (Novotney, 2019; Solomon, 2020).

The importance of supportive ties is highlighted in studies of the death of a spouse. Among the newly bereaved, the rate of coronary mortality, particularly among men, is substantially higher than that found among others of their age group (Pilisuk and Parks, 1986). Bereavement proves a time for unusually high susceptibility, not only to coronary disorders, but to all forms of health and mental health breakdown. These adverse effects, however, were shown to be absent when the individual maintains even one close supportive relationship (Pilisuk & Parks, 1986). A study of circumstances surrounding 275 sudden deaths reported in newspaper accounts found that the most frequent category (135 deaths) to have followed upon an exceptionally traumatic disruption of a close human relationship or the anniversary of the death of a loved one (Pilisuk, 1982; Pilisuk & Parks, 1986). Escalating mortality rates during the coronavirus pandemic are likely to demonstrate similar consequences for bereaved survivors.

The effects of social disconnection on health cover an amazing diversity of circumstances. Surely there are different circumstances that may lead an individual to be prone to one form of illness rather than to another. Asthma, cardiac disease, accidents, suicide, or depression all have distinguishing risk factors. The argument here is that weak or disrupted ties fall upon individuals who already have their own ways of reaction to the stressors they face and with inadequate support, a breakdown will be more likely to occur. The wide diversity of diagnostic conditions should not detract from the broader conclusion: social connections are vital to our health and well-being, and coronavirus is limiting them.

Limitations of empirical findings

The warning that social distancing is likely to portend negative health consequences is clearly supported by early empirical evidence and reinforced by contemporary studies (Whitley, 2017). Fortunately, that is not the only contribution psychology and related fields contribute to our understanding of human resilience. The consequences of social disconnection mentioned so far have been developed through empirical studies, some of animals or humans in controlled settings, and some equally powerful, comparing populations living under different conditions. The heritage comes from an era in which psychology strove to be a science by copying methods identified with the physical sciences. The importance of social connection, loneliness, or losses in one’s network had of course been noticed by authors, artists, and indigenous healers (Putnam, 2000). However, the major formulations were part of an empirical psychology that was dominant through the 1960s, when it ran into criticism for its Western biases. Unwittingly, the field of psychology became part of a colonial mindset, helping the larger society demand conformity to its norms from diverse or deviant children or victims of conquest. Mainstream psychology also displayed a preference for measurable behavior over less tangible conscious or even unconscious experience. And in an effort to appear scientific, psychology inadvertently eschewed a deep value and appreciation of its core subject matter: the human being.

Virtual contact and humanistic psychology

Humanistic psychology has been one of the enduring voices of this criticism of an overly mechanistic, quantitative, and normatively biased field of psychology. It spawned methods that reach into the subjective and have a bearing on response to coronavirus. The new circumstances, an anti-epidemic strategy requiring physical separation, oblige us to dig into other contributions from psychology and from the social sciences. I have grouped these other contributions under the rubric of “humanistic psychology.” Humanistic psychology has a rich legacy of therapy and research that lies beyond the scope of this paper. What is relevant here are roots in ethnographic anthropology, ecological psychology, feminist psychology, existential therapies, and humanistic sociology. One unifying contribution underlying humanistic psychology is an appreciation and understanding of phenomenological experience.

The phenomenological approach can be described as one that focuses upon the study of consciousness and the content of one’s direct experience (Husserl, 1999; Merleau-Ponty, 1962). These contributions deal with our experiences, the reality which each of us constructs. They include the cognitive maps of kin and other associates, both close and distant. These inner libraries, carried within us maintain identity and buffer us from destructive levels of stress. They sustain us with images of our connection with and appreciation for others, as well as with our familiar habitats and ecology. It is not only the physical contact and face-to-face engagement with people that sustain us. It is also the internalized depiction of our experience. This inner reality can be used to enhance our sense of connection with others, even in the absence of direct contact. It can be used to vitalize our continued participation in virtual activities that keep us connected and provide outlets for our participation in preserving a sustainable world.

Advances of internet communication have offered one tangible example of adaptation: support groups for many health and personal needs are now conducted on the computer screen. Some are professionally led, and some are informal and spontaneous. They may provide synchronous or asynchronous participation and offer opportunities for people facing rare conditions to find each other. They provide opportunity for family gatherings, even among geographically dispersed families. One consideration is that access to equipment and an internet connection is not guaranteed for everyone (Gary & Remolino, 2000). Just how meaningful virtual communications can be to the meaning and richness of human experience is a question raised by humanist scholars. Schneider (2019) clarifies a distinction between authentic communications of real people and the artificial messages designed by algorithms. The latter undermine the vital creative insights and criticisms so necessary for social change.

Within the humanist framework are persuasive philosophical arguments about the existential centrality of the symbolic worlds we create (Husserl, 1999; Merleau-Ponty, 1962). The framework has included departures from deterministic outlooks, which may curtail the possibilities for newness in our lives. Psychotherapeutic approaches, such as nondirective therapy, have evolved as methods in which the client does the work of uncovering their own potentials to create something new (Rogers, 1961). The plethora of experiences that can be harnessed into promoting deep change have extended into music and dance therapies, visualizations, and meditation. Creativity has been moved from nonessential characteristics of life, to the central task of being human (May, 1975). Rather than viewing creativity as an exceptional talent, we have rediscovered it as an aspect of everyday life (Richards, 2007).

One important strand of this outlook is humanistic sociology. Traditional sociology, like traditional psychology, has focused upon observations that can be measured. They tell us what is but not what could be. The goal of humanistic sociology is an emancipatory potential for such possibilities as peace, love, and social justice. It works toward securing a voice for those victimized by neglect and injustice (Du Bois & Wright, 2002).

Humanistic modes of thought are useful in matters that introduce great uncertainty. The current pandemic is such a situation (Crockett et al., 2018). Humanistic psychology enhances the visibility of caring. Moreover, the experiential emphasis welcomes deep compassionate concern at a spiritual level, for people and places we will never know on a direct level. Humanistic psychology has something important to offer in going beyond deterministic frameworks and emphasizing subjective, phenomenological experiences. The approach has something significant to say about how people can accommodate positively to the changed environment imposed by the coronavirus.

The passion and creative power to build something better

At a time of relative isolation, humanistic orientations can be harnessed to capture the value of quiet and of looking within. In so doing, we find a measure of respite from the overstimulation to which we have grown accustomed and a deeper look into ourselves. Our inner life can hold on to deep connections with our communities, with the natural world, and with the future yet to be attained.

The loss of close, cuddly connections is real, but so too are our passionate connections with people that continue to be carried from within. Even the homes, shops, and landmarks that defined communities have evolved into a psychological sense of community (Sarasson, 1988). These settings are kept alive in our imagination. The potential relief from overstimulation provides a motivation to honor the value of quiet and to recall the depths of renewal that we gain from contacts in the natural world. Part of our loss of the noisy world of direct contact creates a space to become reacquainted with ourselves. Hopefully, the credence that we give to our experience of what really matters helps us to harness the world of our dreams.

Finding community and solidarity through other means

We cannot help but be impressed by the creative ways people find to maintain not only the physical necessities of life, but also the social affirmation coming from friends, neighbors, and agencies. We are traveling less, consuming less, walking more, conversing electronically with family and friends more frequently, and enjoying contact with local nature and home gardens (Nguyen & Animashaun, 2020). People are finding creative ways to check the immediate needs of neighbors, including elders living alone (Damron, 2020). As people sharply cut travel, we notice the air a bit clearer, the waterways a bit less contaminated, and the roads less congested (Regan, 2020). We are reminded that the sacrifices needed to assure a viable planet should not have to wait for a pandemic, but rather should be on our minds always.

The learning opportunities emerging from physical isolation are not available to large portions of our population. Some lower-income, working families have no choice but to continue to live in crowded conditions, to continue to work in high-risk situations, and to stretch their time to care for elderly parents or children who would have otherwise been in school (Vesoulis, 2020). Many others have felt the impact of losing their job, and with it, their health insurance and income needed to support their families. In an eight-week period beginning in mid-March 2020, more than 35 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits (Tappe & Luhby, 2020). The economic and psychological consequences of such losses are detrimental (Ananat & Gassman-Pines, 2020).

For those of us who are able to find meaning in our ability to cope, we are faced with the realization that combating the virus requires reaching out to those who lack the necessary resources, as demonstrated by the current occurrences of community mobilization and mutual aid networks (Hogan, 2020). The strengths we gather from the humanistic tradition of creative imagining serve us in personal coping. Such individual adaptations need to be augmented by work with and for others. Collectively, we will need to apply our awareness to those deteriorating conditions of the planet that give rise to the proliferation of pandemics for which we are unprepared.

Interconnectedness with nature

A persuasive link has in fact been made between the origins of this virus and climate change. The UN’s environment chief Inger Andersen said:

There are too many pressures at the same time on our natural systems and something has to give … We are intimately interconnected with nature, whether we like it or not. If we don’t take care of nature, we can’t take care of ourselves. And as we hurtle towards a population of 10 billion people on this planet, we need to go into this future armed with nature as our strongest ally. (Carrington, 2020)

We are all interconnected, whether it be in working together to slow climate change or in protecting each other from this virus through social distancing and staying at home. Both climate change and a pandemic are problems that require us to work together with respect for nature.

Creating a future

Activism from home relies upon harnessing the potential of inner experience. It is needed on several issues. People at higher risk in particular are limited in their ability to join marches and demonstrations, visits to legislators, and knocking on doors to encourage others to vote. But meetings on big issues have turned to Zoom, and organized post-carding and phone banking events are drawing people to the sense of purpose from cooperative action on superordinate goals. Major shocks to a social system offer opportunities for drastic change (Klein, 2007). For those concerned about the world after this pandemic, it is important to recall that the change may be toward a more compassionate world. But it could also portend surrender to an authoritarian ruler, promising to restore order while moving toward a dystopian (technologically monitored and controlled) militarized state. This dark outcome is currently happening with Prime Minister Orban in Hungary and is viewed favorably by anti-immigrant movements in other countries (Tharoor, 2020).

National budgets reflect a nation’s values. When we find the Centers for Disease Control underfunded, insufficient hospital beds, lack of ventilators and protective gear for courageous doctors, nurses, and health care workers, we should reflect upon whether the 53% of the federal budget spent by the military is doing what is actually needed to promote our health and security (Li, 2020; Lindorff, 2010). Some who have long been dismayed over harmful social systems were too busy to demand their change. Now the virus has exposed the harm of inequality and the futility of finding scapegoats to hide the need for real social change.

We know that economic inequality has an even stronger effect upon health within a country than overall economic level (Wilkinson & Pickett, 2009). We are aware now, more than ever, that priorities should have favored the search for cures and the prevention of disease and that the policies that might have gone to improve the quality of our lives have been slighted. Despite physical barriers for advocacy, the message we can deliver to policymakers has become clearer. Moreover, the principles underlying successful citizen participation remain valid, even while indirect means of contact need to be emphasized (Pilisuk et al., 2004).

Looking forward

Experience that accepts existential uncertainty and accentuates creativity is an important ingredient for coping in ways that build a newer and more adaptive reality. A self-concept that emerges with belief that disaster can be faced is an instrument for change. Creativity can be used to envision a better future and to bring it into being. Time spent in solo contemplation, devoid of customary distraction, leaves opportunity for developing a sense of agency. The gaps in our lives required by social distancing can be filled in part by novel ways to come together, in our devices and in our minds. These propensities are critical components for building a level of organized social action so needed to bring about a safer, healthier, more peaceful, and sustainable world. The empirical findings on pandemics and violence are daunting. Hopes lie in our inner capacities to conceive and to create a kinder world.

Finally, just as we seek creative means to fill our home-sheltered lives with personal contacts, some among us find ourselves with time to join in activities to build a more humane world. Our discussions with colleagues, the petitions we sign, and our letters to elected officials are all part of the revolution in societal health care. Through home-scale activism, we can remember how interconnected we are. A case of the virus in Iran or in India, in a prison or in a nursing home, increases the risk of cases in Seattle or New York. Countries whose public health systems have been demolished by economic sanctions pose a risk beyond their borders. Everyone who needs testing, a place for shelter, and food is a part of our human family. It is for us now to promote the promise of humanistic psychology, to appreciate who we are, and to fulfill our potential to become stronger advocates for what we may become.

About Marc Pilisuk, Ph.D.

Marc Pilisuk, Ph.D., is a clinical and social psychologist whose published works have covered topics in cognitive consistency, self-concept, community intervention, game theory, social problems, international conflict, ecology, and peace studies. He is a professor emeritus from the University of California and faculty member at Saybrook University. He is the author of 11 books and the recipient of state and national awards for teaching, research, and community applications. He was a founding member of Psychologists for Social Responsibility and of the first Teach-in.

The author wishes to acknowledge the assistance of Rebecca Ferencik and Salvador Cumigad in preparing the manuscript.

References listed here.

A letter from our president on being a better ally and agent of change

2 June 2020
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In turning the page to a new fiscal and academic year, we find ourselves at a critical juncture in our nation’s history: a global pandemic, an economic crisis of historic proportions coupled with the ongoing pernicious effects of racism, resulting in more trauma across the country. Indeed, the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery remind us that while some progress has been made over these many generations, there is much hard work that remains in the areas of racial justice and equality.

Our university community recognizes the importance of this present moment both in terms of the continued psychological and sociological effects on our faculty, staff & students; our communities of color; and our nation as a whole. We also recognize the immediate need for both substantial dialogue and action addressing individual and structural racism.

Moving forward, our hope is that as a university grounded in humanistic principles, our faculty, students, and staff will come together to engage in those efforts leading toward greater social progress. All of our future work is informed by the knowledge that nothing can be changed until we face racism and social inequality head on. To accomplish these ends, we’re asking members of our community to consider the following points.

  1. Engaging in Dialogue

As a community, we have shared many conversations that have proven challenging, yet have led to healing and action. I encourage all of us to find opportunities throughout our Saybrook experience and in other dedicated forums to engage, to discuss, to lean on each other for support, and to delve even more deeply into difficult questions that exist around race and social inequality.

2. Taking Part in Individual and Collective Action in Support of Our Communities

If we are to address the deep wounds inflicted not only recently, but by generations of racism and social inequality, we must translate our words into action. What this action looks like will emerge over the coming days, weeks, and months as members of the Saybrook and wider national community engage in dialogue.

In support of this process:

  • Academic departments including Clinical Psychology, Counseling, Leadership and Management, and others have planned sessions beginning this week to meet with community members regarding recent events. We anticipate significant, intense dialogue to occur during these sessions, with the goal of bringing greater clarity to the events happening around our country.
  • Our faculty are in the process of compiling a number of materials including but not limited to readings, multimedia, community-based and trauma-informed care organizations, anti-racist and anti-bias education tools, and national advocacy groups dedicated to advancing racial and social justice. Several of these items, provided by our Clinical Psychology and Counseling faculty, are located at the end of this article for your reference/perusal. I have already begun listening to and watching several of the podcasts/videos and I urge you to do the same.
  • We have expedited partnership meetings with key local groups including the Los Angeles chapter of the NAACP to explore ways in which our university community can be of service both regionally and nationally
  • We encourage our talented scholar-practitioners to share how your work might be directed towards making a positive difference in and among the communities we serve.
  • We invite each of you to offer your own insights as to how Saybrook can effectively promote meaningful, long-lasting, positive social change, especially where racial justice is concerned. We believe that our programmatic offerings are one way among those identified above, to support the necessary social change so vital to moving us forward.

I would ask that if you’re inclined, please share resources that are meaningful to you so that we may highlight these critical resources to our university and the larger community. Feel free to email me directly at [email protected].

In conclusion, let us bond together in community and in mutual respect for one another. Let us hold each other up while actively and authentically addressing the hard realities of racism. If we are to advance as a society, it begins here with each of us recognizing that progress necessitates dialogue and action.

James Baldwin’s words hold as much power as they did many years ago when he stated that “…not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

Clinical Psychology Resources

Podcasts

  1. Code Switch: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch
  2. TWIB (this week in blackness): https://api.prod.stitcher.com/sunset/show/this-week-in-blackness-radio-twibradio
  3. Teaching Hard History Podcast: https://www.learningforjustice.org/podcasts/teaching-hard-history/american-slavery
  4. Seeing White: http://podcast.cdsporch.org/seeing-white/

Videos

  1. Tim Wise: On White Privilege. Posted 2/19/2008. Retrieved 2/9/18. Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3Xe1kX7Wsc&feature=related
  2. Life of Privilege Explained in a $100 Race – Please Watch to the End Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K5fbQ1-zps

Books & Readings

  1. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Michelle Alexander (2012)
  2. White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, Robin DiAngelo (2018)
  3. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Strategies for Facilitating Conversations on Race, Caprice Hollins and Ilsa Govan (2015)
  4. Race Talk and the Conspiracy of Silence: Understanding and Facilitating Difficult Dialogues on Race, W. Sue (2016)
  5. Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, Ibram X. Kendi (2016)
  6. So You Want to Talk About Race? Ijeoma Oluo (2019)
  7. It’s time to talk (and listen): How to have constructive conversations about race, class, sexuality, ability & gender in a polarized world. New Harbinger Publications. Kim, A.S., & del Prado, A. (2019).
  8. Where we stand: Class matters. New York, NY: Routledge Press. hooks, b. (2000).
  9. The colonizer and the colonized. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. Memmi, A. (1965).
  10. Privilege, power, and difference. McGraw Hill: Boston. Johnson, A. (2006).
  11. Uprooting Racism: How White people can work for racial justice. New Society Publishers: Canada. (2) Kivel, P. (2002).
  12. How does your positionality bias your epistemology? Thoughts & Actions, 19 (1), p. 27 – 38. Takacs, D. (2003).
  13. A different mirror: A history of multicultural America(Revised ed.). New York, NY: Back Bay Books. Takaki, R. (2008).

Department of Counseling Recommended Resources

For everyone working towards racial healing, Toward a Psychological Framework of Radical Healing on Communities of Color: French, B. H., Jioni, A. L., Mosley, D. V., Adames, H. Y., Chanvez- Dueñas, N. Y., Chen, G. A., and Neville, H. A. (2020). Toward a Psychological Framework of Radical Healing in Communities of Color. The Counseling Psychologist, 48 (1), 14-46.

For White folks wondering how to engage check out the article from Embracing Equity: The Role of White Co-Conspirators in Dismantling Systemic Racism

For those engaged in, or moving towards social action, the S-Quad model is helpful in conceptualizing and breaking down the where, how, and with who of social justice engagement:

  • Strength includes reflecting on your strengths and assets including knowledge, skills, and experiences as well as social capital and resources. What do you already do well? What do you enjoy doing? What resources do you have or can access? Ask, “what do you have to offer?”
  • Solidarity is about engaging in with cultural humility and in culturally response ways. How are you building and investing energy in relationships with those most affected? Who’s experience is being centered? Ask, “with whom?”
  • Strategy requires defining and understanding the focus of one’s social action. Consider the different levels of intervention, individual, organizational or
  • Ask, “how can I do this”, or “what will I (we) do?”
  • Sustainability refers both to the sustainability of the strategy as well as your personal investment. For this pillar, work in relationship is crucial in fostering community and resilience. Consider what self-care and community-care actions you need to engage in to maintain your physical, emotional, spiritual, relationship health.

To learn more read the following article or watch the video from Alexander Street video database: Helping Counselors and Psychologists as Advocates and Activists: Strength, Solidarity, Strategy and Sustainability

Toporek, R, L. (2018)). Strength, Solidarity, Strategy and Sustainability: A Counseling Psychologist’s Guide to Social Action. The European Journal of Counselling Psychology, 7(1), 90–110. doi:10.5964/ejcop.v7i1.153

For everyone with children, here is a resource to help you have conversations about race, Talking Race With Young Children

Lastly, we urge everyone to consider your social media production and consumption. Within this think about what you are viewing and what you are posting. Does it contribute to racial healing and justice or does it perpetuate trauma and White supremacy? While the videos of the killings of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery have been helpful in bringing charges, they also are being widely circulated as trauma porn.

To learn more about systemic racism check out these resources: