The JMSW program is a multi-cultural clinical program designed to prepare students for practice with diverse populations.  The program is a joint program between the University of North Carolina Greensboro and North Carolina A&T University, an historically black college/university (HBCU).  This collaboration sets the program apart from other social work programs because it both inhabits a multicultural academic space as well as teaches students to think and practice with multiculturalism in mind.

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     From the beginning, the program includes classes on Diversity, Oppression, & Social Justice. Even classes not specifically dedicated to issues of multiculturalism include as part of each assignment reflections on how to apply the material using a multicultural lens. From public policy, to foundational issues of clinical work with individuals and groups, to research methods & design analysis, & diagnosing & treatment interventions, the JMSW program challenges and encourages students to consider how to build a multicultural clinical practice that addresses the needs of marginalized groups & economic, health & societal disparities that exist for these populations.  Some of this work includes:

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• Values: Reflecting on our own values & the influence they have on how we work with clients is a beneficial way to understand how we bring ourselves into our practice.  Prior to learning how to work with and for others, we examined our own value system & the ways in which it may help or hinder our clinical work. This was my first assignment in the program and it helped clarify some of my current beliefs; where they came from, & why I think the way I do.​

 

• Cycle of Socialization: This concept involves taking personal inventory of the social identities we inhabit and how those identities intersect with oppression. Throughout our lives we are taught through various systems "how to be" (Harm & Marianne, 2000).  As part of our foundational work in the program, we explore our own ethnic & cultural identity.  For the longest time, I considered my cultural heritage an afterthought, something that wasn't a big focus in my life or my history.  This program challenged my notion of cultural identity & provided a new perspective on what culture is.  From that framework I was able to reflect on all the different ways culture has shaped my life and worldview.  Being able to recognize the more nuanced ways culture plays a role in my own life helps me be more cognizant of how culture plays a role in others' lives.  Part of the Cycle of Socialization is reflecting on our personal biases and how they may impact our practice.  This reflection on our own biases affords us the opportunity to work to overcome them in order to build a more positive therapeutic alliance with those we serve.  Included is my Cycle of Socialization examination which reflects on ways I have been discriminated against, and how I may have discriminated against others, including an eye opening realization of how I was unconsciously perceiving certain marginalized groups.

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• Cross-Cultural Communication: Understanding that cultures communicate differently and planning how we will address this in our practice was part of our generalist curriculum.  The population I researched for my cross-cultural presentation was the deaf community and it expanded my idea of what cross-cultural communication means, including the messages we send this population in how we approach their needs in workplaces, educational settings, architectural design, restaurants and public spaces.  The deaf community definitely has its own culture in their system of shared beliefs, behaviors and values.  Digging in to learning about this population has increased my awareness about resources that exist to serve this community, ways I can create 'deaf space' for them in my practice, and an understanding of their history and culture to inform my relationship with clients to improve my engagement with them.

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• History & Policy: Understanding the history of social work policy and its implications for marginalized groups, as well as a critical analysis of policy & its effect on the populations we serve is a crucial part of social work.  I chose to research hospice and the ways in which hospice serves those in need. What I found is that there are disparities in hospice use relative to race. Differences in culture (i.e. how certain cultures care for their elderly and dying), plays a role in hospice use.  Hospice use by low-income populations has barriers as well, range of services is an issue, as is location. Hospices are typically located in "economically stable communities" (Mahoney, et al, 2008). I have a significant interest in the role of hospice in our lives and value what it does for families and those in need of end of life care. To learn that lower income families and certain racial minorities are not comfortable using it or have barriers to service has made me a hospice advocate and soon-to-be volunteer in order to help make hospice services more accessible and a viable option for those who currently have concerns about using its services.

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• Theory: Researching the theories & frameworks that shape how we view clients' need states & how culture can influence treatment is integral to social work. One of the best classes I've taken in the program is Social Work & Social Justice. Reading about & discussing the issue of oppression across race, class, religion, gender, sexuality, ability, & age, were some of the most informative and challenging conversations I've ever had.  Our diverse cohort dug deep in those classes, confronted each other, and encouraged each other to confront ourselves about our privilege and how those of us with privilege could speak up for those with less.  Through a social justice lens I presented on Classism and did several exercises with the group designed to get us talking about perceptions of class.  We discussed the five faces of oppression and the intersectionality of class with race, and other marginalized identities.  Each of us presented on an different marginalized group, so while I presented on one group experiencing social justice issues, I was able to participate in rich discussions around all of the above identities. This deepened my passion for social justice work, and broadened my awareness about my own reactions (i.e. white guilt/fragility/saviorism), while expanding my ability to have tough conversations with others and challenge injustice. 

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• Research: Critically analyzing research methodology and looking for ways to make research more inclusive, plus developing research designs that are accessible and inclusive ourselves was part of our work in the program. Reading journal articles through a critical lens to see where the study could have been more inclusive, evaluating how the researchers approached ethics & diversity issues, and why it matters to have scientific studies done on marginalized groups were all part of our discussions & written work.

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• Advocacy: Creating an advocacy workshop in the community that addresses a current social justice need was a big part of the work I did that improved my multicultural competency.  Our group chose the school-to-prison pipeline.  We designed an advocacy workshop for educators & administrators to create more awareness of what the pipeline is, who it affects, statistics around how it impacts children's lives long term, and recommendations for revised policies & programs to alleviate this social injustice for our black & brown youth.  The goal of the workshop was to help school systems think about better ways to address behavior issues in schools, ways that have been shown to improve graduation rates, test scores, college attendance, and decrease suspensions, fights, and office referrals.  As someone who knew only the basics of what the school to prison pipeline was prior to this assignment, it was a significant learning for me to see how disproportionately this issue affects children of black and Latinx backgrounds and allowed me to enter into this broader conversation with data in my corner.

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• Analysis: Part of my work around social justice was to analyze the agency where I interned and critically evaluate its services, policies, ways it dealt with diverse clients, etc. While I loved the agency where I interned my generalist year, evaluating it through a critical lens was a useful exercise.  A significant percentage of the clients are from marginalized backgrounds and are in skilled nursing communities.  The condition of some of those facilities left me stunned, especially those client of low income and vulnerable populations. I concluded that more advocacy was needed on behalf of those clients for their day to day quality of life care. My evaluation was largely positive, noting that the Executive Director was a social worker with the education and experience to consider a client's cultural background when making decisions about their care. While the agency was staffed with experienced, knowledgeable, & compassionate people, the lack of diversity on the staff was noteworthy, and though they provided high level care to clients, it's not to difficult to surmise that more diverse staff members would provide broader points of view and potentially more innovative solutions (as research suggests) in agencies with more diversity.

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• Mental & Behavioral Health Among Diverse Populations: Marginalized populations are oppressed in every area of their life: socially, economically, culturally, educationally, politically & in policy decisions, etc.  When you add the intersection of mental health disorders to the mix, the discrimination, stigma, and oppression becomes magnified. The systemic racism that exists in society can follow these clients into the medical system, where they receive sub-par treatment, have reduced access and face larger obstacles to obtain treatment, come up against medical personnel with preconceived notions & prejudices, have to deal with policies that prevent coverage of certain medical needs, there are even specific disorders that are diagnosed more with marginalized populations (see ODD with black and brown youth). This knowledge requires us to work toward more medical equity for our clients who are both struggling with mental health disorders and from vulnerable populations. Advocating for improved care in low income neighborhoods, working with medical personnel from those communities to develop solutions for barriers to services. As clinicians we should be accepting Medicaid or offering sliding scale services to those in need while speaking up for these clients with legislators, and other agencies where care could be provided. 

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• Field Experience: The foundation of this program is field study.  Each week we spent on average 20 hours at an assigned community agency that gave us practical, hands-on experience with diverse clients.  During my program of study I was able to work with clients ranging from 17-101 years old, from diverse racial backgrounds, religious backgrounds, sexual orientations, gender identities, socio-economic status, & cognitive & physical abilities. Each week I was able to put into practice with these clients the advocacy and clinical skills necessary to serve this diverse constellation of clients & gain valuable experience that carries forward into my current practice.

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