Animal Assisted Therapy Recommended for Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice

David Cesarini • January 6, 2017

Animal Assisted Therapy Recommended for Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice“…therapy doesn’t have to look like a desk, or, you know, an office. Therapy can be in a barn.”Some of the practice benefits of other-than-human animals: they are non-judgemental and accepting; they shift the binary power relationship between practitioner and service user; and the lived experience of rescue dogs mirrored the experience of people without shelter.The author cites a wide variety of therapeutic benefits of animal-assisted interventions on loneliness, socialising, motivation, physiology and mood.The Role of Animal-Assisted Interventions in Anti-Oppressive Social Work PracticeLegge, Melissa Marie. The Role of Animal-Assisted Interventions in Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice. British Journal of Social Work: Vol. 46 Issue 7 – 2016

Animal Assisted Therapy Recommended for Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice

“…therapy doesn’t have to look like a desk, or, you know, an office. Therapy can be in a barn.”

Some of the practice benefits of other-than-human animals: they are non-judgemental and accepting; they shift the binary power relationship between practitioner and service user; and the lived experience of rescue dogs mirrored the experience of people without shelter.

The author cites a wide variety of therapeutic benefits of animal-assisted interventions on loneliness, socialising, motivation, physiology and mood.

Legge, Melissa Marie. The Role of Animal-Assisted Interventions in Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice. British Journal of Social Work: Vol. 46 Issue 7 – 2016

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Crazy Ex-Girlfriend violates boundaries, stumbles into self-discovery

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Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is show that embraces that rare combination of irreverence, fallibility and acceptance. But more importantly, the show bravely depicts the complexities and challenges of fostering and sustaining our own mental health . The main character, Rebecca Bunch, sings and dances her way through some questionable life decisions and some serious negative consequences. But, in a way, she teaches us the process of change and adaptation we all might encounter from time-to-time. In so doing, she enhances our own empathy for mental illness and our mental health literacy .

Antidepressant withdrawal complicates prescribing

By David Cesarini • July 18, 2018
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Exercise for depression shows benefits

By David Cesarini • July 17, 2018
In a high grade meta-analysis, research results indicate that exercise results in small to moderate improvements in depression. They examined the effect on scores rated using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Using one technique to sort the data, the reduction in depression scores associated with exercise, compared to control, was equivalent to 5 BDI points. Using a more restrictive technique to gauge the effect, the results showed no association with improvements. As noted in the research, current practice guidelines recommend structured exercise, 3 times a week for 10 to 14 weeks, for treatment of mild to moderate depression.

Bloom’s Taxonomy

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A Critical Examination of CBT in Clinical Social Work Practice

By David Cesarini • June 12, 2017
In the June 2017 issue of Clinical Social Work Journal, Brian Rasmussen, reviews the dominance and weakness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).The review points out a number of pros and cons of CBT, and an especially compelling argument is made for clinicians to reflect on how they might learn, practice, and aim for, a contextually conscientious application of clinical social work interventions:Western cultural norms of hyper-individualism lay the ground-work for theories and treatments that locate mental health problems in the conscious, rational mind of the person, often decontextualize from his or her social surround.*”Hot cross buns” in CBT refers to the cross-sectional model of elements affecting our perception of a situation: thoughts, mood, action, and physiological sensations.
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