Social work plays an important role in the interdisciplinary treatment that is offered at CAMH. On Social Work Day, we spoke with three social workers who shared their reflections as integral team members responsible for the healing and recovery of our clients
Harriet Eastman, Social Worker,Early Intervention Clinic, Mood and Anxiety Service and Mood and Anxiety Urgent Care Clinic. CAMH employee for 12 years
Working in a number of community-based agencies and community hospitals prior to coming to CAMH allowed me to appreciate the depth and breadth of the work that’s done here as a tertiary care centre. I work in a multi-disciplinary team along with occupational therapists, nurses and psychiatrists, acting as a resource in the bread and butter social work domains: social assistance, housing, employment insurance, crisis services and community supports, doing individual and group work using various modalities. As in many teams at CAMH, I am also responsible for family support and psychoeducation.
Social workers at CAMH are nimble and versatile in the way that they approach client care. There truly is no ‘box’ as we work to promote our clients’ recovery.Social workers offer more than a broad skill set, providing a client-centred approach to care.
My work in the Early Intervention Clinic serves young people who have had a first episode of psychosis in the context of a mood disorder. Typically this is a hugely distressing time in the lives of the clients and their families. Families often are ‘walking on eggshells’ as they relate to their loved one with a new diagnosis. It can be challenging to engage the family in the process of re-establishing their relationship with the young client after the trauma of a psychotic episode.
I feel privileged to work with my clients, to hear their stories and to learn from them. It’s rewarding to witness clients making gains in their recovery. I recently worked with parents of an 18 year old who had had longstanding difficulty in navigating multiple systems due to socio-economic, cultural and language barriers. Over many months, with the aid of various interpreters, I was able to engage with the parents and both help them heal and regain trust in helping professionals.
I am pleased by the increasing recognition at CAMH of the importance of family involvement and support in the client’s circle of care, and I look forward to a continuing role in the promotion of the family perspective at CAMH.
Suraya Faziluddin, Social Worker, Complex Mental Illness Program, Forensic Division. CAMH employee for 15 years
As a Social Worker at CAMH in my current role I primarily conduct Psychosocial Assessments of individuals who have been referred to us by the court. I also co-facilitate treatment groups, am a field instructor to MSW students, and am involved in a research project within the program.
Our work as Social Workers is grounded in the enhancement of the social determinants of health, building on peoples’ strengths, and joining with others to create positive change.
I first came to CAMH as a student, very shortly after the merger. I was drawn to CAMH for the learning and practice opportunities, and for the sense of community I felt here. On top of that, I also appreciate the variety of roles within my job.
Social Work operates from a collaborative stance and seeks to open conversations with people. We have knowledge of community resources, as well as the skills to help people discover their strengths and to challenge inequities.
You’ll find Social Workers on teams throughout CAMH, working to help everything run smoothly – to help problem solve obstacles to client and team needs; to develop responsive and innovative programming; to research and evaluate how we’re doing; and to share our enthusiasm for collaborative practice.
Jennifer Le Feuvre, Social Worker, Family Addiction Service, Ambulatory Care and Structured Treatments Program. CAMH employee for over 3 years
I often say that the reason people don’t know what a social worker does is because we “wear many hats”. Depending on the environment the person is working in, the role can look quite different. My role involves working with family members who are concerned about a loved one’s addiction. I provide individual and group counselling for family members as well as education nights to provide information about addiction and concurrent disorders. I also provide family and couple’s counselling.
I am passionate about addictions and concurrent disorders. I really enjoyed my work student placement at CAMH and knew that I wanted to eventually work here. The commitment to addressing addiction within the context of concurrent disorders and CAMH’s harm reduction approach to addiction are two critical pieces that made CAMH an appealing organization to work for in the area of addiction.
Social Workers work from a place of recognizing all of the factors that impact a client — such as housing concerns, unemployment and family conflict. As a result, social workers can be helpful in encouraging clinicians and clients to look at all of these factors, especially when it might be easy to get focused specifically on the mental illness and/or addiction concern.
My primary work is with family members who are concerned about someone’s addiction (and often concurrent mental health concerns). The challenge clients often face is finding ways to support their family member while also ensuring their own self-care. I work with clients to identify their own strengths and determine next steps, and am rewarded when a client remarks that they found talking to me helpful or seeing clients start to make positive changes in their lives.
I am always eager to be involved at CAMH in different initiatives. Recently that was the BPSO (Best Practice Spotlight Organization) initiative. Currently as a Quality Council member for ACST I am involved in preparing for accreditation and I also facilitate Interprofessional Education practicums.