This past Wednesday, SSA welcomed four practitioners from internationally-focused social service agencies to speak at a panel for the ISW program.  These participants included Scott Portman (Heartland Alliance International), Sarah Aulie (Catholic Charities’ Refugee Resettlement Program), Marianne Joyce (Marjorie Kovler Center for Survivors of Torture), and Diego Rodriguez Mendieta (Heartland Alliance’s Colombia Program).  The panel discussed the nature of their work, their organizations’ mission, and what the field of International Social Work looks like today.  This larger conversation dealt with larger themes of globalization (the good and the bad) and the intersection of local intervention with macro-level change strategies. 

Marianne Joyce and Diego Rodriguez Mendieta gave powerful testimony on the importance of trauma-informed counseling with individuals.  Marianne, with the Marjorie Kovler Center, has worked with survivors of torture who are seeking or who have been granted asylum in the United States, which requires not only individual counseling sessions but also larger advocacy work on the part of refugee communities.  Diego works with communities in Colombia to develop and implement culturally appropriate mental health services for victims of torture and displacement with the assistance of Heartland Alliance.  This program seeks to both improve the individual lives of survivors and to equip communities for (re)development in conflict-torn areas.  Heartland Alliance International hopes to build sustainable mental health programs in partnership with indigenous organizations and the government, so as to ensure that the effects of mental health intervention will be long-lasting and beneficial to these communities.   Scott, who is a program director at Heartland Alliance International, also described a similar program in Iraq. 

Heartland Alliance International clearly integrates the four perspectives of international social work practice as outlined by David Cox and Manohar Pawar (2006):  global, human rights, ecological, and social development.  The organization’s work is also a testament to the complexity of globalization ethics:  without the capacity of information and resource exchange that globalization can bring, trauma-informed treatment with refugees and international communities would be difficult if not impossible.  Best practices can be utilized in a variety of settings with diverse populations, and experience of practitioners in these cross-cultural settings better informs the development and evolution of practices here in the United States.  These programs are also being used to inform policy in Colombia, Iraq, and at home, emphasizing the need for macro-level focus in successful intervention strategies.  This integration was reinforced as the panelists were asked what they look for in applicants:  broad-based skill development, policy literacy, the ability to contextualize practice, adaptability, and a willingness to wrestle with ethical dilemmas.

As internationally-focused social workers, we are challenged to “glocalize” our practice—to adapt it to the specific contexts in which we serve so that our clients can reap the fullest benefits of intervention.  Heartland Alliance has glocalized trauma-informed practice, and has developed it into a multi-level intervention.  Glocal social work practice includes a willingness to wrestle with ethical dilemmas and to live in the tension between colonialism and grassroots development.  Yes, the West has a wealth of resources and theoretical frameworks to guide personal and community development all over the world, which we must contribute.  However, we must also enter the field with open minds so that we can also benefit from the global informational exchange.

You can read more about Heartland Alliance International, The Marjorie Kovler Center, and Catholic Charities' Refugee Resettlement Program.