School of Social Work Feature Profiles of Part-Time Faculty, Alumni and Field Instructors
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Item Open Access School of Social Work Feature Profile with Part-Time Professor Peter Joseph Smyth.(2017-11) Smyth, Peter; Saadi, SalmaOur first profile is with Part-Time Professor Peter Joseph Smyth. Peter Smyth has been an part-time professor with the School of Social Work for thirty years. He has taught a variety courses including: Social Work with Groups, Introduction to Social Work and Social Policy. He believes he makes a difference by devoting his practice to humanistic social work as well. Being aware of, and opposing, the medicalization of human suffering is foundational to Peter’s work, as is his opposition to prejudice and the stereotyping and stigmatizing language we have been socially conditioned to use. This has permeated his approach to teaching and practice. He brings with him thirty-five years of experience in the fields of Mental Health, Rehabilitation, Adult Education and Organizational Consultation. He holds numerous certifications in the various areas of Teamwork, Leadership, Coaching, Communication, and Problem Solving. He is a senior consultant and executive development specialist with EduVision Inc., a consulting and management education firm. As a Lumina Learning practitioner, he is qualified in the administration and facilitation of personal, team, and leadership development. We had the opportunity to ask Peter about his work experience, his commitment to social work and his love for teaching.Item Open Access Feature Profile: Michelle Del Carmen, Field Instructor and President of The Centre for Dreams(2018-01) Del Carmen, Michelle; SAADI, SalmaFeature Profile: Michelle has been a part of The Centre for Dreams family from the very beginning. The need for the program came to light the day her brother John turned 21 and was finished school. Michelle graduated from The University of Windsor with a Bachelor of Social Work in 2000 and has been working in the field of disabilities all her life. As a result of having John as her brother, she has been instrumental in advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities from a very young age. She found her niche working at The Centre for Dreams and is very proud to be associated with such an outstanding organization that truly makes a difference in the lives of adults with a developmental disability. Michelle has been supervising students for sixteen years and York students for eleven years. She is also a long-time member of York University’s School of Social Work Field Education Committee, sitting on the committee for 8 years. The Centre for Dreams is a Markham day program that provides services for adults living with a developmental disability from across York and Durham Region. The Centre for Dreams provides special individuals with educational programs and social skills training with the hopes of integrating them into the community – both independently and confidently.Item Open Access Feature Profile: Elene Lam, Alumni, Field Instructor and Executive Director of of Butterfly (Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network)(2018-04) Lam, Elene; Saadi, SalmaElene Lam is the founder and Executive Director of Butterfly (Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network) and the Migrant Sex Workers Project. She has been involved in both the gender and sex work movements, as well as migrant and labour activism for almost 20 years. She has conducted training and presentations to community members, services providers and policy markers on sex work, migration, anti-oppressive practice and human rights in more than 20 countries, including the United States, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Switzerland. She also submitted and presented a brief to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights in Canada and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women of the United Nations in Geneva to advocate for the rights and safety of migrant sex workers. Elene holds a Master of Law, a Bachelor of Law and a Bachelor of Social Work. In 2014, she received a Master of Social Work from York University and is currently doing her PhD in the School of Social Work at McMaster University.Item Open Access Feature Profile - Field Instructor Leyla Didari(2018-07) Didari, Leyla; Saadi, SalmaLeyla Didari is a Registered Social Worker (RSW) with two Master of Social Work (MSW) degrees from Iran and Canada. She currently works as a social worker at Compass ACT Team at Michael Garron Hospital with adults with chronic mental health issues. She is using an eclectic approach tailored to the unique needs of each client. Leyla has over 16 years of experience in a variety of settings and with diverse clients, including both patients with physical and/or mental health issues. Leyla is always challenging herself. She went through so many changes in her life, such as changing her career from nursing to social work, immigrating to Canada and starting over, learning a new language and going through various academic programs in her new country, such as IESW (International Educated Social Worker) Program at Ryerson University, as well as MSW Program at the University of Windsor, while working full time. She is continuously seeking to gain more skills and broaden her education. For instance, Leyla has spent many hours of training to become a WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) facilitator and a certified Auricular Acupuncture Specialist. Leyla tries to provide an environment of compassion and support to help her clients and families overcome obstacles to move forward and thrive. This is what Leyla had to say about her experience working as a social worker in Canada and supervising York University social work students.Item Open Access Feature Profile: PhD Social Work Alumna Nimo Bokore(2018-08) Bokore, Nimo; Saadi, SalmaAs part of our Feature Profile series, the School of Social Work interviewed PhD Social Work Alumna Nimo Bokore. Nimo completed her PhD at the School of Social Work at York University and currently teaches at the School of Social Work at Carleton University. In this interview Nimo discusses studying at York, her research and teaching at Carleton.Item Open Access Feature Profile - CUPE Faculty and Former Alum William Woolrich(2018-09) Woolrich, William; Saadi, SalmaWilliam Woolrich has several years of experience working in direct practice as a social worker on a forensic mental health team and then managing a supportive housing program. He also has over a decade of experience teaching social work, much of it online, and has several conference presentations exploring innovative teaching methods in post-secondary education. He has a MSW from York University’s School of Social Work and is now a Doctoral Candidate in the Faculty of Education at York University where he is focusing on teaching and learning in higher education and, in particular, examining critical approaches to pedagogy for students considering a career in social service administration. Most recently, he has accepted a full-time faculty position at George Brown College where he teaches in the Community Worker Program. In this interview, William discusses his passion for teaching, his social work field experience and the CUPE 3903 strike.Item Open Access Feature Profile - Social Work Alumna Sonya Bourgeois(2018-10) Bourgeois, Sonya; Saadi, SalmaSonya Bourgeois completed her Master's of Social Work at York University, and is currently a policy professional with the Ontario Public Service. She has led projects in the areas of violence against women, health policy, community and social service delivery, and gender-based policy and program development. She has published in the areas of women and HIV, and access to abortion in Canada. Early in her career, she worked as a fundraising professional in the areas of human rights, mental health, and community development. She is a former staff of the Redwood Shelter and currently a member of their Board of Directors.Item Open Access Feature Profile - Part-Time Faculty and Alumnus Brenton Diaz(2018-11) Diaz, Brenton; Saadi, SalmaBrenton Diaz received both his BSW and MSW at York University, as well as receiving a BA in Social Development Studies at the University of Waterloo. While studying for his MSW, his Practice-Based Research Paper analyzed the services provided to Mexican Migrant Farm Workers in Canada and was awarded the Gerry Erickson Prize for Best Paper. He currently teaches several courses in the School of Social Work at York University, and has also taught at Lakehead University and Georgian College, as well as in several post-secondary institutions in Lithuania, Kenya and the Ukraine. He works as the Clinical Coordinator of the Adult Program at Cedar Centre, an agency based in York Region that works with people who have experienced interpersonal trauma as children (his position at Cedar Centre began as a BSW placement, arranged by York when his original placement fell through). Brenton has also consulted with local agencies and community leaders on violence and trauma in Malawi, Dominican Republic and Rwanda.Item Open Access Feature Profile: Field Instructor Kristen Lwin(2019) Lwin, Kristen; Saadi, SalmaKristen is serving as the Executive Director of Practice and Research Together, a national non-profit knowledge translation organization for child welfare. Kristen has led the development of a curriculum focused on promoting research evidence use in child welfare. Kristen has over twenty years of clinical experience with victims of crime and in the child welfare system and child welfare research and evaluation. Kristen's research is focused on how child welfare worker and organizational factors effect service user outcomes. Kristen has a Doctorate in social work from the University of Toronto.