Learning the power of Vedic Scientific Principles and |
| The U.S. Society for Spirituality and Social Work (SSSW) and the Canadian Society for Spirituality and Social Work (CSSSW) are collaborating to bring you the first of a series of virtual lunch and learn conversations! We welcome you to join us for a discussion on Integrating Spirituality and Culture in Social Work Practice. Our speakers for the day include: Dr. Diana Franco, Dr. Maribel Lopez, Dr. Heather M Boynton, and Emma De Vynck, MSW Student. Drs. Diana Franco & Maribel Lopez's Presentation Topic: Spirituality, Diversity, and Culturally Responsive Social Work Practice Dr. Heather M Boynton & Emma De Vynck's Presentation Topic: Spiritual and Cultural Attunement in Social Work Practice. | |
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| Meet our Presenters: Dr. Heather M. Boynton Assistant Professor of Social Work, University of Calgary-Edmonton Campus has worked in mental health for 30+ years as a Child and Family Therapist, Mental Health Consultant, and Manger in Adult Services. Her research and teaching interests include spirituality, trauma, grief and loss, posttraumatic growth, child and family mental health, integrative and holistic practices, and interprofessional collaboration and education. She is an adjunct professor in Kinesiology at Lakehead University, Faculty at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and a Member of the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute. Dr. Indrani Margolin Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Northern British Columbia. Her research and teaching interests include: Consciousness & Mahavakyam Meditation, Holistic Therapeutic Practice (body, mind, spirit), Girls’ and Women’s Wellness (Bodyself), Arts-based Research, and Social Worker and Student Self-Care. Dr. Indrani serves on the Northern FIRE (Feminist Institute for Research & Evaluation) Leadership Team at UNBC and the Canadian Society for Spirituality & Social Work. | |
Hello all CSSSW members. We are pleased to present to you our second quarterly newsletter since we’ve relaunched the society in the autumn! A lot has happened since; our newsletter has been one of the many projects we hope to firmly establish.
(please see the call for newsletter committee members here).
In this newsletter you will find meditations, upcoming event dates and information, opportunities for volunteer involvement, and more.
Please click in the newsletter image below to read the PDF of the full SPRING newsletter.
(please see the call for newsletter committee members here).
In this newsletter you will find meditations, upcoming event dates and information, opportunities for volunteer involvement, and more.
Please click in the newsletter image below to read the PDF of the full SPRING newsletter.
CSSSW NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE
| Are you interested in helping us create our quarterly newsletters? Come join our Administrative Assistant, Dani Sherwood, in preparing these newsletters! They would be very grateful for the extra support! The time commitment would be about 10 hours (or less) per season. If you would like to help CSSSW make our Summer 2022 Newsletter the best one yet, please fill out the CSSSW Newsletter Committee Volunteer Sign-Up |  |
CSSSW SPRING 2023 CONFERENCE COMMITTEES
| Do you reside in Canada and have an interest in joining one of our Conference Planning Committees? If so, please let us know by filling out this CSSSW Conference Committees Volunteer Sign-Up Form. We are seeking individuals to join a host of sub-committees such as sponsorships and fundraising; hospitality; keynotes; and special edition journal to name a few. We are deeply grateful for your support! Please feel free to spread the word amongst your networks to anyone else who may be interested in joining our conference committee! |  |
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Yoga for Mental Health event, facilitated by Lucille Villaseñor-Caron (MSW, RSW, E-RYT, AWP), from Happiness & Wellness Therapy.
Lucille is a Registered Social Worker Psychotherapist, Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (CYA-E-RYT 500+), and an Ayurvedic Wellness Practitioner who is interested in the overall well-being and harmonious interconnectedness of all that exists.
The event was lovely, with a balance between education on yoga for happiness, and the eight limbs of yoga, as well as the immersive experience of relaxation Yoga Nidra exercise. For those who attended, we welcome you to complete the feedback form for the event (your feedback is important to us it helps us to strengthen our offerings).
Lucille has graciously shared with us a 46-minute recording she prepared of a guided Yoga Nidra meditation, available to you. We invite you to take a break for your mental health and wellness, to connect and honour your spiritual being. You deserve it!
If you wish to download this recording yourself, you can also access the recording via Google Drive by clicking here.
Lucille is a Registered Social Worker Psychotherapist, Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (CYA-E-RYT 500+), and an Ayurvedic Wellness Practitioner who is interested in the overall well-being and harmonious interconnectedness of all that exists.
The event was lovely, with a balance between education on yoga for happiness, and the eight limbs of yoga, as well as the immersive experience of relaxation Yoga Nidra exercise. For those who attended, we welcome you to complete the feedback form for the event (your feedback is important to us it helps us to strengthen our offerings).
Lucille has graciously shared with us a 46-minute recording she prepared of a guided Yoga Nidra meditation, available to you. We invite you to take a break for your mental health and wellness, to connect and honour your spiritual being. You deserve it!
If you wish to download this recording yourself, you can also access the recording via Google Drive by clicking here.
Poster Art Call for Participation
About the Project
Understanding Social Work Leadership in Canada (USWLC) is a research study that captures and preserves the oral histories of social workers who have made notable contributions to social work practice and social justice.
The study includes analyzing video recordings of 56 historical oral histories created in 1983/84, together with 50 contemporary oral histories (yet to be recorded), in order to develop a model of leadership for social work in Canada.
The original project includes interviews with 56 social workers from across Canada who practiced from about 1920 to about 1983. These social workers were pioneers in social welfare and social policy in Canada, and established many of the services that we enjoy today. The contemporary oral histories are designed to reflect the leadership experiences of recently retired/retiring social workers with concerns for issues of diversity and inclusion, issues related to identity politics, and anti-oppressive practices.
Understanding Social Work Leadership in Canada (USWLC) is a research study that captures and preserves the oral histories of social workers who have made notable contributions to social work practice and social justice.
The study includes analyzing video recordings of 56 historical oral histories created in 1983/84, together with 50 contemporary oral histories (yet to be recorded), in order to develop a model of leadership for social work in Canada.
The original project includes interviews with 56 social workers from across Canada who practiced from about 1920 to about 1983. These social workers were pioneers in social welfare and social policy in Canada, and established many of the services that we enjoy today. The contemporary oral histories are designed to reflect the leadership experiences of recently retired/retiring social workers with concerns for issues of diversity and inclusion, issues related to identity politics, and anti-oppressive practices.
We want to hear from you! We invite you to respond to the following three-question (1-minute) survey on some proposed upcoming events. Your voice is important to us, and we want to ensure that we plan and host events that capture your interests and meet your needs!
SEASON'S GREETINGS - Greetings CSSSW members. We are pleased to present to you our very first newsletter since the relaunch of the society! Here, you will find the latest news regarding initiatives, meditations, conference dates, a call for proposals, opportunities for volunteer involvement and feedback, information about events we are planning, and more.
Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year, Chinese New Year, or any other religious or spiritual holidays during the winter season, we are wishing you all a very peaceful and joyous season!
Please click in the newsletter image below to read the PDF of the full WINTER newsletter
Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year, Chinese New Year, or any other religious or spiritual holidays during the winter season, we are wishing you all a very peaceful and joyous season!
Please click in the newsletter image below to read the PDF of the full WINTER newsletter
Find a quiet and private space. Sit quietly for the next few minutes and focus on relaxing your body and quieting your mind. Take time to centre yourself and ground to the space and prepare for a time of meditative reflection. If you feel comfortable you can close your eyes if you haven’t already. Take a few deep breaths, let go of any residual thoughts about yesterday, today or the future, relax your mind, let go of any tension. Allow your awareness to move inward. With each breath feel yourself moving deeper into the silence within. Take several longer and deeper breaths. Notice the space between your breath.
See if you can connect with your inner self, higher self, or a spiritual energy beyond yourself. Feel gratitude towards this energy. Feel anchored in your body and let yourself settle. Feel yourself as an integral part of a living evolving universe. You are connected, you are safe, secure, and protected.
Reflect upon this quieting time of stillness in nature. This is the time of year when things stand still. The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year. The Sun is standing still in the northern hemisphere. This is a perfect time to go within, to focus on the messages of the soul, to centre oneself and to celebrate the darkness, and to sense its timelessness. There are gifts we can receive in the darkness if we open ourselves to this energy. This is also a good time to hold gratitude.
Take some time to reflect on the past year, and your endeavours, goals, and accomplishments. Hold space for gratitude of things you have already manifested or are in the process of manifesting. Experience the wonderful energy of gratitude and grace for all that you have achieved.
Now prepare to harness the darkness and energy of the winter solstice. You might imagine yourself in an open yet dark space or landscape. Take some time to be in this energy of stillness and to feel its spaciousness. You might even imagine yourself up in the dark sky or in the cosmos. Start to embrace and feel the stillness and the expansiveness of the darkness. Feel the beautiful crispness of it. Celebrate and honour the energy of the solstice, the darkness, the quiet. Be open and receptive to this powerful energy.
See if you can connect with your inner self, higher self, or a spiritual energy beyond yourself. Feel gratitude towards this energy. Feel anchored in your body and let yourself settle. Feel yourself as an integral part of a living evolving universe. You are connected, you are safe, secure, and protected.
Reflect upon this quieting time of stillness in nature. This is the time of year when things stand still. The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year. The Sun is standing still in the northern hemisphere. This is a perfect time to go within, to focus on the messages of the soul, to centre oneself and to celebrate the darkness, and to sense its timelessness. There are gifts we can receive in the darkness if we open ourselves to this energy. This is also a good time to hold gratitude.
Take some time to reflect on the past year, and your endeavours, goals, and accomplishments. Hold space for gratitude of things you have already manifested or are in the process of manifesting. Experience the wonderful energy of gratitude and grace for all that you have achieved.
Now prepare to harness the darkness and energy of the winter solstice. You might imagine yourself in an open yet dark space or landscape. Take some time to be in this energy of stillness and to feel its spaciousness. You might even imagine yourself up in the dark sky or in the cosmos. Start to embrace and feel the stillness and the expansiveness of the darkness. Feel the beautiful crispness of it. Celebrate and honour the energy of the solstice, the darkness, the quiet. Be open and receptive to this powerful energy.
