Due to the changing landscape with COVID-19, Pacific Links Foundation regrettably cancels this year’s Summer Community Health and Social Work Summer Institute for the safety of workshop participants. We hope to see you next year to celebrate the Institute’s 15th year!
Pacific Links Foundation remains committed to sharing the latest practical social work skills in partnership with West Virginia University School of Nursing and An Giang University. See open letter from Drs. Neal & Susan Newfield who has been spearheading this initiative. We are considering possibly offering a limited number of workshops in an abbreviated version online, stay tuned to learn more!
Summer Community Health and Social Work Summer Institute is geared towards participants who are:
- Social workers/ collaborators/ partners of local and international NGOs
- Staff, faculty, students of social work at universities
- Working in social work services
- Interested in social work and public health
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SAMPLE 2019 WORKSHOPS
Each day will start at 8:00am and end at 4:30pm, with a 90 minute lunch break. Please consider the environment before printing. Bring the materials with you to the workshops on your laptop/smart phone.
WORKSHOP 1: Intimate Partner Violence/Domestic Violence Counseling (May 20-22) – Ms. Hanh Thi To, MA
Participants will examine physical, social, and financial abuse, learning the forms of emotional and verbal abuse which can occur in intimate partner relationships such as marriage. Early warning signs of abuse, strategies used by abusers to keep survivors from leaving, the cycle of violence and how to break the cycle will be examined. How to assess the prognosis for change in these relationships will be presented. Risk Assessment, Physical and Emotional Safety Plans, Drama Triangles in Relationships, Empowerment Dynamic Triangles and other strategies will be presented that are useful in intervening in abusive situations. Time will be provided for practicing these approaches.
Ms. Hanh Thi To, MA. Hanh has a Master of Arts Degree in Psychology from the Hanoi University of Social sciences and Humanities. She has 10 plus years of experience counselling survivors of sexual abuse, human trafficking, domestic violence. Hanh was counselling mentor for Flinders University, project of Capacity building for Vietnam on Gender based violence intervention. Currently Hanh is a trainer, facilitator, and psychologist working for Hagar International in Vietnam and is a team leader when it comes to Trauma-Informed Care.
WORKSHOP 2: Solution Focused Therapy Made Simple (May 23) – Dr. Neal Newfield, PhD, LICSW, ACSW
Solution Focused Therapy (SFT) questions for change will be presented in this introductory workshop. Time will be spent examining exception questions that detail time when the problem does not happen, miracle questions, scaling questions, relationship questions, and other forms of questioning. In addition to examining different forms of questioning, participants will learn how to build relationship that put the client as the leader in the change that occurs. Guidelines for setting goals that tap into the clients’ desire for change will be examined. Instruction will be through Power Points, demonstration interviews, and brief practice periods between the participants.
Dr. Neal Newfield, PhD, LICSW, ACSW. Neal is an Associate Professor of Social Work at West Virginia University. He teaches courses in individual, marital and family therapy. Neal is a Clinical Member and Approved Supervisor for the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. He is also a team supervisor with the Quin Curtis Center for Psychology Training, Service, and Research at West Virginia University. His publications range from research to practice.
WORKSHOP 3: Moving People Past Ambivalence: The Motivational Interviewing Approach (May 24) – Dr. Susan Newfield, RN, PhD, PMHCNS-BC
Often people feel stuck and have difficulty deciding to move past a problem to a solution. This workshop focuses on a research informed approach for moving individuals past their ambivalence to change to a decision to make changes in their life. Participants will be introduced to the theory and practice of motivational interviewing. Opportunities will be provided for participants to practice the skills presented and to discuss how this information would apply to their work in Vietnam.
Dr. Susan Newfield, RN, PhD, PMHCNS-BC. Susan is an Associate Professor, Chairperson of the Family/Community Health Department, for the West Virginia University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing. She is a family therapist and teaches courses in individual and family mental health care. She is a Clinical Member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and has a regular practice working with adolescents.
WORKSHOP 4: Techniques for Treating Trauma (May 27-29) – Mr. James Keim, MSW, LCSW
Attendees will learn five tools that therapists can easily use for treating trauma. These include the Rewind Technique, collaborative structuring of therapy, understanding and working with defense tools that block processing, changing life stories, and advanced listening techniques. This workshop will be helpful to the beginner or experienced therapist.
Mr. James Keim, MSW, LCSW. James was an Adjunct Faculty Member with the School of Social Work at West Virginia University and Director of the Southeast Asia Children’s Project, a group focused on the prevention of child trafficking and the treatment of its victims. He is co-author of the book, The Violence of Men, and a contributor to other texts on therapy with children and families. He is a Fulbright Specialist who completed his service in Vietnam and has taught workshops internationally on trauma therapy.
WORKSHOP 5: Creating Theater for Change (May 30-31) – Ms. Nhina Le Keim, MSc
Traditional theatre sustains the dichotomy of actors who perform a play versus audience who watch it. However, non-traditional theatre disrupts this false dichotomy as it enables participants to become active learners and “spect-actors” who watch, explore, and act to create change. This two day workshop will use theatre of the oppressed and playback theatre to explore the powerful practices of embodiment and collaborative problem posing and solving. Our techniques will include: de-mechanization/ dishabituation, dynamization, image theatre, forum theatre, and rainbow of desire.
Ms. Nhina Le Keim, MSc. Nhina’s specialization is peace, conflict resolution, and strategic studies. She has studied and practiced theatre of the oppressed and playback theatre for more than six years. Nhina, currently works in financial services in California. Previously she was a Southeast Asia policy analyst at various think tanks, universities, and non-governmental organizations in Washington, D.C., California, and Singapore. Nhina has also taught English at the High School for the Gifted and College of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City.
WORKSHOP 6*: No Room for Heroes the First 24 Hours (June 3-5) – Ms. Victoria Mellor, MS, MIL
This workshop includes sessions in which participants will have the opportunity to engage in exercises and group activities useful in working with victims of human trafficking during rescue and the first 24 hours. Participants will gain an understanding of rescue and the mobilization of victims, consider the multitude of victim responses that emerge during rescue, and learn how to balance intelligence gathering and evidence collection with the need to support victims.
Ms. Victoria Mellor, MS, MIL. Victoria specializes in the intersection of the disciplines of health sciences, psychology, and security and defense. She has lived and worked in over 26 countries including Eastern Europe, India, Africa and South-East Asia, and is an advisor on multicultural and global strategy and communications, as well as joint agency operations, and holds board and policy advisory positions. Previously the editor for the Journal of Counterterrorism, Victoria has also worked in threat intelligence management. Victoria is a senior research fellow at FEDI, providing research and advice on evidence based policy. She has been a trainer and educator for more than ten years.
WORKSHOP 7*: School violence – Comprehensive prevention and intervention program (June 3-5) – Dr. Phuong Nguyen Le, PhD
Over the course of 3 days, participants will learn more about the nature, form, and causes of school violence. This course will identify the elements and requirements of an effective school violence prevention and intervention program and the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders, including school administrators, educators, staff, students, parents and community members. In addition, attendees will learn about basic skills in proactively preventing school violence and organizing an evaluation plan to measure the success of the program.
Dr. Phuong Nguyen Le, PhD is a school psychologist providing assessment, intervention, consultation and counseling services. Previously, he was an Adjunct Faculty in School Psychology at California State University, Long Beach and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in School Psychology at Chapman University. Currently, Phuong is working in Vietnam as a school psychology trainer for VinSchool, a private educational conglomerate. He also mentors faculty at the Hanoi National University of Education in their first graduate program in School Psychology. Phuong has authored two best-selling Vietnamese language parenting books, “Day Con Trong Hoang Mang” (Raising Children in Confusion). This book was awarded the 2018 Best Book of the Year in the Education Category by a national consortium of non-profit organizations and independent scholars in Vietnam.