1. By: Jaceson Cole and Allison Holden Clinical Theories and Practice II Spring 2011 AFRICA: A CULTURE OF UBUNTU

2. Ubuntu: "I am what I am because of who we all are." -An Interpretation from Liberian peace activist LeymahGbowee On the following slide, courtesy of YouTube, Nelson Mandela express some further meanings of Ubuntu.

3. Next up Archbishop Desmond Tutu offers his lively interpretation of Ubuntu Do you see how the concept of Ubuntu reflects what we have learned in Clinical II about Mutual Aid?

4. There’s Plenty of Ubuntu to go Around!Especially @ GSSW The spirit of Ubuntu compels us to help one another and there is no shortage of those needing help. The United Nations estimates there are some 22 million refugees and internally displaced people who fall under the agency's concern, of which 6.3 billion are in Africa (Bakari, 2001).

5. African Refugees and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Up to 35% of refugees who flee from areas of political conflict and war experience PTSD. Traumatic events can cause changes in: “affect, behavior, physiological functioning, and mental health” (Lesser & Pope, 2011, p. 411). Image courtesy of: The New York Times

6. Multicultural Perspective and Clinical Skills…Stepping Outside of Yourself “ We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” -Anais Nin Consider the client’s: Ethnicity, social class, and experiences of racism and oppression (Lesser & Pope, 2011, p. 143). Forced Migration and Refugee Status (What is the client’s story or their family’s story? What is the history of his/her native country?) (Lesser & Pope, 2011, pp. 177-178).

7. Clinical Skills Continued… Consider the client’s: Hybrid Identity (i.e. what culture does the client most strongly identify with? What emotions are attached to each cultural identity? In what context does each identity more strongly present?). Gender role shifts post immigration Second Language Acquisition (Do you and the client share enough of the same language to communicate effectively? How did the client learn English? When is his/her native language used?). Acculturation Processes and Coping Styles. Survivor Guilt (Lesser & Pope, 2011, pp. 177-178).

8. Clinical Theories for Working with Clients of African Descent On the following slides, we present two theories social worker may find useful: Narrative Exposure Treatment PyschoEducational Trauma Healing

9. Narrative Exposure Treatment (NET) “NET facilitates both the reconstruction of autobiographic memory and habituation” (Neuner et al., 2002, p. 206). NET is similar to CBT, but it is adapted for clients who have suffered prolonged periods of trauma (i.e. refugee camps) versus a single traumatic incident (Neuner et al., 2002).

10. NET Basic Outline Client is given a detailed explanation of the rationale behind the use of NET. Over several sessions, a client creates a comprehensive narrative of his/her traumatic experience including: sensory, emotional, and cognitive components. The clinician records the account being sure to clarify and carefully point out inconsistencies in the story (Neuner et al., 2002).

11. NET Continued… Once the narrative is recorded, the account is read back to the client who confirms the accuracy and adds details. This is done several times over three-four sessions until the final version is completed (Neuner et al.). “I will tell you something about stories…they aren’t just entertainment…they are all we have to fight off illness and death. You don’t have anything if you don’t have stories” (Silko, 1977).

12. African Culture and Western Therapy:An Intersection? “Storytelling has been recognized as one of the most important traditions within African / American cultures” (Banks-Wallace, 2002, p. 412). What similarities do you see between NET and traditional storytelling?

13. Implications What are the implications of practicing NET with clients who are of African descent when… “The most respected person in traditional African society was the man or woman who kept the stories” (Banks-Wallace, 2002). What role does this put the clinician? How does this affect the power dynamic between the client and clinician? What is the experience like (and is it helpful) for a client to tell his/her story in a clinical setting and/or to a person of a different culture?

14. PyschoEducational Trauma Healing In the following video courtesy of YouTube,ProtasiaGathendoh describes a system for conflict transformation after civil unrest in the African nation of Liberia. Notice how the concept of Mutual Aid is being practiced, so that the wounded heal themselves with culturally appropriate methods including storytelling.

15. The Ball We leave you with “The Ball,” a video provided courtesy of YouTube. This video says so much about African Culture. Be sure to look for the following: Gender roles. Naughty, but industrious children. The authority of adults. Respect for elders, especially with the gogo (African grandma). Property rights, sharing. The importance of sport and being outside. Large groups socializing and working together. Ways of expression, affect. Clever African adaptations of Western inventions and aid, i.e. plastic bags and condoms. What goes around comes around, like a ball 

16. References 2xbass. (2008). Nelson Mandela - The african tradition of “ubuntu.“ Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgY4UvFWbs0 Bakari, R. (2001). African refugees must get more help. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol14no4/htm/fugees.htm Banks-Wallace, J. (2002). Talk that talk: Storytelling and analysis rooted in African American oral tradition. Qualitative Health Research, 12(3), 410-426. Jmr5007. (2007). Desmond tutu on ubuntu (semester at sea, spring '07). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftjdDOfTzbk Juliolau356. (2008). Pyschoeducational trauma healing. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gei4qm04e1c Lesser, J.G. & Pope, D.S. (2011). Human behavior and the social environment theory and practice (2nd ed.) Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Pangeday. (2008). The ball. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErYcScPcaHg Neuner, F., Schauer, M., Roth, W.T., & Elbert, T. (2002). A narrative exposure treatment as intervention in a refugee camp: A case report. Behavioral and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 30, 205-209. Schwarzbaum, S.E. & Thomas, A.J. (2008). Dimensions of multicultural counseling a life story approach. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.