American Indian and Alaska Native Aboriginal Use of Alcohol in the ...
Education and Training Programme for Workers in South Australian Aboriginal Alcohol Programmes
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Education and Training Programme for Workers in South Australian Aboriginal Alcohol Programmes Pat Walsh Drug and Alcohol Services Council, Parks/de, South Australia Abstract: Most of the content of the "Education and Training Programme for Workers in South Australian Aboriginal Alcohol P:ogran~znes " was drawn from the expressed learning needs and ideas gathered from the workers in these prograrnmes. This paper will describe the process used in ffathcring the material and a brief description of the content of this curriculum. Keywords: Health education, Australian Aborigines, alcoholism, alcoholism counselling, South Australia. There are eight Aboriginal alcohol programmes in South Australia, employing about forty-five people. Most of these people have overcome their own drinking problems and are now working to help other Aboriginal people who have similar problems. I commenced designing the training programme for Aboriginal alcohol workers early in 1984, and decided that the best way to ensure that the curriculum met their learning needs was to use their knowledge and experience as my main resource in gathering ideas for the content of the programme. I visited the Aboriginal alcohol programmes several times and talked to all the workers, asking them to tell me the things they did in their job, what they would like to learn in a training programme and what they considered were the essential parts of training for people working with those who have alcohol problems. I recorded all the ideas and comments given to me and checked out their accuracy with each person. Interestingly, this checking often triggered off more ideas from those I was interviewing. The result of the time I spent with each worker was a wealth of wisdom and practical ideas for the content of the programme. The most frequent themes to arise were in the areas of personal development, more knowledge about drug and alcohol dependence and its treatment, and practical skills. Personal development how to be confident and assertive how to be financially independent how to look after oneself and cope ~ith pressures when off grog how to respond to people and help them communicate the physical and emotional hurts of being sober. Drug and alcohol dependence and treatment alcoholism - what it is causes of craving, depression, discouragement glue and petrol sniffing how to help overcome claustrophobia 37
Transcript of Education and Training Programme for Workers in South Australian Aboriginal Alcohol Programmes
E d u c a t i o n and T r a i n i n g Programme f o r W o r k e r s in S o u t h A u s t r a l i a n A b o r i g i n a l A l c o h o l P r o g r a m m e s
Pat W a l s h
Drug and Alcohol Services Council, Parks/de, South Australia
Abstract: Most of the content of the "Education and Training Programme for Workers in South Australian Aboriginal Alcohol P:ogran~znes " was drawn from the expressed learning needs and ideas gathered from the workers in these prograrnmes. This paper will describe the process used in ffathcring the material and a brief description of the content of this curriculum.
K e y w o r d s : H e a l t h e d u c a t i o n , A u s t r a l i a n A b o r i g i n e s , a l c o h o l i s m , a l c o h o l i s m c o u n s e l l i n g , S o u t h A u s t r a l i a .
T h e r e a r e e i g h t A b o r i g i n a l a l c o h o l p r o g r a m m e s i n S o u t h A u s t r a l i a , e m p l o y i n g a b o u t f o r t y - f i v e p e o p l e . Mos t o f t h e s e p e o p l e h a v e o v e r c o m e t h e i r own d r i n k i n g p r o b l e m s a n d a r e now w o r k i n g to h e l p o t h e r A b o r i g i n a l p e o p l e who h a v e s i m i l a r p r o b l e m s .
I c o m m e n c e d d e s i g n i n g t h e t r a i n i n g p r o g r a m m e f o r A b o r i g i n a l a l c o h o l w o r k e r s e a r l y i n 1 9 8 4 , and d e c i d e d t h a t t h e b e s t way to e n s u r e t h a t t h e c u r r i c u l u m me t t h e i r l e a r n i n g n e e d s was to u s e t h e i r k n o w l e d g e a n d e x p e r i e n c e as my m a i n r e s o u r c e i n g a t h e r i n g i d e a s f o r t h e c o n t e n t o f t h e p r o g r a m m e .
I v i s i t e d t h e A b o r i g i n a l a l c o h o l p r o g r a m m e s s e v e r a l t i m e s a nd t a l k e d to a l l t h e w o r k e r s , a s k i n g t h e m to t e l l me t h e t h i n g s t h e y d i d i n t h e i r j o b , w h a t t h e y w o u l d l i k e to l e a r n i n a t r a i n i n g p r o g r a m m e a n d w h a t t h e y c o n s i d e r e d w e r e t h e e s s e n t i a l p a r t s o f t r a i n i n g f o r p e o p l e w o r k i n g w i t h t h o s e who h a v e a l c o h o l p r o b l e m s . I r e c o r d e d a l l t h e i d e a s a n d c o m m e n t s g i v e n to me a nd c h e c k e d o u t t h e i r a c c u r a c y w i t h e a c h p e r s o n . I n t e r e s t i n g l y , t h i s c h e c k i n g o f t e n t r i g g e r e d o f f m o r e i d e a s f r o m t h o s e I was i n t e r v i e w i n g .
The r e s u l t o f t h e t i m e I s p e n t w i t h e a c h w o r k e r was a w e a l t h of w i s d o m a n d p r a c t i c a l i d e a s f o r t h e c o n t e n t o f t h e p r o g r a m m e . The m o s t f r e q u e n t t h e m e s to a r i s e w e r e i n t h e a r e a s of p e r s o n a l d e v e l o p m e n t , m o r e k n o w l e d g e a b o u t d r u g a nd a l c o h o l d e p e n d e n c e and i t s t r e a t m e n t , a n d p r a c t i c a l s k i l l s .
P e r s o n a l d e v e l o p m e n t
how to be c o n f i d e n t a n d a s s e r t i v e how to be f i n a n c i a l l y i n d e p e n d e n t how to l o o k a f t e r o n e s e l f a n d c o p e ~ i t h p r e s s u r e s w h e n o f f g r o g how to r e s p o n d to p e o p l e a n d h e l p t h e m c o m m u n i c a t e t h e p h y s i c a l a n d e m o t i o n a l h u r t s o f b e i n g s o b e r .
D r u g a n d a l c o h o l d e p e n d e n c e a n d t r e a t m e n t
a l c o h o l i s m - w h a t i t i s c a u s e s o f c r a v i n g , d e p r e s s i o n , d i s c o u r a g e m e n t g l u e a n d p e t r o l s n i f f i n g how to h e l p o v e r c o m e c l a u s t r o p h o b i a
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c o u n s e l l i n g s k i l l s .
P r a c t i c a l s k i l l s
f i r s t a i d b o o k - k e e p i n g w r i t i n g s u b m i s s i o n s i m p r o v i n g r e a d i n g , w r i t i n g and s p e l l i n g s k i l l s p r o n u n c i a t i o n s k i l l s k n o w l e d g e of d e p a r t m e n t s , r e s o u r c e s .
The e s s e n t i a l e l e m e n t s of a t r a i n i n g p r o g r a m m e f o r A b o r i g i n a l a l c o h o l w o r k e r s r e l a t e d to v a l u e s a nd a t t i t u d e s . Mos t f r e q u e n t l y m e n t i o n e d w e r e :
t o l e r a n c e u n d e r s t a n d i n g h o n e s t y k n o w i n g t h a t y o u r j o b i s to be t h e r e f o r p e o p l e n o t k e e p i n g p e o p l e w a i t i n g h i s t o r y of m a t t e r s i m p o r t a n t t o A b o r i g i n a l p e o p l e h e l p i n g r e c o v e r i n g a l c o h o l i c s f o r m t h e i r own p h i l o s o p h y of l i f e c a r i n g .
As o n e w o r k e r e x p r e s s e d i t :
w h e n I was an a l c o h o l i c , p e o p l e c a r e d f o r me and t h i s h e l p e d . P e o p l e who c a r e d and s o - c a l l e d f r i e n d s , t h e y ' r e d i f f e r e n t p e o p l e . A l c o h o l i c s h a v e l o s t p e o p l e who c a r e . P e o p l e a r e a l w a y s t e l l i n g t h e m to g e t l o s t ! A l c o h o l i c s a r e v e r y s p e c i a l p e o p l e , same as d r u g a d d i c t s - t h e y ' r e s e n s i t i v e . T h e y n e e d w o r k t h a t ' s i n h e l p i n g o t h e r s . T h i s g i v e s us a g o o d f e e l i n g t h a t w e ' r e n o t so b a d . W e ' r e k n o c k e r s of o u r s e l v e s , you know.
B e f o r e p u t t i n g t h e t r a i n i n g p r o g r a m m e t o g e t h e r I t a l k e d w i t h o t h e r l o c a l p e o p l e a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e a l c o h o l p r o g r a m m e s and w i t h p r o f e s s i o n a l s i n t h e a l c o h o l a nd d r u g f i e l d .
The f i n i s h e d p r o g r a m m e , w h i c h ha s y e t to be i m p l e m e n t e d , e n a b l e s w o r k e r s to do m o s t o f t h e p r a c t i c a l t r a i n i n g i n t h e i r home p r o g r a m m e u n d e r t h e s u p e r v i s i o n of a l o c a l p e r s o n s u c h as a s o c i a l w o r k e r , a t e a c h e r , a f e l l o w w o r k e r or a d o c t o r . I n d i v i d u a l w o r k on l i t e r a c y and n u m e r a c y i s u n d e r t a k e n w i t h t h e h e l p of a l o c a l t u t o r .
Two w e e k s of e a c h t e r m i s s c h e d u l e d f o r c o m i n g t o g e t h e r f o r t h e f o l l o w i n g s u b j e c t s :
P e r s o n a l D e v e l o p m e n t D r u g a n d A l c o h o l S t u d i e s 1 a nd 2 P r a c t i c a l S k i l l s D e v e l o p m e n t 1 a n d 2 A b o r i g i n a l / C o m m u n i t y Development C o m m u n i c a t i o n and C o u n s e l l i n g S k i l l s 1 a nd 2 G r o u p Work S k i l l s R e s o u r c e s and How to Use Them A d m i n i s t r a t i o n and M a n a g e m e n t S k i l l s E l e c t i v e S t u d y .
E a c h o f t h e s e s u b j e c t s t a k e s 30 h o u r s (5 x 6 h o u r s ) o r one w e e k . Work e x p e r i e n c e i n , and v i s i t s t o , o t h e r a l c o h o l p r o g r a m m e s
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i n S o u t h A u s t r a l i a a n d i n t e r s t a t e i s r e c o m m e n d e d . The e n t i r e c o u r s e , i f u n d e r t a k e n f u l l t i m e , w i l l t a k e two y e a r s to c o m p l e t e .
R e f e r e n c e s
1. W a l s h PA. R e p o r t on r e s t r u c t u r i n g WOMA. P a r k s i d e : D r u g a n d A l c o h o l S e r v i c e s C o u n c i l , 1 9 8 4 .
2 . W a l s h PA. E d u c a t i o n a n d t r a i n i n g p r o g r a m f o r w o r k e r s i n S o u t h A u s t r a l i a n A b o r i g i n a l A l c o h o l P r o g r a m s . P a r k s i d e : D r u g a nd A l c o h o l S e r v i c e s C o u n c i l , 1 9 8 4 .
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