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In a series of two papers, the narrative themes of Intergenerational Trauma (IGT) from both the parent and offspring generation in the Chinese diaspora in Canada are examined. This paper focuses on the experiences of parental participants and their perspectives on how trauma transmits to the next generation. Narratives of IGT from three participants were co-constructed using the Collaborative Narrative Method. The narratives were largely situated during pre-migration in China, with most traumatic experiences related to sociopolitical events between the 1950s to 1980s. Themes were developed from the narratives using reflexive thematic analysis. These themes include the following: (a) decimation of social structures; (b) oppression, chaos, and abuse; (c) desperation for survival; (d) personal losses and the denial of education and opportunities; and (e) preservation of values. Themes associated with participant perception of how their traumatic experience transmitted to their offspring, include the following: (a) desire for stability and opportunities; (b) pressure and concern for the future of their offspring; and (c) hope for the future. The study has implications for understanding the linkage between historical events and individual narratives in the Chinese diaspora, as well as the study of IGT among Chinese populations and their narratival understandings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents findings from an investigation of nature-based practices, from the perspectives of 10 academics/educators from six nations. Participants engaged in a focus group exploring the prevalence and inclusion of nature in social work practice and education. While the study focused on individual members' experiences and perspectives, the findings highlight important context-specific factors for including nature within social work to reconnect humans with nature for health, well-being, healing, and justice. An Integrative Environmental Model for social work is proposed to assist future practice and education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With an increasing number of children diagnosed with Autism-Spectrum-Disorder in Canada, this paper focuses on how their mothers, as Asian immigrant women, experience the process of diagnosis and learn to parent their children. By taking two Asian (Korean and Chinese) mothers' critical personal narratives as major data sources, this paper aims to explore the diagnosis process of Autism-Spectrum-Disorder through a sociocultural lens on the intersectionality of (im)migrants and their cultural competence, and argues that their identity (re)construction and learning for parenting take place at the intersectionality of race, gender, class, and disability. This paper highlights possible implications for everyone involved in this 'medical' process, in the context of Canadian or other similar multicultural societies. Asian immigrant mothers usually have to deal with children with Autism-Spectrum-Disorder (ASD) and they have bitter experience of mistreatment tied to race, gender and class. This study reveals how Asian immigrant mothers struggled in their integration to Canadian society as well as their experiences of denial into Canada's medical system. The stories of these two women shed lights on the social and cultural aspects of immigrant mothers' learning strategies, including how they utilize accessible resources and networks for their children's treatment and diagnosis. This paper suggests that policymakers need to consider the social and cultural aspects of diagnosis in immigrant families to better fit their needs and provide them appropriate medical and social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars have documented the transformation of modern motherhood, as mothering practices have been a target of medical knowledge that comes to define correct modes of conduct for women caring for their pregnant bodies, undergoing childbirth and childrearing. Such accounts usually set scientific knowledge and medical authority in opposition to women's autonomy. Drawing on the interviews with immigrant Chinese mothers in Canada, we offer a different account of knowledge and agency in new motherhood. These women's often‐intense experiences of intergenerational care‐giving associated with the practice of zuo yuezi reveal a more fluid relationship between medical authority and mothering agency. We find that the central tension during the postpartum experience lies in intergenerational and family relationships. In this context, new mothers draw on alternative sources of knowledge—and medical professionals are one such key source—to demonstrate within the family their competence to make care decisions for themselves and their babies. These women's use of medical knowledge to counter a familial and intergenerational authority complicates dominant accounts about medicalisation, demonstrating that women's relationship to medical knowledge and authority maybe be far more fluid and complex than a standard account of medicalisation and loss of women's agency would predict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various topics within the issue, including the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on social workers in Australia, posttraumatic growth (PTG), and the preparedness of social workers in Israeli hospitals for the next pandemic.

There is a relative dearth of qualitative studies on the actual experiences of families caring for members suffering from serious mental illness, and even less is known about disadvantaged ethnic minority immigrant families. This explorative qualitative study examines the burden experienced by 15 family members of Chinese immigrant background in Toronto, Canada. Six common themes emerged from the study: 1) significant worries about not being able to take care of ill members in the future; 2) on-going strain and changed family life; 3) pervasive social stigma, discrimination and lack of resources; 4) general appreciation of Canadian health and welfare systems and opportunities; 5) cultural factors and beliefs uniquely shape families' support and caring commitment; and 6) families find various ways to cope and help themselves. Opportunities for improved care delivery based on these understandings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]