Advancing simulation-based learning: new Virtual Reality assisted learning space gives students hands on experience responding to opioid overdoses
Alumna Michelle English, from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), which developed the VR simulation-based learning tool, spoke to Amar Ghelani’s social work practice in mental health class about what its like to work in addiction services.
This winter, Master of Social Work students had the opportunity to participate in a virtual reality (VR) simulation focused on responding to opioid overdoses.
The Public Health Agency of Canada reports 49,105 apparent opioid toxicity deaths nationwide between January 2016 and June 2024. With the opioid dependence and overdoses at crisis levels, the new VR-assisted learning is a valuable tool, bringing experiential learning into the classroom to help students build competence in assisting with drug emergencies.
“Even though social workers play a prominent role in services designed to support people with opioid use disorders and mental health concerns, research shows that many students and clinicians don’t receive adequate training to respond to an overdose,” says Amar Ghelani, who joined the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work as an assistant professor in 2024.
To address this gap in training, Ghelani recently added the VR training tool (developed at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) to a course he teaches on the advanced social work practice in mental health. Through his teaching and research, he aims to build on the Faculty’s international leadership in simulation-based learning by expanding the options available through simulation for students to practice social work skills.
Amar Ghelani, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream
“To my knowledge, this is the first time the faculty has used VR simulation, and I’m not aware of any other faculties of social work in Canada using it,” says Ghelani, who has nearly 20 years’ experience as a frontline social worker supporting individuals struggling with addiction and mental health. “The more diverse experiential learning opportunities that students can access, the better prepared they’re going to be to help people through the most difficult and complex times in their lives.”
Simulation-based learning typically involves engaging trained actors to role-play various clinical scenarios with students. In the VR simulation, users navigate through realistic scenarios in a virtual setting where they might encounter an individual who has experienced an opioid overdose. From assessing the person for responsiveness and physical signs of overdose to administering naloxone (a fast-acting medication that can reverse opioid overdoses) the simulation offers guidance while also presenting multiple choice questions on the best way to proceed.
“These situations can happen at any time in any setting, but social workers are more likely to encounter them,” says Ghelani. “The practice training through VR is designed to increase social work students’ ability to intervene and prevent the loss of life.”
While in-person simulations can be time- and resource-intensive, the VR only requires a desktop or laptop computer. Beyond these practicalities, the immersive nature of VR simulation makes it especially effective for learning new hands-on skills, says Ghelani. “It’s more memorable than a lecture and enhances real-time problem-solving. It’s essentially like a video game, and the visual aspect helps the information stick in the memory.”
Even so, the VR simulation is just one part of the broader course curriculum. “It’s integrated with lecture content around the interconnection between mental health, addictions, trauma, oppression and recovery,” says Ghelani. “We also have small group discussions with peers about processing emotions and experiences related to opioid dependence after students have finished the simulation.”
In early March, adjunct lecturer Michelle English (MSW 2015) from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) came in to speak to Ghelani’s students about what it’s like to work in addiction services and take their questions about overdose response and related matters. “Social workers play a crucial role in addiction services, providing support and managing crises, particularly during overdose situations,” says English. “VR simulations prepare students by simulating realistic, high-pressure scenarios where they can practice response times and crisis management in a safe environment.”
Ghelani also used to work at CAMH, where he took the VR training course initially created for staff members in the face of Canada’s opioid epidemic. In the beginning, the VR course had to be completed on site at CAMH using a special headset. In 2023, CAMH created a desktop version of the training – the one Ghelani adopted for his course – that’s available free to the public.
Most students have said that they found the simulation to be engaging, realistic and helpful in enhancing their knowledge and confidence. “I feel that my capacity to respond in real life has improved through this simulation,” says student Chiara Paterna, who previously worked in the field of substance abuse but lacked experience delivering naloxone because medical staff were always available.
“I preferred the simulation format more so than a lecture or a classroom activity on its own,” says Paterna. “I was surprised to see how relatively ‘real’ the clock counting down made me feel that I had to react quickly. I also appreciated how the online setting enabled the simulation developers to create different contexts for overdoses, including a young woman’s bedroom in a shared home, which reduces stereotyping that this only occurs on the street, in shelters or in clinical spaces.”
Other students noted that the simulation was particularly effective in highlighting the importance of certain critical details in naloxone administration. “A component that really stuck with me was my forgetting to engage in proper hygiene practices,” says student Leah Poplestone. “I can assure you that I will not forget that going forward.”
Both Poplestone and Paterna say that pre- and post-simulation discussions in class were crucial to gaining the full benefit of the simulation.
Next year, Ghelani plans to conduct research that measures changes in students’ ability to manage opioid overdoses before and after completing the training to evaluated its success. His long-term goal is to expand the use of effective VR simulation use in the faculty’s teaching and learning programs. “My hope,” he says, “is that VR becomes another piece of the puzzle in strengthening social work students’ competence.”
By Megan Easton
Michelle English on the benefits of VR learning
Michelle English (MSW 2015)
I didn’t use VR early in my career, but I had the opportunity to experience it during an addiction secondment at work (via the CAMH Simulation Centre) this past year. Stepping into a real-time VR simulation, I quickly recognized the gap between theory and practice — I completely froze under pressure! As a healthcare professional, that was a humbling moment. But that’s the beauty of VR — it offers a safe space to make mistakes and learn from them.
Navigating both the unfamiliarity of VR technology and the intensity of an overdose scenario was nerve-wracking, but it ultimately pushed me to refine my skills in ways traditional training never could. Looking back, this kind of hands-on practice would have been invaluable in my early education. In high-pressure situations like these, VR overdose response training truly helps build life-saving skills.
With the rise in overdoses and the closure of supervised consumption sites, social workers are increasingly likely to encounter drug emergencies. Evidence of this shift is found in a new protocol at my outpatient clinic, COMPASS, where my colleagues and I conduct end-of-day washroom checks, and each stall features signage with harm reduction tips, along with resources like safe injection sites.
Experiential learning through VR training fosters confidence by allowing students to practice high-stakes scenarios in a safe, controlled environment. By immersing themselves in realistic situations, future social workers can hone their skills, learn from mistakes, and develop the assurance needed to respond effectively in real-life crises.
Related news:
- Q&A: Meet Amar Ghelani, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream
- Meet FIFSW’s Simulation Coordinator and alumna Megan Davies
- Researchers highlight The Toronto Simulation Model in a new paper, published in Clinical Social Work Journal
- Building holistic competence
This Social Work Week, we’re highlighting the invaluable work of our field instructors
MSW students Judy Chau, Hailey Lawrence, and Alex Ouellette Zuk shared thank you messages to FIFSW Field Instructors in an online video (see below).
Celebrated annually across Ontario during the first week of March, Social Work Week, is an opportunity to highlight the vital roles that social workers play in our communities.
At the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, it is also a time when we recognize the incredible work of our field instructors, who oversee and guide students as they complete their Practicum — which is essential to social work education.
Practicum is where students put their education into practice and learn from real-world experience. Each practicum setting — whether it is at a hospital, a school, a community agency, a government organization, or elsewhere — provides students with the opportunity to develop the professional competencies needed to enter the field after graduation. (View a list of the wide range of partners that FIFSW’s works with here.)
“Being able to actually practice social work and see clients was where I built my confidence,” says Hailey Lawrence, a second-year Master of Social Work Student at FIFSW. “I was able to confidently say I could do social work because I was able to practice those skills.”
Judy Chau says that the guidance she has received from her field instructors has helped her flourish. “With weekly supervision meetings and talking about the ways I’m working with my clients, their feedback has been instrumental and really pushing my journey as a social worker forward and really reflecting on my practice.”
This year, the Faculty asked some of its students to share how their practicum has deepened their learning in a thank you video, which has been shared with all Field Instructors. View the video below.
“In my practicums I’ve had the opportunity to work with some really incredible supervisors who have provided and fostered a really supportive and reflective learning environment,” says Alexandra Ouellette Zuk. “They’ve pushed me to challenge myself, to ask the hard questions, to take risks and do all that in an environment where they’re there to offer their own critical reflections, their feedback, and also just their general support to help boost my confidence. And that has created an environment that has allowed my learning to skyrocket.”
FIFSW’s staff and faculty share the students’ gratitude for the work that field instructors – many of whom are alumni of the Faculty – provide.
“Field instruction is a vital part of preparing students to be ethical and effective social workers who will take on essential roles in our communities,” says Eileen McKee, FIFSW’s Assistant Dean, Field Education. “We are deeply grateful for the time and wisdom that our Field Instructors share to make this possible.”
Learn how to join FIFSW as a field instructor
FIFSW is now recruiting field instructors for the 2025 to 2026 academic year. Interested? We want to hear from you! Contact our Practicum Office to express your interest and learn more.
Read about the qualifications for becoming a field instructor and all the benefits that come with the role on FIFSW’s website. Hear from seasoned field instructors Michelle English and Blair Audet about their experiences. And learn how being a field instructor can strengthen your practice, from Professor Emeritus Rob MacFadden.
“I wanted to see the field grow.” Joan Aaron shares what inspires her to support social work education and programs
In recognition of U of T Giving Day, we bring you a story on Joan Aaron, one of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work’s dedicated supporters. Learn what inspires her to give back to the Faculty as a donor and volunteer.
Donations up to $1,000 made between now and March 26 will be matched by the University, while matching funds last.
Looking back now, Joan Aaron (BSW 1960, MSW 1962) realizes that she had a natural inclination towards social work before she’d even heard of the profession.
“Growing up, I didn’t know anyone who needed a social worker or was a social worker, but I was always trying to help kids who were having trouble at home or struggling in some way,” she says. “So when I learned about the job and went to the School of Social Work at U of T, the ideas and theories I encountered there all just made sense to me. Ever since then, being a social worker has been such a big part of who I am.”
To Aaron, living that identity meant not just building a successful career in child welfare, but supporting the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW) with time, expertise and financial contributions.
Much of her career was with the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto, where she held multiple positions focused on foster care placement, foster parent support and adoption issues. “I worked in every department over the years and wrote several practice manuals,” says Aaron.
Even as a young professional, she supervised U of T social work students in their field placements, an experience she credits with expanding her own knowledge. “I loved going out to visit students at the different child welfare agencies, seeing what the agencies were doing and learning from them,” says Aaron. “The courses on supervision that I took at U of T brought supervisors together to share our ideas and allowed me to meet so many people in the field that I wouldn’t otherwise have known.”
She also found the interaction with students to be personally rewarding. “I love working with young people and feeling their enthusiasm,” says Aaron. “It keeps you young, because they’re often the most energetic and passionate about social work.” (Learn more about the benefits of becoming a field instructor via FIFSW’s website.)
As her career progressed, she often thought about donating to social work at U of T, but two things held her back: she thought she had to have a very large sum to give, and, even if she did, she couldn’t settle on where she would apply her gift. “When I found out that the university matches many donations, it clinched my decision,” says Aaron.
Then she learned that she could target her gift – made with her husband Bernard – to any area that held special meaning for her. “By that time in my life, many of my family members and friends were aging and having trouble finding support,” says Aaron. “I became interested in gerontology, so I decided to create a scholarship for graduate students specializing in that area. I wanted to see the field grow.” Hearing from the scholarship recipients about their research and meeting some at a special donor event were highlights of this experience, according to Aaron.
The Aarons most recent gift to FIFSW went towards an innovative program that benefits both social work students and older adults. “Talk It Out, Work It Out” at Jane/Finch Centre — a joint initiative with U of T’s Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education and community partners — combines in-person physical activity with group discussions facilitated by MSW students on various mental health topics. The program is part of the Talk It Out Clinic created during the pandemic by Professor Lin Fang of FIFSW to provide free, culturally responsive mental health services to groups with heightened mental health needs. Being able to draw on the wealth and experience of FIFSW’s alumni, including Aaron, proved valuable as the program evolved from a burgeoning idea to a fully realized, community-engaged offering.
“What made this donation so special was that Lin consulted with me about how to develop the program to best serve seniors, and she implemented my advice,” says Aaron. “It meant everything to me to be involved, to have her keep in touch with me about the progress and then to see the astounding success of it.”
Aaron expresses pride in the Talk it Out program specifically, but also in her alma mater more generally. “The faculty’s research covers such a wide variety of topics, and their impact on the community is so impressive,” she says. “They let me be a partner, not just a donor, and that made all the difference.”
By Megan Easton
Give up until March 26 and U of T will match your donation!
Donate today to support equity, diversity and inclusion and other priorities at U of T.
Give between February 26 and March 26 to have your gift matched dollar-for-dollar up to $1,000 while matching funds last.
Shade of Our Sisters is a powerful reminder of our responsibility to support MMIWG2S+ families and combat systemic oppression
On February 3rd, the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work was honoured to welcome Joyce Carpenter to share the story of her daughter, Patricia Carpenter, who was taken from her in 1992.
Joyce is a co-creator of Shades of Our Sisters, a project developed by the families of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Transgender, and Gender-Diverse+ peoples (MMIWGT2S+). An exhibit and online experience, the project pays tribute to the memory of loved ones and the impact of their tragic loss. Audience members engaging with the project are invited to share in the families’ grief, love, and memories and participate in urging Canadians to recognize the injustice of this national tragedy.
Attendees to the February 3rd event at FIFSW were welcomed to an exhibit in the Student Lounge. Bathed in candlelight, the exhibition showcased photos of Patricia and memorabilia from her childhood, such as the Cabbage Patch dolls she played with as a young girl and the wallet she carried as a young teenager. The photos showed Patricia as a daughter, a big sister and a young mother.
The event included a screening of a short film about Patricia’s life, created by Shades of Our Sisters producers and team. The screening was followed by moving reflections from Patricia’s mother Joyce.
Attendees were invited to write a message on a paper feather: either a message they would like to send to families and friends of MMIWG2S+ or what they will do as a social worker to bring awareness to this issue.
Images from the exhibit and the paper feather messages are now on display on FIFSW’s Art Wall and will remain up until February 27th.
The collaboration between FIFSW and Shades of Our Sisters was established in part to underscore the role of Social Workers in advocating for change, raising awareness, and addressing systemic injustices affecting Indigenous communities. It serves as a powerful reminder of our responsibility to support MMIWG2S+ families and combat systemic oppression.
Learn more
- Visit the Shades of Our Sisters website.
- Read reports from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
- Learn about the Unsolved Cases of Indigenous Women and Girls compiled by the CBC
- Read the booklet [PDF] MMIWG Calls for Justice by the Native Women’s Association of Canada
Job posting: Associate Professor or Professor and Lee Wu Kee Ming Chair in Indigenous Social Work
The Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto invites applications for a full-time tenured position in the area of Indigenous Social Work. The appointment will be at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor, with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2025. The successful candidate will be appointed as the inaugural Lee Wu Kee Ming Chair in Indigenous Social Work for a five-year term, renewable following a favourable review.
This position is part of the University of Toronto and the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work’s response to the calls to action in Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report.
FIFSW seeks an Indigenous scholar with a strong record of research, teaching, and community service in social work or a related field, with expertise in Indigenous social work education and Indigenous methodologies. The candidate will demonstrate leadership, initiative, and commitment to Indigenous ways of knowing, as well as the vision, capability, and capacity to lead Indigenous research and initiatives more broadly across the Faculty. The candidate will be a strong leader and caring mentor, with evidence of teaching and research excellence.
Lee Wu Kee Ming was an intrepid and enterprising Hong Kong businesswoman. She and her husband Lee Quen started their own plastic manufacturing business in Hong Kong, named Wofoo (和富), which means peace and prosperity. After success in business, Lee Wu Kee Ming shifted her focus to charitable pursuits geared towards education and the betterment of communities. To further her legacy, her children created a foundation funded by her estate to continue to support education and communities. In making this gift and naming this endowed Chair in their mother’s honour they are fulfilling her wishes to support causes in education and the betterment of communities. The new Chair in Indigenous Social Work at Canada’s leading university is in keeping with her philanthropic passions and perpetuating her legacy.
Date First Posted: December 10, 2024
Application deadline: March 6, 2025, 11:59PM ET
For more information, please contact Debra Clinton at dclinton@kbrs.ca, Kyle Steele at ksteele@kbrs.ca, or Dr. Jennie Massey at jmassey@kbrs.ca.
Congratulations to our Arbor Award winners: Jennifer Burt-Yanoff and Terry McCullum
The Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work would like to congratulate Alumni Jennifer Burt-Yanoff and Terry McCullum on receiving a 2024 Arbor Award — the University of Toronto’s highest honour in recognition of exceptional and longstanding volunteer service. The awards are being presented on January 22.
“Arbor Award recipients are essential to advancing the University of Toronto as one of the world’s great institutions of higher learning and advanced research,” reads the Arbor Awards page on U of T’s Alumni website. “These leading members of the U of T community elevate all facets of life at the university, providing volunteer supports that span everything from governance and academic programming to experiential learning and mentorship, among other valuable contributions.”
FIFSW is incredibly grateful for the dedication that Burt-Yanoff and McCullum have demonstrated through their work as field instructors, association volunteers and committee members.
Learn more about their contributions, below.
Jennifer L. Burt-Yanoff
Jennifer helps give Masters of Social Work students the real-world experience they need through her support for the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. Her volunteerism includes serving as a field instructor, recruiting others to these roles, and chairing the faculty’s Association of Teaching Centres. Currently, she is the Education Coordinator at North York General where she is renewing the hospital’s commitment to educating U of T Social Work students.
Terry McCullum
Terry has been a generous supporter of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, both during his career and into retirement. While CEO of one of Ontario’s largest community service providers, LOFT Community Services, Terry provided practicum placements to Master of Social Work students and frequently acted as co-supervisor. He resumed this role in retirement following a request from the faculty, and also volunteered for the faculty’s admissions committee and alumni association.
Learn more about opportunities to stay connected and involved as a member of FIFSW’s alumni community.
Jia Xue receives the Deborah K. Padgett Early Career Achievement Award
Assistant Professor Jia Xue received the Deborah K. Padgett Early Career Achievement Award on January 18 at the 2025 Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Conference in Seattle. The award recognizes individuals who are engaged in innovative scholarship, have embraced a rigorous approach to social work research, and are an emerging influence in the field. It is a significant honour, recognizing exceptional work.
“Jia’s ground-breaking scholarship linking AI, social media, and social justice has been recognized for advancing the profession, particularly in areas related to marginalization, oppression, and privilege,” says Charmaine Williams, Dean and Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. “To our knowledge, this is the first time this award has been given to someone from a Canadian university.”
Xue has an impressive publication and funding record. As the founder and director of the Artificial Intelligence for Justice Lab (AIJ Lab), she leads a team of researchers who are using leading-edge technologies to investigate intimate partner violence, sexual violence, child maltreatment, school bullying, and the communication of health information around COVID-19 on social media. Her work was one of the first to examine the psychological outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic, which helped policymakers, social workers, and medical professionals better understand public reactions to the pandemic, and how those reactions evolved over time.
With support form a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) operating grant, Xue’s research on family violence and the efficacy of social media-based collaborations between non-profit agencies during COVID19 lockdowns informed not only the design of twitter-based advocacy plans to support survivors, but also public health responses to domestic violence during crisis situations. This research expanded to the international context, with projects on intimate partner violence in China that informed policy and intervention strategies, including advocacy for legislative changes to protect sexual minorities in China.
Xue’s research has also examined the use of chatbots for e-health — work that has become an essential reference for both academics and practitioners aiming to enhance strategies for health promotion. Xue’s use of machine learning analysis has advanced our understanding of digital communication strategies in the nonprofit sector and offers practical implications for enhancing social media engagement and outreach, especially for nonprofits focused on addressing sexual assault.
Among her myriad accomplishments is her collaborative work with AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio. Together, they developed machine learning tools for identifying and mitigating racial and gender discrimination in texts. This work has significantly advanced our ability to leverage AI to combat social injustices, with profound implications for reducing racial and gender biases in various social contexts.
“This award is a testament to the quality and impact of Professor Xue’s research and her status as an emerging influence in the field,” says Williams. “The Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work extends its heartfelt congratulations to Jia on this well-deserved honour.”
Jia Xue holds a joint appointment with the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto.
Partnership with Baycrest expands the impact of the Talk It Out, Work It Out program
Left to right: Hanna Ali (MSW student), Zen Kapadia (KPE student), FIFSW Professor Lin Fang, Robia Mohammadi (MSW student), and Prerna Sharma (MSW student).
In an activity room in Toronto’s new Baycrest Kimel Family Centre for Brain Health and Wellness, a dozen people are immersed in conversation. Standing by a whiteboard, an instructor named Ash Kaura is explaining the psychological concept of the “window of tolerance” – that zone in which we feel equipped to handle whatever life is throwing at us. It’s a fancy academic term but with this group of older adults, it landed.
“Anyone feel like you’re outside your window a bit?” Ash asked.
Nods all around.
Our window of tolerance can shrink as we age. Building the skills to become more resilient — both emotionally and physically — is one of the main goals of this innovative program of multimodal therapy.
As the chat winds down, Kaura and her co-facilitator — both masters graduates in social work — prepare to ease the participants into phase two: getting their bodies involved in what their minds just decanted. There will be “functional movement” exercises, the sort that will help the older adults build strength in everyday tasks. Also: there might be dancing.
This is Talk It Out, Work It Out at Baycrest. Funded by Janis Rotman, the program is building on the momentum of the original Talk It Out Work It Out initiative created by two Faculties at the University of Toronto: the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education. In partnering Baycrest, a world-leading institution for brain health and wellness, Talk It Out Work It Out has been able to broaden its impact and reach. The new iteration of the program engages older adults living with assisted care at the Baycrest Terraces retirement residence and those in the broader community who access the Kimel Family Centre’s services.
“The Kimel Family Centre’s research focuses on modifiable lifestyle factors, such as physical activity, mental wellbeing, cognitive engagement and social connections – and the Talk It Out Work It Out program addresses them all,” says Alyssa Manalo, Kimel Family Centre’s fitness coordinator. “We emphasize social connections in all our programs, and this program, specifically, has been great at building a true community among our members. It’s even inspired them to join other programs, which in turn supports our research on dementia prevention and reducing dementia risk.”
The idea for Talk It Out, Work It Out originally hatched during the pandemic, when the forced isolation of the COVID-19 lockdown was playing hell on everyone — but especially on seniors in marginalized communities, who were severed from many of their loved ones and support systems and prevented from moving around very much.
Working together, masters students from both Faculties, under the supervision of professional staff and faculty members, created mind-body group intervention that they could take into the community. During the pilot, funded by Joan and Bernard Aaron, eager clientele at the Jane-Finch Centre lapped up the students’ ministrations. The number of participants quickly quadrupled as word spread about how great this was for everyone involved.
Here’s how Talk It Out, Work It Out goes: Once a week, the facilitators and participants meet to move through an eight-week curriculum. There’s a different theme each session, for example: “social support,” “goal-setting,” “motivation.” The participants are typically dealing with several types of anxieties and challenges — the stress of pain, of finances, of work. In the program with Baycrest, half the clientele comes from the community and many are not yet retired. But everyone agrees: it feels good to air this stuff out.
“The talk quickly goes deep,” says Professor Lin Fang, the Endowed Chair in Children’s Mental Health at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and founder and director of the Talk It Out Online Counseling Clinic. She developed the Talk It Out, Work It Out programs in collaboration with Kinesiology Professor Catherine Sabiston, Canada Research Chair in Physical Activity and Mental Health.
Clara Rivaya Salvadores leads Talk It Out Work IT Out participants in an exercise using resistance bands
A core value of the entire program is self-care. It’s a new concept for many of the participants — the women particularly. They may never have allowed themselves to really think about their own needs. “They’ve spent their whole lives taking care of others,” says Clara Rivaya Salvadores, the lead instructor on the kinesiology side. “I like to introduce the analogy, ‘You have to put on your own oxygen mask first.’ You have to, in effect, learn to become your own best friend,” giving yourself time and permission to take care of your own physical and mental health.
The mindshift is an adjustment, to say the least. And, just practically, it can require some creative swerves.
In one session, a participant disclosed that she found it a herculean struggle to find time for physical activity. She was a schoolteacher, with never-ending grading.
Rivaya Salvadores was sympathetic: “Making time for this is hard for everyone!” But, she suggested, even if we can’t make it to the gym, or outside for a walk, we can still squeeze in tiny bursts of activity throughout the day — something kinesiologists call “exercise snacks.”
“You can be done in two minutes,” Salvadores says. “Get your energy levels up, get a smile on your face.” Right there and then, the two of them indulged in an exercise snack together: they performed some squats.
The science behind Talk It Out, Work It Out is sound. More than a hundred thousand peer-reviewed studies support the cognitive benefits of physical movement (not to mention the obvious physical benefits). “A lot of the people we work with, they generally know that that’s the case — that there’s a link between physical health and mental health,” says Manalo. “But it’s one thing to know it; it’s another thing to experience it for yourself … to feel it.”
There’s also a “teach a human to fish” element to a lot of this work. On both the Talk it Out and the Work It Out side, participants develop tools they can use long after the program ends, such as meditation techniques and “self-talk” skills to become their own “life coach,” in a sense. “They get adept at observing themselves and their own reactions, at answering the question, ‘What is happening to me?’” says Kaura, the Master of Social Work student.
As for the student facilitators, they have discovered an unexpected benefit going their way – apart from valuable practical experience in work that many will make a career of. “In those Talk It Out sessions, what ended up happening was, a space opened up for [the participants] to provide some of their wisdom and perspective to us instructors,” says Rivaya Salvadores. “We all realized: I’m not just hear to teach. I’m here to share. And I’m here to learn.”
One of the big payoffs participants report is an energy boost. In the Talk It Out sessions, as the participants relax, as trust builds and as tensions release, energy spikes. Participants then ride that momentum into the Work It Out Portion, where more juice yet is ginned up. Energy begets energy.
“We find that when the session’s over, a lot of the participants want to stay on and talk again,” says Manalo. Left to its natural conclusion, Talk It Out, Work It Out would snowball into Talk It Out, Work It Out, Talk It Out, Work It Out …. until the instructors went home to dinner, and the custodians turned out the lights.
“That’s something we didn’t expect – that people wouldn’t want to leave,” says Manalo. “They wanted another dose! It was intended as a one-and-done thing; one of the main goals of the program was then when people come out of it they’d feel well enough to carry on in their life. But the participants told us they didn’t want to be done. They want to come back. “
And in the meantime they’re telling everyone they know about it.
By Bruce Grierson
Visit the Talk It Out website to learn more about its partners and supporters.
Exercising your “social muscles” is key to successful aging, say researchers
Are you exercising your “social muscles”? Doing so may be key to longevity, say researchers, including Professor Esme Fuller-Thomson and alumna Mabel Ho, of the Institute for Life Course and Aging at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. Both shared insight from their research on successful aging with the Globe and Mail.
As humans, we’re hard-wired for social connections. In fact, research shows that the opposite of this – loneliness – has a mortality risk comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Seniors are particularly at risk of isolation.
This phenomenon even has a name: social aging. It describes the deterioration in relationships and connections that can result from a combination of factors, such as a diminishing social circle, fewer opportunities for interaction and limited mobility.
Like the physical signs of aging, our social muscle can weaken as we get older, a consequence of the passage of time.
…
“As you get older, social aging has a greater effect on your life because you retire and you lose that social aspect,” says Robb Armson, site leader for Sunridge Place, an assisted living and long-term care facility in Duncan, B.C. “Your friends start dying. Your kids get busy and they don’t visit as often.” However – much like exercising to maintain our physical well-being – there are many ways to pro-actively forge and maintain social connections as we age.
“It is necessary to schedule regular meetings to make sure we stay in touch,” says Esme Fuller-Thomson, director of the Institute for Life Course and Aging and professor at the University of Toronto.
Armson adds communication with loved ones is key. “Let them know if you need that extra interaction.”
Fuller-Thomson also highlights the value of intergenerational friendships. “Taking fitness classes at the local community centre, joining book discussions at the public library and volunteering in our community are excellent ways to establish new friendships,” she says. Hobbies, therapy, and community activities all offer ways to build new relationships and strengthen existing ones.
…
Mabel Ho, Fuller-Thomson’s colleague, a research affiliate at the Institute of Life Course and Aging at the University of Toronto, echoes the value in that extra effort.
“It is important that we reach out regularly just to chat and connect, rather than waiting for them to call or visit us. Dropping by with a dinner or snack is a lovely way to keep connected and assure them that you’re available and eager to help.”
Read the full article by Jennifer Foden in the Globe and Mail.
Rachelle Ashcroft and co-authors publish “5 principles for action on primary health-care teams”
Associate Professor Rachelle Ashcroft co-authored a piece for The Conversation that outlines “5 principles for action on primary health-care teams.” Her co-authors include Jennifer Lake from U of T’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, Catherine Donnelly and Jordan Miller from Queen’s University’s School of Rehabilitation Therapy, and Clare Cruickshank, Patient Advisor, Ontario Health INSPIRE-PHC, Patient Expertise in Research Collaboration.
As the number of Canadians without a primary health-care provider grows, social workers, pharmacists, physicians, nurses and other health care professionals have come together to advocate for the development of primary health-care teams, which include professionals from different disciplines collaborating to provide patients with more comprehensive care. A team-based approach can also reduce the administrative burden on family doctors and others.
From the article in The Conversation:
Primary care is in crisis. Recent estimates indicate 6.5 million Canadians, including 2.5 million Ontarians, do not have a primary care provider.
Interprofessional primary care teams include a range of health professionals in addition to a family doctor or nurse practitioner, and are a key solution to improve access to primary care.
As of Dec. 1, 2024 family physician and former federal cabinet minister Jane Philpott is leading Ontario’s new Primary Care Action Team. Philpott states, “Our goal will be for 100 percent of Ontarians to be attached to a family doctor or nurse practitioner working in a publicly funded team, where they receive ongoing, comprehensive care.”
Her book Health for All articulates a vision of primary care, or what is being described as a “health home,” which would guarantee every person access to a primary care team close to where they live. The Primary Care Action Team has announced its plans to achieve this goal within five years.
A health home is the front door to the health system and includes a team of primary care providers that supports an individual’s health and wellness; co-ordinating care across the system and through every stage of their lives. Each health home would ensure you could receive primary care services based on where you live; ensuring that if you move to a new city you would have access to your local health home, just as you would have access to your local school.
Principles are needed to achieve these goals. These principles should build on successes and address historical challenges. Our team, comprised of primary care researchers and a community partner, has focused our work on understanding how primary care teams can support access and better outcomes.
Collectively we propose the following five principles for the Primary Care Action Team to consider, which emerged from our panel discussion at the 2024 Trillium Primary Care Research Day on Oct. 25, 2024.
Read the full article in The Conversation.
In addition to her role as Assistant Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, Rachelle Ashcroft is chair of U of T’s InterFaculty Curriculum Committee, which is responsible for the University of Toronto’s Interprofessional Education (IPE) Curriculum, in partnership with the Toronto Academic Health Science Network, inclusive of 14 hospitals and 12 health and social care professional training programs.
Keith Adamson and Rachelle Ashcroft
Ashcroft is also involved in a Canada-wide strategy to accelerate transformative change in the way that primary health-care practitioners work together. In 2024, she and FIFSW Associate Professor Keith Adamson, in partnership with the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW), assembled a group of social work leaders to develop a national vision for social work in primary care. Together, they are not only charting a path for social work’s role in primary care, but also ensuring that the valuable skills and expertise that accredited social workers offer are recognized as integral to the system.
In September 2024, CASW published the report “Social Work and Primary Care: A Vision for the Path Forward.” Click here to read the full landmark report on social work and primary care.
Ashcroft, Adamson and colleagues have also launched a free, six-module e-learning program for social workers in primary care, and social work learners considering a future practice in primary care. The programs may also be used by health professionals and trainees from other disciplines to learn more about social workers’ roles in primary care.