Recommended Books
Case Critical: Social Service and Social Justice in Canada by
This latest edition of Case Critical applies decolonized, critical analysis to highlight what is often hidden from view for most Canadians: the personal trauma and communal devastation inflicted on Indigenous people by past and present colonialism and the ways in which neoliberal tax cuts, austerity, and privatization create more inequality, homelessness, and despair among both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Social service providers, the authors argue, should become social activists, working in solidarity with progressive grassroots social movements in order to de-legitimatize colonial and neoliberal policies. Looking for the PDF of Table 5.1: Social Work Skills in Social Services (2017)? Download it under "Extras".
Call Number: ONLINEPublication Date: 2017
Decolonizing Pathways Towards Integrative Healing in Social Work by
Taking a new and innovative angle on social work, this book seeks to remedy the exclusion of holistic perspectives and rejection of the diversity of human socio-cultural understandings and experiences of healing currently seen in western social work practice. This book examines six areas of healing through an integrative holistic approach that is grounded in a decolonizing perspective. Situating integrative healing within social work education and theory, the book takes an interdisciplinary approach, drawing from social memory and historical trauma, contemplative traditions, storytelling, healing literatures, integrative health, and the traditional environmental knowledge of Indigenous peoples. Exploring issues of movement, play, creativity, animals and the natural world in relation to social work it will appeal to all scholars, practitioners, and community members interested in decolonisation and Indigenous studies.
Call Number: ONLINEPublication Date: 2020
My Grandmother's Hands by
In this groundbreaking book, therapist Resmaa Menakem examines the damage caused by racism in America from the perspective of trauma and body-centered psychology. The body is where our instincts reside and where we fight, flee, or freeze, and it endures the trauma inflicted by the ills that plague society. Menakem argues this destruction will continue until Americans learn to heal the generational anguish of white supremacy, which is deeply embedded in all our bodies. Our collective agony doesn't just affect African Americans. White Americans suffer their own secondary trauma as well. So do blue Americans--our police. My Grandmother's Hands is a call to action for all of us to recognize that racism is not only about the head, but about the body, and introduces an alternative view of what we can do to grow beyond our entrenched racialized divide. Paves the way for a new, body-centered understanding of white supremacy--how it is literally in our blood and our nervous system. Offers a step-by-step healing process based on the latest neuroscience and somatic healing methods, in addition to incisive social commentary. Resmaa Menakem, MSW, LICSW, SEP, is a leading voice in today's conversation on racialized trauma and the creator of Cultural Somatics, which utilizes the body and its natural resilience as mechanisms for growth. As a therapist and the founder of Justice Leadership Solutions, a leadership consulting firm, Resmaa dedicates his expertise to coaching leaders through civil unrest, organizational change, and community building
Call Number: ONLINEPublication Date: 2017
Reimagining Anti-Oppression Social Work Practice by
This book focuses on anti-oppression social work practice through a collection of chapters addressing practice principles, social issues, and work with specific populations. The chapters in this collection seek to push the scope and boundaries of anti-oppression practice through supportive critiques and an exploration of the complexities of practice with and by marginalized populations. Concrete examples are offered on a diversity of issues, including developing Indigenous practice principles, addressing anti-Black sanism, challenging normative constructions of grief, supporting queer resistance, and advancing critical practices with children and youth. Readers are also invited to examine how anti-oppression practices can be fostered as a frame for transformation within social work education and organizational settings and contexts.
Call Number: ONLINEPublication Date: 2017
Strong Helpers' Teachings: The Value of Indigenous Knowledges in the helping Professions by
The thoroughly updated third edition of Strong Helpers' Teachings skillfully illustrates the importance of Indigenous knowledges in the human services. Making space for the voices of many Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars, practitioners, and service users, Cyndy Baskin's text models possible pathways toward relationship building and allyship. With practical examples and case studies, Baskin places Indigenous perspectives at the centre of the social work disciplines and covers topics such as spirituality, research, justice, and healing. Robust updates include new chapters on decolonization and reconciliation, as well as expanded content on holistic healing implementation, skill building, land-based practice, and child welfare. With concise theoretical content, illustrative practical applications, rich pedagogical features, and a focus on centering Indigenous worldviews, knowledge, and helping practices, this text is foundational for educators, practitioners, and students of human services, social work, child and youth care, and more.
Call Number: ONLINEPublication Date: 2022
Indigenous Mental Health Series
This video is an introductory video in our Indigenous Mental Health series, as voiced by Jasmine Peterson, a Psychological Associate at Sullivan + Associates Clinical Psychology, and a woman of Indigenous descent. It explores some of the root causes of the pervasive mental health concerns in Indigenous populations and communities. Specifically, there is discussion about intergenerational trauma and the impacts of colonial contact and colonization on the First Peoples of Turtle Island. Many of the issues Indigenous people face today are a direct result of these early experiences – experiences that might not be their own but those of their ancestors.
Sullivan + Associates Clinical Psychology, (2020, November 5). The Impact of Intergenerational Trauma [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/w_Z73kR71zw.
Searching and Terminology
A few keywords that can be useful for your searches are:
| Indigenous | Aboriginal | First Nation | Inuit | Métis |
| "Indigenous Peoples of North America" | Native | Indian |
Name of Nation/Community (e.g. Potlotek) |
Indigenous place names (e.g. Mi'kma'ki) |
AND/OR/NOT
| "Two-Eyed Seeing" | "Trauma-informed" |
| "Intergenerational Trauma" | "Child welfare" |
| "Holistic healing" | "Restorative Justice" |
- Use quotation marks when searching phrases (e.g. "Intergenerational Trauma")
- Use a question mark to search for words with the same stem (e.g. Methods? retrieves Method, Methods, Methodology, Methological, etc.)
- While using the CBU library and other search engines, the dominant structure for organizing information is from a western European perspective. For this reason you may need to use outdated (sometimes offensive) terminology to find resources; do not hesitate to contact me for assistance navigating this.
Request an Item
To place a hold or request on a book or other physical item in the library:
- Sign into "My Library Account"
- Search Novanet
- Under "Get It," click on "Request"
- Choose a "Pick Up Location" and, if applicable, the date the item is "Not Needed After."
- Click on "Send Request"
Note: If Cape Breton University's Library doesn't have the item, it is possible to request material via Interlibrary Loan.
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