INSIDE DOUGLAS COLLEGE / FEBRUARY 27, 1990

 

COMMUNITY SOCIAL SERVICE WORKER PROGRAM continued from page 8

 

are in their early to mid-30s. “We're
looking for people who have life ex-
perience, and who have a good
sense of self-awareness and emo-
tional stability,” Shebib says.

“In this field, they will come
across people from various back-
grounds, so they must be tolerant
of a wide range of cultures,
religions and so forth, and must
have the ability to work without
judging others. Most people in the
field are interested in people, as op-
posed to forms, papers and num-
bers.”

Jackie Yurich, another graduate
of the program, now works as a

crisis and suicide counsellor for Sur-
rey community services. “For me,
taking the course was the best
choice I’ve ever made,” she says.
“The program helped me
develop both professionally and
personally. The classroom work
and practical experiences were very
beneficial. The skills I learned in the
program helped me get this job,”
she says. “On the personal side, the
program enhanced my self-esteem.”
Like many of the other students
in her class, Yurich took a number
of years off after high school before
enrolling in the program. During
those years, she gained a lot of life

experiences, all of which enhanced
her education.

Although the Community So-
cial Service Worker program at-
tracts mostly women, Nelson says
“There really is a need for more
men to get involved.”

“There is nothing in the pro-
gram that makes it exclusively for
women,” he says. “There’s a lot of
people out there who need a male
role model in their lives.”

Note: This is the second in a series
of articles highlighting some of the
programs at Douglas College.

 

 

Dealing with schizophrenia

\ K } ith the downsizing of institutions like Wood-

lands and Riverview Hospital, more and more
people with mental illnesses are being integrated into
the community. That’s why community professionals
and families of those afflicted must learn to cope and
care for people with mental disabilities.

Roger Neill, Senior Psychiatric Mental Health
Worker in Richmond is conducting a one-day
workshop on schizophrenia at Douglas College on
March 2. The workshop is aimed at preparing com-
munity professionals, family members and all
caregivers in dealing with victims of schizophrenia.

“The community must be better prepared for
receiving these patients so that the patient is welcomed
by the community rather than feared or rejected,” Neill
Says. \

“Schizophrenia is the most stigmatized of mental
conditions because the public is generally ignorant of
the illness. Although many people associate violence
with schizophrenia, on the whole, sufferers as a group
are less violent than the general population.”

Instruction will focus on the nature of the illness,
its treatment, and what those concerned with the
patient can do to help the individual’s adjustment to
life in the community.

Through the use of various videos — including a
made-for-televion movie on the subject — the
workshop will be presented in a way that is interesting
and can be understood by lay people. A lecture, discus-

sion, and specific problem-solving sessions round-out
the workshop.

Neill says about one percent of the population suf-
fer from schizophrenia, which is a biological illness.
Schizophrenia is a genetic vulnerability usually trig-
gered by environmental stress. It can afflict anyone, but
in males, it peaks in the 15 to 25 year age group.

Neill says there are several ways family members
and community professionals can help sufferers of
schizophrenia. They can educate the patient about the
use of proper medications, and about early identifica-
tion of psychotic symptoms and emergency measures
to deal with them. Neill says caregivers and profes-
sionals also need to provide social and vocational op-
portunities in the community.

Schizophrenia: Issues for Health, Social Service and Jus-
tice Personnel in Family Psycho-Educational Intervention
on Friday, March 2 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The registra-
tion fee is $55. To register, call 527-5487.

Roger Neill conducts a second one-day workshop
focussing on rehabilitating the schizophrenia sufferer
into everyday life on Saturday, April 7 from 9 a.m. to 4
p.m. This workshop is also offered for a $55 registra-
tion fee. m

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