Stress is inherent in our daily lives and it is debilitating to our mental health. My assumption is that racism and stress are intertwined. The purpose of this research is to explore the narratives of Black social service workers who are working in mainstream social service agencies. I will explore whether, and how, they experience racism and how their experiences might result in a range of stressors in the workplace. This paper is based on the premise that the amount of stress Black social workers are subjected to is directly related to the social and structural forces within the agencies, in terms of racism, sexism and domination. / In particular, I am arguing that it is stressful for Black social workers to work in an agency that perpetuates and condones racism and this may bring about added tension to the working environment. By focusing on everyday forms of racism and its' impact on the mental health of Black social workers, the analysis will also reflect my experiences of personal and institutional racism, the effects of internalized racism and coping strategies aimed at retaining a mental stability and competency on the job. Exploratory interviews were conducted with six social workers, five of whom were front-line workers and one manager, in three social services agencies in Canada, to examine their experiences of racism, their responses and coping strategies which they have adopted to deal with the day-to-day stressors in their jobs. In addition, an examination of current policies, practices and procedures will be interpreted within the organizational structure of the agencies.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.29946 |
| Date | January 1999 |
| Creators | Joseph, Bertlyn Elvira. |
| Contributors | Leonard, Peter (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Social Work (School of Social Work.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001738033, proquestno: MQ55114, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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