RURAL HUMAN SERVICES PROGRAM
Overview
The Rural Human Services Program was developed in response to the need to train village-based, resident counselors who were culturally competent. It represents a successful collaboration between the University of Alaska Fairbanks, State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, and a variety of Alaska Native health corporations. The partnership was born out of frustration with the inadequacy of the existing mental health system, which was based on itinerant counselors who, although well credentialed, lacked the essential cultural knowledge to work effectively in small and remote Alaska Native communities. Unable to adjust to cultural differences, the isolation, and lack of professional colleagues, the professionally trained counselors rarely stayed longer than one or two years. Rapid turnover rates in social and educational fields are a perennial issue in rural Alaska. To retain professionals and create a more stable system of mental health providers, the Rural Human Services program was designed to improve this situation by training and employing a culturally competent local counselor in each village. The university, guided by a Coordinating Committee of Alaska Natives, developed a 30-credit certificate program for rural human service workers. The curriculum is broad-based to ensure that the students, who often work in isolated areas, are able to handle the wide variety of situations, which they encounter.
The
program was originally delivered only by the Interior-Aleutians Campus. It’s first class graduated in 1994. The model was so successful that two other
campuses in partnership with their local Native health corporations decided to
offer it in their regions. After
consultation with the RHS Program Council, IAC staff, and CRA Dean, Kuskokwim
Campus received permission to start its first cohort in 1996. Northwest Campus in cooperation with the
Norton Sound Health Corporation took longer to organize a program so that it
conformed to the original model. Their
RHS program started in 1998. The
regional programs work primarily with one cohort of students at a time and a
single local health corporation. The
IAC campus works with three cohorts and up to 14 agencies each year. The model also gained proponents outside the
UAF system. During the past year,
Ilisagvik College, a tribal college on the North Slope began plans to implement
an RHS curriculum next year and sought advise from the RHS staff and Program
Council. UAA is exploring a similar
model in a partnership with its local Native association.
There
is one full time faculty assigned to the Interior-Aleutians Campus who serves
as a teaching faculty and overall coordinator and there is a half-time faculty
assigned to the Bethel campus. The
majority of the other instructors are adjunct or affiliate faculty who have
extensive experience in rural Alaska Native communities. Two faculty members from the Human Services
Technology Program and one retired Social Work professor also teach courses
from time to time. The program is
delivered onsite in an intensive format and most classes are therefore
team-taught.
The
program conducted a mail-out survey of all students who graduated the program
between 1994- 99. Twenty-three
knowledge or skill areas were identified and graduates were asked to assess how
satisfied they were with each area (see attachment 1). There were also two global questions
included. The data was also sorted by
cohort. Employers were asked the same
questions.
·
97% of the students and 88%
of the employers rated the influence of the program as significant or
positive.
·
98% of the students and 71%
of the employers gave the overall rating of the program as superior or above
average.
Areas
of greatest satisfaction identified by both employers and students were: the
program contributed to both professional and personal growth, sensitivity for
cultural, ethnic, or racial differences, and increased awareness of Alaska
Native values and principles. (See attachment 2) Students were also very satisfied with the teaching on
professional ethics and confidentiality and basic counseling and intervention
skills. Employers had high satisfaction
levels with students’ ability to apply Alaska Native values and principles to
community change efforts and the understanding of issues and impacts relevant
to the healing of Alaska Native communities.
The
skills identified as in need of strengthening by students and employers were:
documentation to record client contacts, assessment skills, skills to support
after-care services, and the ability or prepare and deliver after-care services
by both groups (See attachment 3).
In
addition to the mail-out surveys, a variety of evidence helps us determine how
well we are meeting our goals. Because
of the close partnerships with employers, RHS staff is in frequent contact with
supervisors and the faculty receive formal and informal feedback via annual
meetings and telephone calls. At the
end of each training session, students complete questionnaires, which solicit
feed back on the entire three-week session (see attachment 4).
The
program has its own Program Council (see attachment 5) which is made of
experienced, grass-roots human service professionals and elders, all of whom
are Alaska Native. The Program Council meets
in person at least one a year and an additional four time by teleconference.
For
the past two years, we held major conferences to assess and refine the training
program. A Rural Human Services Summit, attended by 165 people, was held in
December 1998. The goal was to
celebrate the program accomplishments as well as identify strengths and areas
for improvement (see attachment 5).
The following December (1999) a Rural
Human Services Forum was held and attended by approximately 50 people who
represented a wide range of participants (ex. students, instructors, employers,
and funding agency as well as representatives of major state-wide boards in the
fields of substance abuse and alcoholism).
The participants expressed a high degree of satisfaction with the
program and the emphasis was on ways to achieve program expansion. (See attachment 6). The overall goal was to have a trained
counselor in every village in Alaska, (which number 171). To
date there are 136 RHS-trained counselors or students working as counselors or
human service workers in 83 Alaskan communities, 81 communities are villages
(see attachment 7) Subsequently,
the Commissioner of Health and Social Services began the process of securing
federal funds to meet this goal.
From the variety of feedback, it was decided to revise four course this year: RHS 150 - Introduction to Rural Counseling; RHS 250 - Rural Counseling II; RHS 260 Addictions: Interventions and Treatments; and RHS 285 Case Management. It was requested that the mental health area be strengthened as well as issues of after-care for substance abusers.
To
ensure that the revisions adequately address concerns of Alaska Natives, two
faculty members will be attending an international conference at McGill
University on Indigenous People and Mental Health Issues. Curriculum revision will follow their
attendance at this conference.
We
are moving toward competency based curriculum.
The revised course will include competency standards.
The
program is continually updating curriculum to reflect the changing needs of the
students.
A
variety of methodologies are used to support student learning and achieve
successful outcomes. As stated in the
introduction, the Rural Human Services Program takes an innovative and holistic
approach to teaching and learning. The
curriculum is built on three basic foundations,
1.
Content
knowledge and skills- RHS uses innovative approaches to its teaching. The program is taught by offering classes in
intensive, weeklong formats. Students
generally attend a three-week session.
Classes are conducted all day from Monday through Friday and evening
labs are held four nights per week.
Methodologies include:
mini-lectures, student presentations, guest speakers, videos, field
trips, daily journals, as well as reading and writing assignments.
2.
Alaska
Native Values and Traditions – Since Alaska Native cultures tend to be
group—oriented; the program is designed to build on this familiarity by using
the cohort system. Students have
identified this support system as one of the most important features of the
program. In addition, the teaching
takes a cooperative approach in which students often work in pairs or small
groups. Perhaps the most innovative
component is the inclusion of Alaska Native elders as part of the teaching
team. Courses are specifically designed
to explore the Alaska Native perspective and build on student strengths. To ensure that, most courses are taught or
co-taught by an Alaska Native whenever possible and speakers from the Alaska
Native community are frequent presenters.
Field trips are scheduled to programs run by local Native agencies, such
as Fairbanks Native Association’s treatment programs. The curriculum includes a course entitled Alaska Native
Principles and Values (RHS 140).
3.
Personal
growth and healing. Because of historic
and socio-political factors, most rural Alaskan village residents have
experience a high degree of trauma. The
chronic effects of historical traumas have multiple intergenerational
consequences, including disproportionately high rates of alcoholism, suicide,
accidents, and family violence.
Students and counselors need help dealing these issues and how their own
lives have been affected. Talking
circles, counseling by elders, journaling, buddy system, and other methods are
used to help the students so they might lessen issues of
counter-transference.
Full-time
Faculty 1.5
Adjuncts 25-30
Affiliates 3-5
A key component of the program is its face to face delivery. Depending on the campus, students are brought together for 1-3 weeks in order to take their courses in an intensive format. At the Interior-Aleutians Campus, all students require room and board. For many years, locating an appropriate facility was a daunting project. Training sessions were held all over the state in various remote and urban locations. None proved suitable and the toll staff and students was high. Fortunately, in 1996, a nearby lodge became available for rent in its entirety (see attachment 8). Today, the lodge is rented each year for twelve weeks – four 3-week training sessions between September and April. Students are housed there and classes are taught. The peaceful setting outside of town contributes to an atmosphere with no distractions and offers an appropriate “home away from home” feeling. .. The setting also encourages student bonding. This facility has greatly enhanced the program’s stability.
The Northwest Campus uses class room space in their building while Kuskokwim Campus utilizes the nearby Yupik Cultural Center and dorms.
·
Continued
enrollment growth, program now being delivered at 3 campuses
·
Excellent
partnership with employers all over the state.
Last year, 15 non-profit or tribal organizations sent their employees
for training.
·
Excellent
coordination with Human Services Technology and Social Work Departments so the
program articulates with AAS or BSW.
·
Statewide
recognition, strong support from Alaska Mental Health Board, Governor’s
Advisory Committee on Alcoholism, and the Commissioner of Health and Social
Services.
·
The
results of an evaluation in 1995, which was conducted by Julie Donahue for her
Master’s thesis, were very positive.
She concluded, “students were generally satisfied with the program. In particular, students approved of the
program’s unique blended cultural basis and use of Native elders. Additionally, students liked that the program
contributed to both their personal and professional development.”
·
National
recognition received Award for Excellence and Innovation, National Association
of State Mental Health Program Directors, Human Resource Division (1994). Cited as a model program in rural mental
health by National Association for Rural Mental Health. Office of Rural Health Policy, P7blic Health
Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1995). Highlighted as a model program in counselor
training in Mental health News Alert, a national newsletter for mental health
professions (1997).
·
Working
toward the goal of having a trained counselor in every village. As of March 2000, there were 136 RHS
trained counselors or students working in the field.
·
Active
Program Council who ensure a successful integration of Western concepts with
Alaska Native values and traditions.
·
Loyal
and satisfied graduates as demonstrated in session evaluations, recent surveys,
public testimony, and the new (1999) video “Restoring the Cycle of Life: The RHS Program”
·
Instructors
who have extensive knowledge of their subject and how it applies to rural
Alaska.
·
Most
of the program is funded through “soft” money and is not in the university
budget.
·
Not
enough full-time faculty. Although
adjuncts bring much strength, there is a lack of consistency because most
adjuncts only teach once or twice. With
the program’s expansion to three sites, it is difficult to recruit enough
adjuncts to teach all the classes.
·
No
central structure for program coordination across campuses.
·
Curriculum
in need of revision.
·
·
A
full-time faculty member is being requested from the university for FY
2002.
·
Course
revision of four classes is taking place in June 2000, courses will be
strengthen in those areas identified by students from the course feedback (SOI
and comment sheets); the Outcomes Assessment; the Forum report; and the
supervisor workshop. The substance
abuse and mental health strands will be strengthened. More time will be spent on client assessment, documentation, and
after-care services. We plan to revise
additional four courses per year for the next two years until the entire
curriculum is updated. After the
Donahue evaluation in 1995, the practicum manual was revised and students and
their supervisors have been provided with greater structure.
·
We
are endeavoring to lessen the isolation for our rural students by using the
newer electronic technology. This
spring, we started a listserve so students can keep in touch with each
other. We have also contracted for
services to explore the costs and feasibility of other types of
telesupport.
·
The
Program Council recommended an increased effort to publicize the program and
its success as a way to aid recruitment.
A short video about the program is now available and has been
distributed widely across the state.
Outcome
Assessment results
1995
Program Evaluation
Training
Session Evaluations since 1994
RHS
Forum Report, 1999
RHS
Summit Report, 1998