Rick Csiernik
Biographic Data
| ID | 312974 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Rick Csiernik |
| GIVEN NAMES | Rick |
| FAMILY NAME | Csiernik |
| SIGNATURE | CSIERNIK R |
| AFFILIATIONS | Western University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5082-169X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 29 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 8 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 29 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1997 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
“A Better Me for My Children”: A Call for Systemic Relational Family Work in Child and Youth Mental Health
Despite an established body of knowledge supporting the efficacy of systemic and relational approaches in children’s mental health care, there are mounting barriers to family involvement. The current reflexive thematic analysis included data from parents, social work students, university faculty and field professionals, and school board professionals ( n = 65) to understand the mental health needs of parents and families. The findings exemplify t…
Black Family Members’ Experiences and Interpretations of Supportive Resources for Them and Their Relatives With Substance Use Disorders: A Focused Ethnography
While previous research explored the utilization of culturally supportive resources in multiethnic communities, there is a paucity of information regarding culturally relevant resources for Black Canadian family members. The study explored Black family members’ experiences and interpretations regarding access to culturally supportive resources for family members and their relatives who suffer from substance use disorders. Black family members are…
Black family members’ cultural beliefs and experiences regarding substance use and misuse by relatives: A focused ethnography
Research explored substance use in Black communities in Canada, but a gap exists about the experiences of Black family members, caring for relatives with substance misuse within the Canadian context. Black family members are defined as African Canadians, Caribbean Canadian or Caribbean Blacks. This paper explores Black family members' beliefs and experiences regarding their relatives' psychoactive substance use and misuse. A focused ethnography w…
Support and Aid to Families Electronically (Safe): Addressing Intersecting Academic and Community Needs
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools from elementary to post-secondary suddenly shifted to remote learning, placing a heavy burden on parents and caregivers. Likewise, social work practicum placements pivoted to remote learning, compounding existing difficulties securing practicum opportunities. This article describes a response to these challenges. The Support and Aid to Families Electronically (SAFE) practicum pilot program was develop…
Development of a visual recurrence prevention tool
Lower education levels among addiction treatment service users poses a significant communication barrier in addiction treatment. We sought to develop a new visual educational resource to support recurrence prevention among those seeking alcohol dependency treatment. Eighty-six Canadian addiction counseling professionals provided feedback on the model developed based upon five principles of evidence-based visuals: content, cognitive load, writing …
Social Work Student Experiences of Completing Internships in Canada During Covid-19: Application of a Remote Learning Plan
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic as a result of the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, a severe acute respiratory syndrome. Public health authorities throughout Canada were emphasizing early detection, physical distancing, hand washing, sheltering in place through household and self-isolation, and the closing of schools and businesses. For universities it meant the cancelation of classes and an immediat…
A Feasibility Study of the Safe Pilot Program: A University–School Board Partnership in Ontario
The Support and Aid to Families Electronically (SAFE) pilot program was developed through a community-university partnership to support parents of elementary students in Ontario, while providing stable practicums for social work students in the midst of COVID-19 restrictions. Purpose: The aim of the current study was to examine the feasibility of the SAFE pilot program as a mental health support to families by examining three feasibility objectiv…
Why has the Opioid Crisis Remained Unchanged in Canada? The Limits of Bio-Scientific Based Policy Approaches
A primer on sleeping, dreaming, and psychoactive agents
As a necessary part of physiological and emotional well-being, sleep is often overlooked or undervalued in Western society, in spite of the role restorative sleep plays in growth, healing, and recovery, immune response, and emotional regulation. The effect of psychoactive drugs on sleep, including pharmacological substances meant to assist in sleep, is notable and profound, especially in their disruption of REM sleep, the stage of sleep associate…
A Creative Solution to the Social Work Practicum Amid a Pandemic: The Remote Learning Plan
It has been postulated that field education is the signature pedagogy of social work education. Practicums are paramount in assisting social work students to develop the unique skills and competencies required for professional practice. Traditionally, field education in social work has occurred within the context of social service agencies involving face-to-face interaction with service users and colleagues. The crisis created by the COVID-19 pan…
Why we pay outsiders to counsel our congregation members: Investigating the motivation for funding a congregational assistance plan
A Congregational Assistance Plan (CAP) is a formalized mechanism of counseling, premised on the model developed offering support to workers, Employee Assistance Programming, except for members of a church community. This Canadian study involved 44 church leaders representing both urban and rural congregations. Participants reported that they used church funds to pay for CAP for both spiritual and pragmatic reasons. CAP is viewed as an extension o…
The Shalem congregational assistance plan: A ten year retrospective
A Congregational Assistance Program (CAP) is a unique initiative that appropriates the Employee Assistance model of service provision but instead of centering the counseling around the workplace for employees and their families uses the church as the hub. This article examines the ten-year developmental history of the first Canadian CAP situated in Ontario. The rationale for its development is provided along with how the program was first piloted…
Gatekeeper Perspectives on Substance Misuse Among a Muslim Community in Southwestern Ontario, Canada
This study was conducted during 2018 with 20 community leaders and professionals from within one Muslim community in Canada: Imams, physicians, police officers, social workers, and teachers, who serve as gatekeepers to treatment for Muslims who are seeking support for addiction. Major themes revealed were i) The Impact of Islam on responses to psychoactive substance use and misuse, ii) The influence of family and community on responses to psychoa…
Addiction Training of Child Welfare Professionals in Ontario: Key Informant Perceptions
Substance use and addiction constitute a prominent factor contributing to families becoming engaged in the child welfare system. Nine key informants, four supervisors and five front line staff, from five different child welfare organizations across Ontario, Canada provided insights into the training they have received during their careers and what additional training they would value to enhance their ability to deal with this issue. The importanc…
An Examination of Universal Drug Education Programming in Ontario, Canada’s Elementary School System
The Impact of Animal-Assisted Intervention on Staff in a Seniors Residential Care Facility
Substance Use of Homeless and Precariously Housed Youth in a Canadian Context
The Stigma Scale: A Canadian Perspective
Stigma is a devastating psychosocial issue for many individuals with mental illness. This study examined the mental illness stigma experiences of 380 individuals with a self-reported psychiatric diagnosis in London, Ontario, Canada, using the Stigma Scale, a tool recently developed in the United Kingdom (UK). Data for the Canadian sample were examined and compared with those from the UK pilot group. Results indicated that both samples experienced…
A Tale of Two Churches: The Development of a Congregational Assistance Program
Drawing upon the principles of employee assistance programs, a congregational assistance program was piloted in two churches: one urban and one rural in Ontario, Canada. The developmental processes of a faith-inclusive, external counseling service with no direct-cost user fees is discussed highlighting the distinct issues addressed by each congregation. Despite uncertainties, the use of the program for a range of personal issues exceeded utilizat…
Examining the Intersection of Addiction and Issues of Ability in Canada
Nearly 2 million Canadians report some form of ability issue. Levels of addiction among these individuals are upward of 60% greater than within the general Canadian population, yet they have significantly lower rates of treatment participation. Lower rates of treatment are due to a variety of reasons, including physical, attitudinal, and programming barriers that are often insurmountable for individuals living with disabilities who wish to access…
Meeting Professional Competencies through Specialized Distance Education: The McMaster University Addiction Studies Program
Historically, addiction has been an area in which Canadian social workers have received limited formal education. This reality led to the development of 18 core technical competencies through the auspices of the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse in 2006. A survey of Canadian schools and faculties of social work found that social work students might obtain a grounding in many of these competencies, however, there was no certainty of this. An opti…
Trauma Exposure and the Social Work Practicum
In this study, 58 undergraduate and graduate students at 1 Canadian school of social work voluntarily completed a survey at the conclusion of their academic year consisting of open- and closed-ended questions intended to examine their exposure to trauma during the course of their field practice. The authors discovered that the majority of students entered the program having already experienced or been exposed to at least 1 significant traumatic i…
An Examination of Canadian Social Work Program Curriculum and The Addiction Core Competencies
The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, in conjunction with key Canadian stakeholders, has developed a guideline outlining 18 core competencies for those working with clients with addiction issues. The curriculum of Canada's 35 faculties and schools of social work were examined using the core competencies to determine the extent of addiction education received by undergraduate and graduate social work students. All social work addiction courses w…
Appointment Choice and Outcome at a Supported Employment Agency
A 3-month study of 94 clients at a supported employment agency in London, Ontario, examined the significance of appointment choice in successful job placement. Clients who had been in conflict with the law were least likely to be appointment compliant, while social assistance recipients mandated to attend were the most likely to put off their initial agency visit and also most likely to terminate contact with the employment support service within…
Applying the Generalist Model of Social Work Practice for a Catholic Church Parish Team
It has been argued that social workers would make valuable additions to Catholic church parish teams. A plan for how this could occur is presented using the tenets of the generalist model of social work practice, which consists of seven components: engagement, assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation, termination, and follow‐up. The addition of social workers to a parish team would not only enhance the wellness of individual parishes, but…
Information Technology and Social Work—The Dark Side or Light Side
The transition from industrial society to information society has had a significant impact upon social work. Benefits emerging have included simplified recording and assessment, electronic advocacy, interactive distance education opportunities and online group work and supervision. However, information technology can also be socially isolating and has led to new social issues including the creation of a false sense of safety, particularly among c…
Trauma Exposure and the Social Work Practicum
In this study, 58 undergraduate and graduate students at 1 Canadian school of social work voluntarily completed a survey at the conclusion of their academic year consisting of open- and closed-ended questions intended to examine their exposure to trauma during the course of their field practice. The authors discovered that the majority of students entered the program having already experienced or been exposed to at least 1 significant traumatic i…
A Feasibility Study of the Safe Pilot Program: A University–School Board Partnership in Ontario
The Support and Aid to Families Electronically (SAFE) pilot program was developed through a community-university partnership to support parents of elementary students in Ontario, while providing stable practicums for social work students in the midst of COVID-19 restrictions. Purpose: The aim of the current study was to examine the feasibility of the SAFE pilot program as a mental health support to families by examining three feasibility objectiv…
A Creative Solution to the Social Work Practicum Amid a Pandemic: The Remote Learning Plan
It has been postulated that field education is the signature pedagogy of social work education. Practicums are paramount in assisting social work students to develop the unique skills and competencies required for professional practice. Traditionally, field education in social work has occurred within the context of social service agencies involving face-to-face interaction with service users and colleagues. The crisis created by the COVID-19 pan…
Community Development in EAP: The Employee Assistance Program Council of Hamilton-Wentworth
EAP Councils emerged in the 1980s in Ontario, Canada as a community development mechanism to expand the profile of employee assistance and to provide networking and educational opportunities for those in this growing field. The first Council to emerge was in Hamilton-Wentworth. This article reviews this organization'S history, objectives, structure and community development function. The Council'S ongoing social planning activities are highlighte…
Counseling for the Family: The Neglected Aspect of Addiction Treatment in Canada
There has been a historic neglect of both research and practice in the area of counselling for the family members of alcohol or other drug abusers by the addiction field in Canada. As a result, treatment for individual family members affected by alcoholism and other drug addiction remains a neglected component of the majority of Canadian addiction programs. When family involvement is incorporated, the tendency has been to concentrate on orientati…
Is Substance Abuse an Issue? Perceptions of Male and Female Community-Based Mental Health System Consumer-Survivors
Information Technology and Social Work—The Dark Side or Light Side
The transition from industrial society to information society has had a significant impact upon social work. Benefits emerging have included simplified recording and assessment, electronic advocacy, interactive distance education opportunities and online group work and supervision. However, information technology can also be socially isolating and has led to new social issues including the creation of a false sense of safety, particularly among c…
Applying the Generalist Model of Social Work Practice for a Catholic Church Parish Team
It has been argued that social workers would make valuable additions to Catholic church parish teams. A plan for how this could occur is presented using the tenets of the generalist model of social work practice, which consists of seven components: engagement, assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation, termination, and follow‐up. The addition of social workers to a parish team would not only enhance the wellness of individual parishes, but…
An Examination of Canadian Social Work Program Curriculum and The Addiction Core Competencies
The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, in conjunction with key Canadian stakeholders, has developed a guideline outlining 18 core competencies for those working with clients with addiction issues. The curriculum of Canada's 35 faculties and schools of social work were examined using the core competencies to determine the extent of addiction education received by undergraduate and graduate social work students. All social work addiction courses w…
Appointment Choice and Outcome at a Supported Employment Agency
A 3-month study of 94 clients at a supported employment agency in London, Ontario, examined the significance of appointment choice in successful job placement. Clients who had been in conflict with the law were least likely to be appointment compliant, while social assistance recipients mandated to attend were the most likely to put off their initial agency visit and also most likely to terminate contact with the employment support service within…
Trauma Exposure and the Social Work Practicum
In this study, 58 undergraduate and graduate students at 1 Canadian school of social work voluntarily completed a survey at the conclusion of their academic year consisting of open- and closed-ended questions intended to examine their exposure to trauma during the course of their field practice. The authors discovered that the majority of students entered the program having already experienced or been exposed to at least 1 significant traumatic i…
A Tale of Two Churches: The Development of a Congregational Assistance Program
Drawing upon the principles of employee assistance programs, a congregational assistance program was piloted in two churches: one urban and one rural in Ontario, Canada. The developmental processes of a faith-inclusive, external counseling service with no direct-cost user fees is discussed highlighting the distinct issues addressed by each congregation. Despite uncertainties, the use of the program for a range of personal issues exceeded utilizat…
Examining the Intersection of Addiction and Issues of Ability in Canada
Nearly 2 million Canadians report some form of ability issue. Levels of addiction among these individuals are upward of 60% greater than within the general Canadian population, yet they have significantly lower rates of treatment participation. Lower rates of treatment are due to a variety of reasons, including physical, attitudinal, and programming barriers that are often insurmountable for individuals living with disabilities who wish to access…
Meeting Professional Competencies through Specialized Distance Education: The McMaster University Addiction Studies Program
Historically, addiction has been an area in which Canadian social workers have received limited formal education. This reality led to the development of 18 core technical competencies through the auspices of the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse in 2006. A survey of Canadian schools and faculties of social work found that social work students might obtain a grounding in many of these competencies, however, there was no certainty of this. An opti…
The Stigma Scale: A Canadian Perspective
Stigma is a devastating psychosocial issue for many individuals with mental illness. This study examined the mental illness stigma experiences of 380 individuals with a self-reported psychiatric diagnosis in London, Ontario, Canada, using the Stigma Scale, a tool recently developed in the United Kingdom (UK). Data for the Canadian sample were examined and compared with those from the UK pilot group. Results indicated that both samples experienced…
Substance Use of Homeless and Precariously Housed Youth in a Canadian Context
The Impact of Animal-Assisted Intervention on Staff in a Seniors Residential Care Facility
An Examination of Universal Drug Education Programming in Ontario, Canada’s Elementary School System
Addiction Training of Child Welfare Professionals in Ontario: Key Informant Perceptions
Substance use and addiction constitute a prominent factor contributing to families becoming engaged in the child welfare system. Nine key informants, four supervisors and five front line staff, from five different child welfare organizations across Ontario, Canada provided insights into the training they have received during their careers and what additional training they would value to enhance their ability to deal with this issue. The importanc…
Why we pay outsiders to counsel our congregation members: Investigating the motivation for funding a congregational assistance plan
A Congregational Assistance Plan (CAP) is a formalized mechanism of counseling, premised on the model developed offering support to workers, Employee Assistance Programming, except for members of a church community. This Canadian study involved 44 church leaders representing both urban and rural congregations. Participants reported that they used church funds to pay for CAP for both spiritual and pragmatic reasons. CAP is viewed as an extension o…
The Shalem congregational assistance plan: A ten year retrospective
A Congregational Assistance Program (CAP) is a unique initiative that appropriates the Employee Assistance model of service provision but instead of centering the counseling around the workplace for employees and their families uses the church as the hub. This article examines the ten-year developmental history of the first Canadian CAP situated in Ontario. The rationale for its development is provided along with how the program was first piloted…
Gatekeeper Perspectives on Substance Misuse Among a Muslim Community in Southwestern Ontario, Canada
This study was conducted during 2018 with 20 community leaders and professionals from within one Muslim community in Canada: Imams, physicians, police officers, social workers, and teachers, who serve as gatekeepers to treatment for Muslims who are seeking support for addiction. Major themes revealed were i) The Impact of Islam on responses to psychoactive substance use and misuse, ii) The influence of family and community on responses to psychoa…
A Creative Solution to the Social Work Practicum Amid a Pandemic: The Remote Learning Plan
It has been postulated that field education is the signature pedagogy of social work education. Practicums are paramount in assisting social work students to develop the unique skills and competencies required for professional practice. Traditionally, field education in social work has occurred within the context of social service agencies involving face-to-face interaction with service users and colleagues. The crisis created by the COVID-19 pan…
Why has the Opioid Crisis Remained Unchanged in Canada? The Limits of Bio-Scientific Based Policy Approaches
A primer on sleeping, dreaming, and psychoactive agents
As a necessary part of physiological and emotional well-being, sleep is often overlooked or undervalued in Western society, in spite of the role restorative sleep plays in growth, healing, and recovery, immune response, and emotional regulation. The effect of psychoactive drugs on sleep, including pharmacological substances meant to assist in sleep, is notable and profound, especially in their disruption of REM sleep, the stage of sleep associate…
Support and Aid to Families Electronically (Safe): Addressing Intersecting Academic and Community Needs
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools from elementary to post-secondary suddenly shifted to remote learning, placing a heavy burden on parents and caregivers. Likewise, social work practicum placements pivoted to remote learning, compounding existing difficulties securing practicum opportunities. This article describes a response to these challenges. The Support and Aid to Families Electronically (SAFE) practicum pilot program was develop…
Development of a visual recurrence prevention tool
Lower education levels among addiction treatment service users poses a significant communication barrier in addiction treatment. We sought to develop a new visual educational resource to support recurrence prevention among those seeking alcohol dependency treatment. Eighty-six Canadian addiction counseling professionals provided feedback on the model developed based upon five principles of evidence-based visuals: content, cognitive load, writing …
Social Work Student Experiences of Completing Internships in Canada During Covid-19: Application of a Remote Learning Plan
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic as a result of the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, a severe acute respiratory syndrome. Public health authorities throughout Canada were emphasizing early detection, physical distancing, hand washing, sheltering in place through household and self-isolation, and the closing of schools and businesses. For universities it meant the cancelation of classes and an immediat…
Psychology (23 works) · Medicine (21 works) · Political science (15 works) · Psychiatry (14 works) · Sociology (14 works) · Medical education (12 works) · Public relations (11 works) · Social Work (11 works) · Social Work Education and Practice (9 works) · Engineering (8 works)