MSW 517 Module 8 A Globally Aware Social Work Philosophy

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The Medicine Wheel: Written Assignment

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The Medicine Wheel

The Medicine Wheel gives alternative guidance and support for continuing healing and change. It draws attention away from the Western healing techniques to Native approaches. The medicine wheel provides means through which Indigenous people can attain the good life (Absolon, 2010). The paper illustrates the application of the Medicine Wheel concept using the case of Andrew Robert. The paper uses the four quadrants of East, South, West, and North to show the interconnectedness of different issues. Through the Medicine Wheel, I analyze how Robert has been oppressed and can come out of the oppression.

Case Overview

Robert is an immigrant from Mexico. He moved to the United States in 2001 and resided in Arizona before moving to New Mexico, where he has lived since 2013. He is forty-three years old. While in Arizona, he got married to a Native American girlfriend in 2003, who was aged seventeen years. They both had three children, two sons and a daughter. However, their marriage did not last long after Robert's wife discovered that he was using illicit drugs (cocaine). That was after Robert continuously showed a lack of concern to his wife since marriage and often threatened to kill her and the children.

Robert admits to using the drugs. After the divorce, her wife moved on and remarried another man. She took the children to foster care, and the eldest son was transferred to his father in 2019. After the breakup, Robert became more addicted to cocaine use and has yet to recover from the mess. During our first meeting, he reported having difficulties trying to stop cocaine use, which forces him to use the drug. On the other hand, he reports having not enrolled in any social security program. He works as a shop attendant, from where he gets income to sustain his basic needs only.

1st Quadrant: East

The quadrant is characterized by visioning. People transition from the spiritual world to the physical earth. It marks the beginning of life, rebirth, or rejuvenation. Notably, according to Absolon (2010), visioning requires one to see the past, the present, and envision the future. To understand the client's situation, it is essential to reflect on Mexicans' discrimination and segregation in the United States since 1846. Regarding segregation, most immigrants from Mexico lived in segregated places. Whites migrated from neighborhoods where the number of Mexican immigrants increased (Pérez-Soria, 2017). They were confined to petty jobs that had little to no pay. Most of them worked for Native American farmers on large plantations for lower wages.

From that period of the Mexican-American war, immigrants were restricted to precarious conditions that raised debates within the United States. Most immigrant discrimination in the host country is presently based on the language, legal statuses, and documentation (Pérez-Soria, 2017). Mexican immigrants also face discrimination at the workplace, public spaces, and schools. With treatment, various research studies show that immigrants less embrace alcohol and drug treatment approaches in the United States. Some of the reasons leading to the trend are that the strategies deployed do not consider the gendered- and sociocultural factors that govern treatment-seeking and engagement behaviors (Valdez et al., 2018).

The question that can help understand Robert's current situation is; what are the impacts of immigrant discrimination on their ability to start a new life and envision the future? Immigrant discrimination has immense implications on immigrants. It creates a sense of hopelessness in their lives. Their past makes them believe that their future is pre-determined and that, however, their efforts will not change their situation. In this context, as a Mexican immigrant, Robert may have difficulties stopping drug use because of the desperateness caused by his immigrant status. Consequently, practitioners can treat immigrants by restoring their hopes and sense of control over their future. They need reassurance that they can control their environment.

2nd Quadrant: South

The south is accompanied by a feeling of renewal in one's life and incorporates relational and emotional aspects. Absolon (2010) notes that "relationships can extend to humans, the natural and spiritual world" and recognizes "kinship systems and their relationship connections" in the southern doorway. Besides the relatives, the immediate community is a critical factor in the healing and recovery process through the principles of collaboration and empowerment (Absolon, 2010).

The southern doorway is critical in understanding the current state of Robert's persistent challenge of drug abuse. The question that can help reflect on his situation is; what has the family and community done to help him get out of the drug abuse habit? In terms of family, Robert is an immigrant who moved to America and left all his relatives in Mexico. Before the divorce, he had her wife and children who could help in his recovery process. However, the breakup made him lose his wife, who later remarried, and his children, who were taken to foster care. Robert also finds difficulties relating with community members due to existing stereotypes about using illicit drugs. In many instances, the public associates drug addicts with violence.

Consequently, Robert could be facing rejection from his community. The dismissal from the community could make him depressed, stressed, and anxious. These conditions force him to use more drugs. Also, as an immigrant, he could be facing discrimination in accessing healthcare services . Therefore, the social workers must understand Robert's relationship with the family and community to offer the best healing and recovery solution.

3rd Quadrant: West

According to Absolon (2010), the Western doorway encompasses teachings of the ancestors, the mind, and respect. It is concerned with knowledge and knowledge of creation (Absolon, 2010). Furthermore, the Western doorway directs attention towards the political arena to understand the politics of colonization and its impact on Indigeniety, governance, livelihood, subsistence, freedom, land bases, and living an Indigenous way of life (Absolon, 2010).

The Western doorway can help practitioners in determining the current Robert's status. The two critical aspects in evaluating his situation are politics and policies. The question that can enhance understanding of Robert's condition is; how do the current American politics and policies contribute to immigrants' mental and physical wellness? From a historical standpoint, immigrants form one of the most marginalized minority groups in the United States. The vast disparities in academic attainment, poverty levels, and health wellness indicate the pervasive discrimination against immigrants (Pérez-Soria, 2017). Also, the politicization of the immigration issue in America has created more problems for immigrants. During the Trump administration, the politics were more pronounced when he promised to build a wall across the American and Mexican border. Discriminated individuals are at the receiving end within communities and succumb to social vices such as drug addiction as a way to retaliate against their oppressors.

4th Quadrant: North

The Northern doorway brings forth healing, doing, and movement teachings. The quadrant promotes understanding of repercussions of unsolved challenges both to the victim, immediate community, and society (Absolon, 2010). For Roberts, the pivotal question is, what are the impacts of drug addiction among immigrants?

Drug addiction among immigrants has immense outcomes. First, it sustains the existing stereotype that assumes most illicit drug users are immigrants. Consequently, they become the target of the criminal justice system. Also, drug abuse among immigrants makes them vulnerable to crimes such as robbery and exposes them to health risks such as cancer. The social workers can develop different treatment options to help Robert. First, Robert can be taken to rehabilitation centers to receive more help. Other options include connecting him to professional counselors and helping him find the right friends.

Center

The center is where all the doorways intersect. It creates balance and harmony among all four quadrants. Each doorway affects victims separately despite their interconnectedness. The relationship, emotional and spiritual aspects also have far-reaching consequences (Absolon, 2010). The center assists social workers in analyzing all the issues relating to a client and developing solutions. In Robert's case, it is essential to explore how his immigration status affected his family life and his drug addiction challenge. Also, the politicization of immigration issues can explain the existing immigrant discrimination in public and private spaces.

Process Commentary and Application

The analysis of health-related issues using the Medicine Wheel is a helpful process that enables social workers to understand clients' problems holistically. From the case overview on Robert, the leading health concern for the client is drug addiction. However, through the Medicine Wheel approach, I found many factors that might be contributing to his problem. They include his immigrant status, discrimination, current politics and policies, and community perceptions.

I will apply the Medicine Wheel in many ways. It consists of four quadrants with a center signifying that individuals are surrounded by different factors that contribute to a whole. In that context, I will use the Medicine Wheel to identify the various elements around clients that contribute to their problems. During the healing process, I will address all the threats to clients' health as established in the Medicine Wheel. Some issues around an individual that may cause a health problem include lower or no incomes, lower academic attainment, unemployment, and discrimination. Diseases such as PTSD results from feelings of isolation associated with biasness in the immediate community. Only through a holistic approach can clients receive the best treatment.

References

Absolon, K. (2010). Indigenous wholistic theory: A knowledge set for practice. First Peoples Child & Family Review, 5(2), 74-87.

Pérez-Soria, J. (2017). Mexican immigrants in the United States: A review of the literature on integration, segregation and discrimination. ESTUDIOS FRONTERIZOS, 18(37), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.21670/ref.2017.37.a01

Valdez, L. A., Garcia, D. O., Ruiz, J., Oren, E., & Carvajal, S. (2018). Exploring structural, sociocultural, and individual barriers to alcohol abuse treatment among Hispanic men. American Journal of Men's Health, 12(6), 1948–1957. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988318790882