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Chapter 21 - Reflections on Psychiatric Social Work in an African Setting

A Story about Challenges

from Part I - Storying-to-Learn: How Stories-that-Matter Help Us Appreciate Social Work in Action

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 August 2025

Tony Ghaye
Affiliation:
The Arctic University of Norway
Rita Sørly
Affiliation:
The Arctic University of Norway
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Summary

1. Reflect upon how the conditions for social workers engaged in mental health work can improve in a Zimbabwean context. What do you think must be the first step? 2. What are the benefits of multidisciplinary work within a mental health environment? 3. How can traditional approaches function together with Western approaches to mental health care treatment in Zimbabwe? 4. How can stories be a way of improving mental health challenges among people suffering from mental distress?

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Type
Chapter
Information
Learning through Social Work Stories-That-Matter
Global Perspectives
, pp. 298 - 310
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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References

Chineka, T. S. & Kurevakwesu, W. (2021). Challenges for child welfare and development during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe. African Journal of Social Work, 11(4), 209–15.Google Scholar
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Kurevakwesu, W. (2017). The social work profession in Zimbabwe: A critical approach on the position of social work on Zimbabwe’s development. Afro-Asian Journal of Social Sciences, 8(1), 112.Google Scholar
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Kurevakwesu, W. (2023). United we stand, and divided we fall: A call to action for the decolonisation of social work in Africa. International Social Work, 0(00), 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728231196364Google Scholar
Kurevakwesu, W., Chikwaiwa, B. K., & Mundau, M. (2022). The struggle for social work professional identity in contemporary Zimbabwe: A study on abuse of the social work title. Qualitative Social Work, 22(2), 200–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/14733250211061827Google Scholar
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Najafi, K., Khoshab, H., Rahimi, N., & Jahanara, A. (2022). Relationship between spiritual health with stress, anxiety and depression in patients with chronic diseases. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 17,100463. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijans.2022.100463CrossRefGoogle Scholar
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