My journey with RSACC: Reflections on empowering marginalised women

Elias Koenig on July 22, 2024

The most impactful experience of my 4 years at Durham university has been my Postgraduate Placement at the Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse (CRiVA). I worked with a specialist service known as the Rape and Sexual Abuse Counseling Centre (RSACC) to review their outreach strategies and suggest improvements to better serve marginalsied women. It involved analysing demographic data and annual reports, comparing it with census reports from Durham and Darlington, and examining the practices of similar counselling centres both in the UK and the US. My goal was to contribute meaningfully to their mission of supporting survivors of sexual violence, particularly those from marginalized communities. Reflecting on my journey now, I realise how transformative this experience has been, both professionally and personally.

During my research, I reviewed the media and website pages of several counselling services and was really impressed by their innovative efforts to help women of colour seeking refuge from abuse. RSASS Bradford stood out with its dedication to accessibility for women with disabilities. Their website had dictionaries to explain technical terms, making it easier for everyone, regardless of their educational background, to engage with their content. This approach to inclusivity ensured that no one felt excluded because of language barriers or complex phrases. R.A.I.N.N in the US was another standout. Their social media was a model of how to engage with diverse audiences. They tailored content specifically to their target demographics, using the languages spoken by their audiences. This eliminated the need for translators and made their resources immediately accessible. Discovering innovative strategies and successful practices from organisations filled me with excitement. I was inspired by the idea of bringing these concepts to RSACC to enhance its outreach and support services. It was invigorating to see tangible examples of how other centres effectively addressed the needs of marginalised women.

One of the most positive experiences was the reception I got from my supervisors, Nicole Westmarland and Alice Nah, and the staff at RSACC. Initially, I felt a mix of excitement and apprehension, but as I got deeper into my tasks and received their support and encouragement, my confidence grew. It reaffirmed my belief that meaningful change is possible and that with the right strategies, RSACC could significantly improve its services and reach more women in need. This sense of hope was a powerful driving force throughout my research process.

Overall, I felt a deep sense of admiration and respect for organisations like the RSACC that strive to implement thoughtful and comprehensive practices. Their commitment to inclusivity, accessibility, and diversity was evident in their reception of my work and I take pride in being a part of this process.

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My experience as a visiting PhD scholar

Elias Koenig on July 9, 2024

I am Nara Bueno, a Brazilian researcher from University of Goiás (UFG) and I went to Durham University as a short term PhD researcher (for 6 months). I chose Durham for many reasons, the first one was the warm contact that I had with my professor and advisor and the ease of obtaining information and guidance from the university staff. I also had the opportunity to be supervised by a professor, researcher and activist in Human Rights that I greatly admire, Professor Doctor Alice Nah, that I met previously in a Congress at my University. The other reason is because it is a renowned university worldwide, is highly recognized internationally for its research environment and has a good structure and study spaces.

The Department of Sociology, to which I was accepted, offers constant academic qualification and interaction between students, which allowed me to enjoy the best of both worlds: developing tools and knowledge that enriched the research, but also the formation of connections among students, teachers and researchers from all over the world. This interaction allows an interdisciplinary approach which, for me, was important, as it stimulates the expansion of the scientific perspective, as well as innovation and creativity in my work.

Ustinov College for postgraduate students

I was allocated at Ustinov College, exclusively for postgraduate students. The motto of Ustinovians is Strength through diversity. And I could experience exactly these words, because they offer activities curricular and extracurricular that allowed me to learn different points of view such as meeting colleagues from many countries and various areas of knowledge and attending academic discussions at the Seminar Room. The physical structure is amazing (such as the library, classrooms and places to study), the University also uses a software that helps a lot with the appointments (Inkpath). I loved the experience of attending the workshops, since the themes of analysis of the data, until the poetic thinking. Everything was amazing! The only thing that I suggest to change is the policy of access to the university email and other platforms, because after my short time was up, I could not have access anymore.

I highly recommend this experience! I feel like I am returning to my home university with more scientific maturity to research and connected with so many incredible people that also finds the whole world is a big community, full of multicultural beauty.

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Master of social work (MSW)

Elias Koenig on June 17, 2024

I am Christopher. I am a final-year student of 2022-2024 Master of Social Work (MSW) cohort in the Department of Sociology.  

Currently, I am doing my final placement in Durham County Council hospital social work team east and social care direct team. Before joining the MSW programme, I worked in healthcare public affairs advocacy, breast cancer foundation and a banking industry secretariat for five years. Apart from the social work knowledge, skills and values nurtured from this programme, my strengths are media relations development, policy advocacy, event management, and account management of different banking and healthcare projects with a devoted attitude. My favourite subject to study is theories discussing issues around adult mental health. 

Based on my previous working experience, I uncovered that social work is another profession to empower and to engage clients with healthcare needs from perspectives different from biomedical model. It could be a rewarding profession if I could receive their affirmation regarding my direct work with them, other than advocating for a policy change with them. 

Before I came to Durham, I completed my undergraduate degree – Bachelor of Social Sciences (Major: Politics and Public Administration; Minor: Sociology) in the University of Hong Kong in 2016. I decided to study at Durham University because the ranking of this university is the highest based on different reports among all the British universities providing the MSW programme.   

What I enjoy the most about my course is when we were discussing the theoretical knowledge in relation to social constructivism, social judgemental theory, social model of disability and biomedical model, the theories provided me chances to review my past events in different stages of life course. They also provided me contrasting perspectives to perceive the world with more lens.  

In the future, I hope I could be an approved mental health professional after working in adults’ services for 2-3 years and completing the postgraduate diploma of approved mental health professional subsequently. 

If you’re thinking about coming to Durham to study this course, please research about the placement and evaluate if you could complete your life tasks after working hours (8:30pm-5pm) during a total of 170 working day placements because you need to write reflections re placements, to prepare portfolio regarding your practice in both placements and to complete your assignments after working hours. 

Lastly, think about which stream, adults’ or children’s services, would fit for your professional development before joining this programme, so that you could maximise your learning by choosing placement institutions offering relevant services in first and final year.   

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