Viola's Visit To Japan 2010
At the National Organization of Forensic Social Work's
April 2010 conference in Atlanta a delegation of professors with the Japanese
Society of Law and Forensic Social Services invited NOFSW to Japan to give the
keynote at their conference on August 7, 2010. I was delighted the NOFSW
Board selected me to represent the organization in Japan. It was my first
visit to Asia and I was very excited to learn about Japanese culture.
Words cannot express the gratitude and honor I feel for JSLFSS, President Sachio Katou and members of the JSLFSS treated me most graciously. I honestly was overwhelmed by the generosity and hospitality. I so appreciated the opportunity to stay in the homes of Professor Masanori Fujiwara and his wife, Chisachi who served as my primary chaperone/hosts for my visit. Additionally, Chairperson Jun-ichi Takagi and Professor Hisayo Takagi gave me a personal tour of the Suzuka University of Medical Science. They kindly opened their home to me and my travel companion, Professor Jennifer Kerpelman of Auburn University as did Professor Masako Yamada and her husband.
I was also given an extensive tour of Nihon Fukushi University, three child guidance centers, a crisis hotline center and the Nagoya Court System where I had the opportunity to sit in on two hearings in progress. I learned that social workers are not as prevalent in Japan as they are in the United States. In the United States, the utilization of social work knowledge and skills nearly always serves the interest of justice, and countless judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys depend on social workers as their most trusted of professional allies.
However, I wish the United States had a training program like the one by the Supreme Court of Japan. I think it would help forensic social workers better serve the court and their clients if they were trained at that level.
While in Japan, I was invited to give four presentations on forensic social work. With the help of Professors Mari Hirayama, Etsuko Yuhara, and Yutaka Nakagawa serving as translators, I was able to discuss the following topics:
I enjoyed the opportunity to study Japanese history, culture and social welfare, and will forever cherish this as one of the most positive experiences of my life. I appreciate the opportunity to represent NOFSW and feel I have made some lifelong friends in Japan. I truly believe we have a great deal to learn from each other and I know both NOFSW and JSLFSS are looking forward to a long successful collegial relationship.
Words cannot express the gratitude and honor I feel for JSLFSS, President Sachio Katou and members of the JSLFSS treated me most graciously. I honestly was overwhelmed by the generosity and hospitality. I so appreciated the opportunity to stay in the homes of Professor Masanori Fujiwara and his wife, Chisachi who served as my primary chaperone/hosts for my visit. Additionally, Chairperson Jun-ichi Takagi and Professor Hisayo Takagi gave me a personal tour of the Suzuka University of Medical Science. They kindly opened their home to me and my travel companion, Professor Jennifer Kerpelman of Auburn University as did Professor Masako Yamada and her husband.
I was also given an extensive tour of Nihon Fukushi University, three child guidance centers, a crisis hotline center and the Nagoya Court System where I had the opportunity to sit in on two hearings in progress. I learned that social workers are not as prevalent in Japan as they are in the United States. In the United States, the utilization of social work knowledge and skills nearly always serves the interest of justice, and countless judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys depend on social workers as their most trusted of professional allies.
However, I wish the United States had a training program like the one by the Supreme Court of Japan. I think it would help forensic social workers better serve the court and their clients if they were trained at that level.
While in Japan, I was invited to give four presentations on forensic social work. With the help of Professors Mari Hirayama, Etsuko Yuhara, and Yutaka Nakagawa serving as translators, I was able to discuss the following topics:
August 2, 2010: Hakuoh University - Department of Law in Oyama, Tochigi, Japan
"Preventing Child Abuse in the United States Utilizing Forensic Social Workers and Community
Education Programs: Forensic Interviewing of Young Children"
August 6, 2010: Nihon Fukushi University, Nagoya Campus - Graduate School of Social Welfare in Chita, Aichi, Japan
"Social Workers Testifying in the United States Justice System"
August 7-8, 2010: Japanese Society of Law and Forensic Social Services Congress Nagoya University of Arts - School of Human Development in Kitanagoya,
Aichi, Japan
"Social Workers Testifying in the United States Justice System - Keynote"
I enjoyed the opportunity to study Japanese history, culture and social welfare, and will forever cherish this as one of the most positive experiences of my life. I appreciate the opportunity to represent NOFSW and feel I have made some lifelong friends in Japan. I truly believe we have a great deal to learn from each other and I know both NOFSW and JSLFSS are looking forward to a long successful collegial relationship.