Members in the News – June 8, 2023

Meagan Crews is a member of NASW-NC:
Jackson
education leaders update public on newly implemented school-based mental health
program ‘Project AWARE’
The Southern Scoop
At the May regular meeting of the Jackson County Board of Education, Meagan
Crews, LCSW, Director of Behavioral Health for Jackson County Public Schools,
gave an update on Project AWARE. In September 2021, Jackson County was selected
as one of six school systems in the state to serve as a pilot site for Project
AWARE.
Elizabeth Dosoretz is a member of NASW-FL:
Guest
Commentary: Weather-related PTSD a growing concern months after Hurricane Ian
Cape Coral Breeze
Seven months after Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida, and with the
2023 hurricane season looming, we reflect on the mental health impacts for
those still recovering from the devastation of fall 2022. If you’ve lived
through a hurricane — especially one with the intensity of Hurricane Ian — it’s
common to feel traumatized, fearful and vulnerable in its aftermath. Even a
half-year after the storm, many survivors are still working to process and move
beyond their traumatic experiences.
Jude Vereyken is a member of NASW-MI:
Jude
Vereyken: Bad news in the news just keeps on a comin’
Holland Sentinel
It just keeps on keeping on a comin’ … more violence, more shootings,
more deadly storms, more war devastation, more train wrecks, more horrendous
fires with more pain and suffering unfolding as we watch, read, scroll
through it all yet one-a-more-a time and time and time again! I don’t know
about you but some moments my heart just can’t bare another gruesome story …
another horrendous reality. It all gets to be just too much.
Tracy Fooks is a member of NASW-NJ:
Fooks
Named Administrator At Angelic Health Hospice Care
SNJ Today
Tracy Fooks, MSW, LCSW, has been named the administrator for the
West Atlantic City office of Angelic Health Hospice Care. In this position,
Fooks oversees day-to-day functioning of the office which covers Atlantic, Cape
May, and Cumberland counites. She works collaboratively with the hospice team
to ensure they offer excellent services to patients and their families. Fooks
has 38 years of healthcare experience and held a previous role as director of
professional services at Angelic Health.
Javier Alvarado is a member of NASW-PA:
Intercultural
Family Services plans to scale up services and increase visibility under newly
appointed CEO
The Philadelphia Inquirer
He has only been in the top spot for two weeks, but one of the things Javier
Alvarado plans to do is raise the profile of Intercultural Family Services,
Inc. (IFS). For almost 50 years this West Philadelphia-based institution
has quietly been on the front line of providing supportive services, especially
mental health, for thousands of families.
Christine Ranck is a member of NASW-TN:
Brainspotting:
The Therapy Technique To Try If Your Body Keeps The Score
Glam
Once you’ve located your brainspot, the real work happens. Licensed
clinical social worker and brainspotting therapist and trainer Dr.
Christine Ranck explains
that a brainspotting practitioner will then ask you to stay focused on the
brainspot, where you hold your gaze in the location that triggers the emotional
and physical reaction. They’ll talk to you about what you’re feeling until the
discomfort subsides and you feel lighter and more at peace.
Lisa Gilman is a member of NASW-NYS:
Finding
the Right Words at a Time of Loss
Next Avenue
“People do well with general statements, like ‘Grief and loss are
so hard’ or ‘Death can be so difficult to make sense of,'” says Lisa
Gilman, licensed clinical social worker and board-certified diplomate in New
York. Knowing that we are not the only ones who have lost someone can
bring solace. But Gilman says most people don’t want to hear about others’
losses while they are in the midst of their own. “If you want to express
empathy, simply stating that you know how hard it can be to lose someone can go
a long way.”
Kendra Capalbo is a
member of NASW-CT:
Working
With Criminals and Inmates Took a Toll on My Love Life, Says Former Prison
Worker
New Quay Voice
Kendra Capalbo, a former clinical social worker who spent 15
years working in a maximum-security prison, has revealed how her job completely
devastated her love life. In her role, the 46-year-old performed mental health
assessments for inmates, including murderers, rapists, and criminals. Dealing
with these dangerous individuals on a daily basis had a disastrous impact on
Kendra’s romantic relationships.