A Court’s All-Hands Approach Aids Girls Most at Risk
The New York Times
At odds with the law from a young age, Toni has appeared in court 38 times. But things are suddenly starting to change thanks to an unusual collaboration between the judicial and social service systems. Toni is now doing well at school and even mentoring other at-risk girls.

The comfort of animals
The Independent
Residents at Heritage Pointe Senior Living hosted social work students from Southwest Minnesota State University, along with several cats on Wednesday. “We’re going to do this once a month with whoever is available,” said Rick Robinson, professor of social work and pet therapy project director.

The social network
City Pulse
You have to be tough as nails, both physically and emotionally, to be a social worker. On any given day, you could have to wrestle a frenzied teen to the ground or mop up the blood from a suicide attempt. The indie drama “Short Term 12,” part of the East Lansing Film Series at Studio C!, believably depicts the highs and the lows of a group of college-age workers helping emotionally damaged teens.

Winthrop master’s programs showing rapid growth
The Herald online
One of the school’s most popular graduate degree programs – a master’s in social work, or MSW – has seen rapid growth over the past five years. Enrollment is up by 50 percent, and the number of MSW degrees awarded has grown by nearly 120 percent.

How to spot the signs of suicide
Star-Herald
No one wants to talk about suicide. We don’t want to think that our loved ones could be hurting so much that suicide seems like a viable option. “People are uncomfortable talking about death in general. They know it’s there. They don’t know how to talk about it. Some feel ashamed and think it might be their fault,” said Lori Rodriquez, licensed clinical social worker at Options in Psychology.

Parents listen to concerns with Common Core
Riverhead News-Review
Social worker Mary Calamia said she’s noticed an increase of students experiencing bed wetting and nose bleeds due to stress caused by the new assessments.  An eight-grade female student also came under the social worker’s care last April after the teenager carved the word “stupid” on her wrist, Ms. Calamia said. “I found it all boils back to this Common Core,” she said.

Interview with CRISP President, Charles E. Lewis, Jr., PhD
Social Justice Solutions
Social Work is a profession that is multifaceted and involved in all segments of society. SJS interviews social workers as a way to promote the profession and to share all that one can do with their degree. The interview below with Charles E. Lewis, Jr. depicts how diverse a social work career can be and the types of positions one can hold.

More social workers recommended for schools
The Gleaner [Jamaica, WI]
Eva Forde, president of the Jamaica Association of Social Workers, said a multifaceted approach is needed to assist schools, and the time for lip service has expired. “To be honest, this report, to me, is redundant. We already knew this,” Forde stated, adding that for years, social workers and educators have been calling for intervention in these schools.

DCF social worker: Demand driving supply in human trafficking
New Haven Register
About 200 social workers, law enforcement workers, hospital administrators and others listened to [Audrey] Morrissey, 51, describe how she became a survivor of domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) at the state’s first full-day forum on the issue.…Morrissey is now the associate director of the Justice Resource Institute’s My Life My Choice program. She mentors commercially sexually exploited girls and spearheads public awareness initiatives and preventative educational training.

If Members of Congress Hear From Americans Living in Poverty, Will They Do Something About It?
The Nation
Representative [Barbara] Lee is someone who frequently shares with her colleagues the stories of ordinary Americans who are struggling. In fact, Treptow sat in the House Gallery as Lee spoke on the floor of a constituent whose children were benefitting from Head Start. Treptow says she had “read up on” the congresswoman prior to her visit and wasn’t surprised that they connected with one another when they met. “Because she had been in the same shoes as me,” said Treptow. “I admire her—where she has been and where she is now. And not only that, she fights for where she has been and what she believes makes a difference.… These are the people we need in Congress, not people who just want to cut everything.”

Waynesburg social worker develops anxiety app
The Observer-Reporter
Anxiety, the feeling inside so many people carry around with them from morning to restless night, may have finally met its match. Thanks to the determination of licensed clinical social worker Jonathan Johnson of Waynesburg, there is an app that can be downloaded into a smartphone that can help address anxiety wherever and whenever it might happen.

‘Sandwich Generation’ struggles to care for kids, aging parents
Star News
If a parent has dementia, the burden grows, said Sheryl Zimmerman, a Kenan professor of social work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “Medical events, such as falls, occur without warning, and it’s not always clear whether medical care is needed,” Zimmerman said. “A parent with dementia may be fine one moment, and wandering outdoors the next, or else leaving the burner on the stove, and the caregiver may not know the event occurred until after the fact.”