Another Voice: The value of licensed clinical social workers
The Buffalo News
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) was created in 1955, and a new approach to addressing social problems that viewed human behavior as inextricably tied to prevailing social forces, joined the ranks of doctors, psychologists, and police officers on the front lines of social change. Though social work’s rise to professionalization was timely, coinciding with the tumult of the 1960s, it was not without peril, as the advocacy efforts of social workers soon became figuratively linked with the cultural shifts taking place in the country and perhaps even viewed as a catalyst for those very changes.

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Kathryn Smerling is a member:
Does Your Baby Smile A Lot? There’s More To It Than Happiness
Romper
“It’s important to remember that emotion doesn’t tie into a baby’s constant smiles,” NYC family psychologist Kathryn Smerling, PhD LCSW, tells Romper. “Up until recent research revealed otherwise, we’ve always assumed that babies smiled in response to a genuine emotion they were feeling. But around 6 to 8 weeks, when a baby normally starts ‘social smiling’ as opposed to smiling as a reflex, she is responding to things that she can hear or faces she can see. She’ll typically smile in response to people, and less when she’s alone.”

DCF Promotes Need for More Social Workers
WIBW
Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) social workers are often one of the first lines of defense against abuse and neglect for children and vulnerable adults. They work in collaboration with law enforcement, the courts, contractors, families and others to ensure the safety and well-being of those who cannot protect themselves. Due to the high demands of the job, Kansas, like other states across the nations, is experiencing a shortage of social workers.

Lisa Ferentz is a member:
11 Subtle Signs You Might Be In An Emotionally Abusive Relationship
Huffpost
hysical abuse is easy to recognize, but emotional abuse in a relationship can be more insidious, often going undetected by family members, friends and even victims themselves. Unlike physical or sexual abuse, there is a subtlety to emotional abuse,” Lisa Ferentz, a licensed clinical social worker and educator specializing in trauma, told HuffPost. “It’s a lot more confusing to victims, as it typically is couched in behaviors that can initially be perceived as ‘caring.’”

Shari Botwin is a member:
[Video] Expert says students need to return to school after trauma
6abc.com (Philadelphia, PA)
That support, and being around people who’ve faced the same horrific tragedy is something Shari Botwin – a licensed clinical social worker in Cherry Hill says will help with healing. Botwin says, “If they need to cry, talk, have flashbacks, there’s going to be people to talk to.” It’s been two weeks since the gunman went on a rampage, shooting and killing 17 people inside the school. As difficult as it is, Botwin says its important students and staff return. “In some ways that’s what helps some people move beyond trauma, going back to the place it happened, saying I have the right to be in the school and feel safe again,” Botwin said.

Lack of support staff is hurting schools
The Baltimore Sun
For social workers in Baltimore County schools, the shortages are far worse: there are only 73.5 full time equivalent positions in the system. The ratio recommended by the American School of Social Work is one social worker to 250 students. Even if the currently proposed additional 16 positions are approved, the ratio will still be just one social worker for every 1,258 students (currently the ratio is 1 to 1,501 students). Since social workers are full time only at the high schools, a high school can have anywhere from 1,000-2,000 students and only one social worker.

Results of emergency department pilot underscores impact of social workers
newswire.ca
Today signals the start Social Work Week in the province (March 5-11).  It also marks a new chapter for the Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW), representing 5,300+ social workers in the province, as they highlight the positive findings from a recent pilot study in Toronto Emergency Departments and their landmark public awareness efforts aimed at identifying the unique training and expertise social workers provide. Today’s announcement comes at a time when Ontarians are talking more – about mental health, stigma, addiction, sexual assault, as well as everyday issues from bullying to aging parents – and are seeking accessible care and support.

Social Work Month:

Carney designates March as Social Work Month
Middletown Transcript
Gov. John Carney recognized the role of Delaware’s social workers as he signed a proclamation March 1 marking Social Work Month. Carney signed the proclamation during an event at the Wilmington Public Library, one of seven libraries statewide where since January social workers have been stationed once a week to answer questions and connect patrons to social services.