Editorial: The sooner the better in school social work
The Day (New London, CT)
A school social worker is a special breed of professional — part trained expert and partly equipped by nature with a patient, kind personality and a rare degree of perceptiveness. It is heartening to know that boards of education, including several in eastern Connecticut, are making it a priority to find budget dollars to increase their social work and counseling staffs and to make more assistance available to students. Some, including the state-designated Alliance Districts, get federal Title 1 and state grants to help. Others, like Montville, have managed to find the wherewithal, a testament to their farsightedness.

Amanda Zaidman is a member:
How to know if your preschooler is struggling with anxiety
Today’s Parent
“It is normal for children to have worries about starting new things and entering new situations,” says Amanda Zaidman, a licensed clinical social worker and owner of Constructive Parenting. “They may wonder whether their teacher will be nice or whether they will make friends in their new classroom as they transition from their summer routines back to school.” The problem arises when those fears turn into behaviours that are disruptive to a child’s life. That’s when parents should investigate whether their little one may be suffering from something more serious.

Rici Reid is a member:
CareRocks program at CaroMont Health uplifts patients fighting cancer
WBTV (Charlotte, NC)
For the last several years, the landscaping outside of CaroMont Cancer Center has looked different than most. It’s speckled with rocks that are painted in bright colors, covered in sparkles, or bears an inspirational quote. Oncology Social Worker for CaroMont Health Rici Reid started the CareRocks program, but never imagined it would grow to what it is today. Tasked with providing emotional and financial support to patients fighting cancer, she thought handing out rocks with inspirational phrases written on them may give them an extra boost when going into treatment.

Melissa Hale is a member:
Internet predator sentenced
Altoona Mirror
An Altoona man accused of posing as a teenager to solicit nude photos from teenage girls will spend a minimum of 15 days in Blair County Prison, starting Monday, followed by 15 days on house arrest. Judge Daniel J. Milliron handed down the sentence Thursday to Travis Michael McMaster, 34, who while out of jail on bail, enrolled in a treatment program for sex offenders offered by the Project Point of Light agency. Melissa Hale, a licensed clinical social worker with Project Point of Light’s office in Ebensburg, told the judge that McMaster finished the program in August and remains active in post-program options.

Gala Goodwin is a member:
Agencies tussle over release of reports involving child neglect, abuse
KPVI (Bozeman, MT)
One case outlined in a Findings Report involved a methamphetamine-addicted woman who gave birth at a Montana hospital. She left the hospital while the child, who also tested positive for drugs, was in the intensive care unit for a few days being treated for pneumonia and drug withdrawal. “The entire situation from the moment the Birth Mother was dropped off at the hospital to have Child #1 appears to be a mass of contradiction and policy and procedure violations,” Gala Goodwin, a licensed clinical social worker in the ombudsman’s office, wrote in one Findings Report.

Beth Farmer is a member:
He spent 20 days in solitary in Tacoma’s immigrant jail. Others spend far longer
KUOW Public Radio
Beth Farmer is a licensed clinical social worker with the International Rescue Committee, a non-profit that works with immigrants and refugees. Part of Farmer’s work is conducting mental health evaluations for people’s immigration cases. She’s evaluated dozens of people since 2012. Some were asylum seekers detained in Tacoma. “It’s accepted that solitary confinement does make people’s mental health symptoms much, much worse,” Farmer said.

Aimee Barr is a member:
Are You Dealing with a ‘Help-Rejecting Complainer’? What It Is and Why It’s So Toxic
Yahoo Lifestyle
Aimee Barr, LCSW, clinical social worker, writes, “it might be uncomfortable at first, to be so direct. However, being honest is a great way to allow someone to know where they stand and also set boundaries for yourself. If what you said isn’t well received, the help rejecting complainer will eventually realize you aren’t aligned with their viewpoint and may move onto someone else.”