Mildred “Mit” C. Joyner is President of NASW:
School of Social Work Appoints Mildred C Joyner, LCSW as Inaugural John E. & Barbara S. Jacob Distinguished Professor
Howard University
The Howard University School of Social Work is pleased to announce the appointment of Mildred “Mit” C. Joyner, LCSW as the inaugural John E. & Barbara S. Jacob Distinguished Endowed Professor. The endowed professorship was established to support outstanding faculty-led initiatives at the School of Social Work by civil rights leader and Howard University Board of Trustees Chairman Emeritus John E. Jacob, Ph.D. and his wife, Howard University alumna Barbara S. Jacob.

Annie Miller is a member:
Post-Vaccine, Your Body Is Safer, but Your Mind Can’t Catch Up
Elemental
Although some may be ready to jump back into pre-pandemic lifestyles, many others will not. “For an entire year, our brains have operated in fight-or-flight mode,” says Annie Miller, LCSW-C, of Washington, D.C.–based D.C. Metro Sleep and Psychotherapy. “We’ve been programmed to sense being around people as a threat, and it’s only normal to be fearful of returning to that scenario.”

Joyce Colburn is a member:
Creativity Connects Westport: Meet Joyce Colburn, Artist, LCSW, Community Advocate
Hamlet Hub (Westport, CT)
What fuels a vibrant, connected and creative community? What makes people feel good about living in Westport? When locals share the creativity that they uncover in the nooks and crannies of their community it brings about connectivity and makes us all feel good. Believe it or not, you discover creativity every day as you walk, shop, work, and play in Westport? Creativity connects us. Meet Joyce Colburn, artist, LCSW, community lover and advocate. 

A calling and commitment to helping others
Rome News-Tribune
Sponsored by the National Association of Social Workers, the theme of Social Work Month 2021 is Social Workers are Essential. As head of an agency that employs dozens of professional social workers, I couldn’t agree more. Social workers are not only essential to delivering professional mental health, substance use and disability services in our communities, they are essential to helping thousands of individuals achieve a life in recovery.

Social Security: Despite Multiple Obstacles, Social Workers Continue to Deliver Critical Services During Pandemic
Spectrum News
“I think social workers have done a remarkable job of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and we’re a profession that meets the challenges of our times and what is happening in our society in terms of our clients,’’ said Marc Herstand, Executive Director of the National Association of Social Workers, Wisconsin Chapter. “Social workers had to pivot, almost overnight, in the way they provided services to clients.”

Campbell signs proclamation recognizing National Social Work Month
Campbell University
President J. Bradley Creed and Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost Mark Hammond have signed a proclamation recognizing March 2021 as National Social Work Month. This year, the theme for Social Work Month is “Social Workers are Essential.” According to the National Association of Social Workers, the economic uncertainty, and racial unrest that have followed the COVID-19 pandemic mean that social workers are needed more than ever. More than 700,000 social workers across the country work in schools, mental health centers and private practices, helping people overcome illness and substance abuse and rebuilding families.

Shawn Lisa Torres is a member:
N.Y. headmaster, accused of telling Black student to kneel while apologizing, resigns
NBC News
A white headmaster of a New York private school has resigned after he was accused of telling an 11-year-old Black student to kneel while apologizing and later describing the practice as “the African way.”… St. Martin de Porres Marianist School said in its statement that Shawn Lisa Torres, a licensed clinical social worker, certified school administrator, whose sons attend the school, will step in as principal.

Emily Kaufman is a member:
The County Where Cops Call the Shots
The New York Times
The activists mostly ignored him. He was a Republican who had predicted in a radio interview that police reform wouldn’t amount to much. But his reasoning — the police union’s political donations — caught the ear of an activist named Emily Kaufman. Ms. Kaufman was a clinical social worker who joined a Black-led community coalition called LI United to Transform Policing and Community Safety, which was helping to put together an alternative police reform called The People’s Plan.

Gladys Alvarez is a member:
[Video] Iowa Social Workers Fighting for Continued Reimbursement for Telehealth Visits
WHO
March is National Social Workers Month and social workers in Iowa are hoping to get some legislative support from lawmakers. “We have social workers on the front line doing work in medical institutes, we have social workers providing therapy.  We have social workers out in the field providing help to the homeless and food pantries and hospice care,” a member of the National Association of Social Workers, Gladys Alvarez said.  “Social workers are trying really hard to make life better during this pandemic.”

Rose Pietal is a member:
Local Therapists on 9 Ways to Improve Your Mental Health
Northshore
“I always recommend making some sort of movement a priority,” says Danvers-based Rose Pietal, LICSW. “This could be a five-minute walk, yoga, dancing in your kitchen, or just striving to hit a step goal. Movement is medicine.” Getting up and moving “doesn’t need to be strenuous or exhausting.” Instead, simply incorporate something fun and that you enjoy into your routine.

Margaret Grau is a member:
[Audio] Who’s Taking Care of Your Therapist?
Will Illinois
In the year since the pandemic began, many have struggled emotionally with depression or anxiety. Therapists, psychologists and substance abuse counselors are the busiest they’ve ever been, with back-to-back telehealth appointments and an increasing number of clients. How are mental health care workers doing, though? Who is taking care of them as we navigate a global pandemic for the first time?

Andrea Parsons is a member:
Stop Believing These Meditation Myths to Form a Practice That Truly Benefits You
Prevention
“Meditation is the practice of intentionally awakening to our thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations in the mental space of observance and acceptance,” psychotherapist Andrea Parsons, M.S.W., L.C.S.W., recently told Prevention. “Meditation asks us to be the observer of our thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations rather than the critic of them.”

Texas lawmakers weigh changes to protect families wrongly accused of child abuse
NBC News
Child welfare advocacy groups in Texas have broadly endorsed the goal of preventing needless child removals but have also raised concerns about the potential unintended consequence of leaving vulnerable children in homes that turn out to be unsafe. Will Francis, who heads the Texas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, said any changes to CPS’ duties should come with funding to support families in need of help.

Stephnee Hiserodt is a member:
OU students face challenges finding campus activities, making connections amid COVID-19
OU Daily
Stephnee Hiserodt, a staff counselor and licensed clinical social worker at the OU University Counseling Center, also spoke to how COVID-19 isolation and distancing negatively affected students and staff. “Humans, whether they’re introverted or extroverted, are social creatures,” Hiserodt said. “I’ve seen isolation affect relationships with roommates and partners. Even for ones that prefer living alone and are more introverted, the isolation has really taken a toll on mental health.”