For Black social workers, anxiety and depression are on the rise
The Conversation
Since the 2020 racial reckoning, social workers have prided ourselves on working to eliminate social justice disparities. “Eliminating Racism,” for instance, became an official grand challenge of social work in 2020. For its part, the National Association of Social Workers published two volumes of “Undoing Racism in Social Work.” In addition, the Council of Social Work Education’s, anti-racism standards became a part of the 2022 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. But as a profession, the use of terms such as anti-racism in book titles and standards alone means very little if Black social workers reported that they still feel neglected by their white colleagues.

CA Prison System May Not be Providng ‘Adequate Mental Health Service’ Because Social Workers ‘Overlooked’ and ‘Undervalued,’ National Association Charges
The Davis Vanguard
The National Association of Social Workers – CA Chapter said this week it has “partnered” with Social Workers at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to “protest the unfair treatment of Social Workers” in the CA state prison system. “For years, Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) have been overworked and undervalued at CDCR (CA Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation). They have been passed over for promotions and bonuses in favor of utilizing more expensive Psychologists who do the same job,” according to a statement released by NASW-CA.

Kerry McCarthy is a member of NASW-MA:
The weeks and months after giving birth are hard. For Cape moms, there’s a support system.
Cape Cod Times
Seven years ago, when Kerry McCarthy was suffering from postpartum mental illness, she couldn’t find a support system. “The transition to new motherhood was intense, immense and brought overwhelming feelings that I did not understand,” said McCarthy, who found out later she was suffering from postpartum depression. Since then, times have changed. Due to an increase in awareness around mental health, postpartum awareness and support has been growing. 

Jodi Taub is a member of NASW-NYS:
5 Relationship Tips for Patients
CSL Behring
Having a loving and committed romantic relationship is one of the joys of life. A long-term partner fills many roles through the years or even decades. Your shared history together can be a source of fun and connection, and it can also steady you with strength and support in difficult times. Breakups are common and half of all marriages end in divorce, so it’s no surprise that sustaining relationships takes work. 

Mary Tate is a member of NASW-NYC:
The 7 Biggest Early Warning Signs You’re Developing Depression
Yahoo
Mary Tate, a licensed clinical social worker and founder of Tate Psychotherapy, said this is one of the most conspicuous symptoms in the beginning stages. “For many people, high levels of fatigue and low energy are often the most noticeable,” Tate said. “Depression can affect our sleep patterns and increase stress, which affect serotonin and dopamine, which play a critical part in regulating our mood and energy.”

Patty DeVost is a member of NASW-FL:
Patty’s Place connecting youth and young adults to mental health services in SWFL
abc-7.com
“We really want to be a bridge to mental health support services in the area,” said Patty DeVost, a licensed clinical social worker who founded Patty’s Place. Before opening Patty’s Place at the end of February, DeVost worked as a school counselor in Lee County for more than 15 years. “My belief is that the field of mental health, in my opinion, has not changed much since I’ve been in it, but our youth are changing quickly,” Patty said. 

Why the government is aggressively hiring social workers in 2023
Fortune
From Missouri to Utah to Maine, the lack of social workers is causing some government projects to be placed on hold or even canceled. There are also federal initiatives to hire more social workers. Last year, for example, the Biden administration announced efforts through the U.S. Department of Education to increase the ranks of social workers in schools. Suffice to say, there are plenty of opportunities for social workers or prospective social workers at the government level—perhaps more so than at any time in the recent past.

Yvonne Chase is president-elect of NASW:
As demand for youth mental health services grows, the U.S. is facing a social worker shortage
Youth Today
Yvonne Chase is president-elect of the National Association of Social Workers, which represents 110,000 members in 55 chapters around the world. “Salary has been an issue for many years,” said Chase, who is also an associate professor in the University of Alaska, Anchorage’s human services department. “It used to be … state government salaries for social workers were better than nonprofits, but we’re finding that neither segment has actually kept up with inflation.” Job satisfaction is also a concern, particularly in high-stress specialties like child welfare investigations, she added. 

UTRGV invites students to pursue a career in social work
Laredo Morning Times
The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, located at the Education and Research Center at Laredo, is inviting all students who consider social work as a profession to enroll in this career that, in addition to helping others and the community at large at different levels, offers a wide job market.

Richard Brandon-Friedman is a member of NASW-IN:
Indiana ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill amended, no longer requires parental consent for name changes, pronouns
WBOI
Richard Brandon-Friedman is an assistant professor for social worker at IUPUI. He said this is a positive change – as this type of regulation on consent would’ve been confusing. “If a parent were to say, no, we don’t want that to happen, I don’t know how a school would address that, and I don’t think that’s addressed well in this bill,” he said. However, he feels that mandating that information about a student’s gender or pronouns is revealed to parents is still an issue.

Zach Usmani is a member of NASW-OH:
KIPP Columbus teachers, staff can hold union vote, national labor board tells school
The Columbus Dispatch
Zach Usmani, a social worker at KIPP and member of the organizing committee, said that teachers and other education professionals seeking to unionize knew the NLRB would decide in their favor. “We knew this was a delay tactic to begin with, but we’re glad to get this result,” Usmani said.

Carli Blau is a member of NASW-NJ:
How Each Of The 5 Senses Affects Sexual Arousal
Yahoo
Psychotherapist Carli Blau, Phd, LCSW breaks down all the ways our body reacts to sexual arousal, focusing on each of the five senses.

|   Leave A Comment