Health care and social assistance jobs in Iowa increase for the first time since 2020
The Center Square
Neither National Association of Social Workers, Iowa Chapter, Executive Director Denise Rathman nor Iowa Health Care Association Strategic Communications Senior Vice President Lori Ristau was surprised by the findings, they each told The Center Square in emailed statements regarding last month’s rise. Health care and social assistance is the fastest growing sectors in the nation, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in September 2020. Rathman said she “would imagine” that mental health, behavioral health, and health care settings may have grown and that requests for mental health services have increased, along with a demand for more mental health professionals.

Sonyia Richardson is a member:
Pandemic Unveils Growing Suicide Crisis For Communities Of Color
Science Friday
“COVID created more transparency regarding what we already knew was happening,” said Sonyia Richardson, a licensed clinical social worker who focuses on serving people of color and an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, where she researches suicide. When you put the suicide rates of all communities in one bucket, “that bucket says it’s getting better and what we’re doing is working,” she said. “But that’s not the case for communities of color.”

Kathryn Brayton is a member:
Vermont State Police expands Victim Services Unit
Bennington Banner
This position, as part of the Victim Services Unit, was made possible through funding support from the federal government and enhances resources dedicated to meeting emotional needs of those harmed in our community. The Victim Services Unit was created in 2017 with the hiring of a victim services director, Kathryn Brayton, LICSW, to support families during Major Crime Unit investigations. The new position is housed in the Bureau of Criminal Investigations.

Elizabeth Dosoretz is a member:
Social worker-turned-entrepreneur relishes counterintuitive strategy
Business Observer
Elizabeth Dosoretz has seen the importance of mental-health treatment firsthand. While practicing as a licensed clinical social worker in New York, she had her first child and wound up suffering from postpartum depression. Over the course of her recovery, she decided to move back to her native Fort Myers. When she was ready to return to work, she set up an office in Southwest Florida. She wanted to take all insurances, including Medicaid and Medicare, to ensure patients received the mental-health assistance they needed. But she learned that referring patients out for other services would be difficult, since most other providers weren’t taking the same approach.

Susan Pinne is a member:
Kansas City-area student thrives in virtual learning during the pandemic
KSHB
Susan Pinne, a clinical social worker at St. Luke’s Health System, had similar advice. She also encouraged parents to manage their own emotions. “The most important thing to do is to be calm yourself, to set aside enough time for your child to open up and to let them know that you understand their fears, that you validate their concerns and that whatever they say, you’ll be calm and you won’t over react to it,” Pinne said.

Tiffany Love is a member:
Central Texas Veterans ‘graduate’ from criminal offenses with program’s support, healing
KXXV
“Program successes so far include six participants have repaired one or more relationships with their family, five participants have obtained new housing since entering the program, four participants have gone back to school, four participants have obtained new employment, four participants have learned how to use technology and one participant has established VA benefits,” said Tiffany Love, Veterans Justice Outreach specialist.

Matt Richards and Arturo Carrillo are members:
City set to partner mental health clinicians and police responding to calls related to mental health, as governor signs statewide measure
Chicago Tribune
Indeed, the mayor’s plan was met with criticism from the groups who have been lobbying for the non-police version of such a plan, saying the pilot also appears too small. “The fear and escalation with the police presence is always going to be a problem,” said Arturo Carrillo, a social worker who works as an organizer for the Collaborative for Community Wellness. “The pilot is so small scale. It’s only one shift.”