Bill Lamb is a member:
Appeals, secret deals delay fine payment for assisted living centers
North Carolina Health News
The attorney general’s office often settles rather than going up against an assisted living facility or chain that complains that their penalty is too high, said Bill Lamb, board chairman for the nonprofit Friends of Residents group. “There’s no consequence for poor behavior,” Lamb said. “If this was your kid, it’d be like waiting until they are in college until anything happens.”

Interim CPS CEO Wants to Engage With 100K Students at Risk of Not Re-Enrolling This Fall
WTTW
Members of the Chicago Teachers Union picketed outside CPS headquarters prior to the board meeting, calling on the district to also use some of the $1.8 billion it received in COVID-19 relief funding to pay for more staff like counselors, nurses and social workers. “Even though we’re supposed to have a social worker in all of the (school) buildings, that’s not happening,” said Tara Stamps, CTU’s administrator of new teacher development. “We’re supposed to have nurses in all the buildings and that’s not happening … We know that we are out here to fight for the schools that our children deserve, for the city that Chicago deserves.”

Lena Richardson is a member:
GA Dept of Human Services Appoints Lena Richardson to Georgia Council on Aging
All On Georgia
Department of Human Services Commissioner Gerlda B. Hines announced the appointment of Lena Richardson to the Georgia Council on Aging today. Richardson has more than 45 years of experience working with the Veterans Administration Healthcare System. She will draw on this experience as she serves a two-year term on the Council that will end August 1, 2023.

Carla Monteiro is a member:
City council race: Carla B. Monteiro running for at-large seat
The Boston Scope
Carla B. Monteiro, a social worker and community advocate, is running for a Boston City Council At-Large seat.… The 38-year-old Dorchester native and first-generation Cape Verdean American works as a social worker in addictions at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and in the emergency psychiatric department at Boston Children’s Hospital. Monteiro has been involved with many community initiatives and was awarded one of Boston’s most impactful Black women in philanthropy last year by Get Konnected!, a local business networking organization.

Blue & You Foundation Gives $600,000 to School of Social Work
University of Arkansas
As part of a large investment in behavioral health programs benefiting Arkansas, the U of A School of Social Work will be the recipient of a $600,000 grant from Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas. This grant is part of a recently announced $5.29 million investment by the Blue & You Foundation, which is the largest in its history.

Brittany Peters is a member:
Learning to cope with Black trauma amid George Floyd and a pandemic
Tampa Bay Times
Black America is suffering from post-traumatic stress. The national racial reckoning with policing and the criminal justice system catalyzed by George Floyd’s death last year was difficult enough for Black Americans. That it happened amidst the coronavirus pandemic made it even more challenging, said Brittany Peters, director of the Center for Wellness and Clinical Development in Tampa.

Becky Salasche is a member:
Simone Biles’ Withdrawal from the Olympics Sends Clear Message to Prioritize Mental Health
aish.com
Becky Salasche, a licensed clinical social worker in Highland Park, IL, agrees. Speaking with Aish.com, Salasche notes, “There’s a lot that we can learn from Simone Biles coming forward and making this statement that she needs to prioritize her mental health. No one is immune… Her actions to prioritize her mental health should inspire us all.”

Elaine Heroux is a member:
How a Jupiter therapist listened to her dreams and found her ‘path of fire’
The Palm Beach Post
One of my teachers has been Elaine Heroux, a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist based in Jupiter. Elaine has a demeanor more soothing than a bubble bath. The woman oozes calm and grace, a state of being that has often been foreign to my Type-A frenetic self.

Lisa Seif is a member:
‘On a pace to set a record’: Overdose deaths in Vanderburgh on the rise for 2nd year in a row
Courier & Press
Lisa Seif – a local licensed clinical social worker and addiction counselor who works with 7 Sisters – believes in addressing the individual, not the substance. Seif is also an adjunct professor of social work at the University of Southern Indiana. She said individuals who lose loved ones to unexpected deaths experience complex grief, different from other kinds of grief.Diane Barth is a member:

From Docuseries to Blockbuster Films — Experts Discuss Why Our Culture Is Obsessed With True Crime
Distractify
Like true crime itself, the reasons people are so drawn to it are a bit complicated. Distractifyspoke with licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist F. Diane Barthabout her views on the topic. “Some of the [reasons] people told me when I interviewed them [were]: They like the idea of solving crimes, they identify with the survivors, they want to understand the workings of a criminal’s mind, and they like the sense of having something bad resolved in some positive way,” Diane shared.

Theresa Nguyen is a member:
Trauma memes are taking over the internet. Why that can be a good thing.
Mashable
When Taylor creates these memes, she’s digging into her own trauma and using art and humor as a way to communicate that. She says it can feel cathartic to create. But these memes can also be helpful and healing to the audience, Theresa Nguyen, the chief program officer at Mental Health America, told Mashable. “When a person suffers from trauma or a very sad and painful time in their life, there is something to say about the use of humor both to heal or deflect from the pain, or distract and deflect,” Nguyen, a licensed clinical social worker who is also speaking from personal experience, told Mashable.

Elise Aronov is a member:
Experts tell us their tips for teens with driving anxiety
Bankrate
Elise Aronov, MSW, is a clinical social worker with family practices in both New York City and New Jersey. She recommends that parents remind teens why a driver’s license is important in the long run. It can go far beyond a simple ride to school or work and can instead serve as a life-saving transport if an older relative or friend has an emergency. Still, Dr. Aronov says, be careful not to apply pressure. “Say, ‘You don’t have to drive. You can get your license and not use it right away. [But] it’s good to have options.”

Susan English is a member:
17 Little Ways To Be Less Selfish Every Day
Bustle
“Some of our self-care actions might even be perceived as selfish,” Sue English MSW, LCSW, CADC, a licensed family therapist, tells Bustle. “When we set boundaries to maintain a healthy relationship for ourselves, or take on fewer responsibilities with the intention to recharge, others might perceive it as self-serving.”