Game Over/Long Walk Home
The First 48 (Season 13, Episode 33)
Homicide detectives in New Orleans investigate two cases, the execution of a young man, and the murder of Ashley Qualls, a social worker who was walking home from work in the middle of the night.

Restorative Discipline Program in San Antonio Middle School Reduces Student Suspensions
University of Texas at Austin
A San Antonio middle school with some of the highest discipline rates in its district has experienced an 84 percent drop in off-campus suspensions during the past year since administrators began using “restorative discipline” as an alternative to “zero tolerance” to deal with conflicts among students. Restorative discipline is a prevention-oriented approach that fosters consensus-based decisions to resolve school conflict such as bullying, truancy and disruptive behavior. Sixth-grade teachers at Edward H. White Middle School in San Antonio’s North East Independent School District were trained during the summer of 2012 in restorative discipline methods by a team headed by Marilyn Armour, a professor at The University of Texas at Austin’s School of Social Work and director of the Institute for Restorative Justice and Restorative Dialogue.

[Video] Thigh gap among risky body image trends fueled by social media
WUSA-DC
Social media is one of the major successes so far this century. Imagine the impact it has on today’s kids. “This is so different than the way we grew up,” says clinical social worker Karen Schachter.  Schachter gives advice for moms and offers programs for top notch mother-daughter health at dishingwithyourdaughter.com.

How to Spend the Holidays Alone
US News & World Report
If you’re more than comfortable with spending the holidays alone and are optimistic about it – excellent, merry Christmas, indeed! If not, give yourself permission to recognize your sadness, instead of pretending to be holly and jolly, says LeslieBeth Wish, a relationship expert for the National Association of Social Workers. Without noting the specific reasons for your blues, you’re unlikely to find solutions, she says.

Social workers in Michigan are preparing to be part of health care changes
Michigan Radio
[Robert] Sheehan says many social workers are becoming specialists in the health insurance and health care provider industries, as the changes take place. He says the Michigan chapter of the National Association of Social Workers is developing training to help its members play key roles in integrated health care.

NASW-NYS Interview with Celisia Street and Ray Cardona
Social Justice Solutions
In March of 2013, SJS wrote a piece on the topic of social workers dissatisfaction with NASW.  In an effort to hear the NASW’s perspective, I contacted the NASW-NYS Chapter and requested an interview. I chose NASW-NY, as SJS is based in Long Island New York. I conducted a phone interview with Executive Director, Ray Cardona, LCSW and Communications & Professional Development Associate, Celisia Street, LMSW which proved informative and will hopefully ease the minds of New York Social Workers.