UW Assistant Professor Receives National Recognition for Research Article
University of Wyoming
A University of Wyoming assistant professor’s research article has received national recognition by the University of Chicago Press Journals. Sandra Leotti, in UW’s Division of Social Work, was awarded the 2021 Frank R. Breul Memorial Prize for her submission, titled “The Discursive Construction of Risk: Social Work Knowledge Production and Criminalized Women.” The prize is awarded annually for what is judged to be the best article published in Social Service Review in the preceding year.

Tracy Ross is a member:
‘Til Death Do Us Part, But Separately We Do Sleep
Scary Mommy
I spoke to Tracy Ross, a licensed clinical social worker in New York specializing in couples and family therapy on this topic. I asked her thoughts on whether sleeping separately signifies anything more than just wanting to sleep well. “It depends,” she said. “Are there other forms of contact, connection, physical touch, affection, intimacy? Is this something you have come to together? Can you discuss it openly, see if it’s working or not? Or is it part of a larger avoidance pattern? If this comes about because you both know it works and can accept this slightly unusual practice, it can be fine and make other ways of being connected more intentional.”

Tracie McKinley-Lux is a member:
The unintended consequences of school closures
News-Register (OR)
“Prolonged social isolation is deadly. We have already lost one child to suicide in this county because of it. I am not willing to lose another, which is why I have made it my mission to advocate for our youth — especially those in already vulnerable situations.” I wrote the preceding excerpt on Jan. 21 in an exasperated and desperate social media post. Tragically, five days later, a 17-year-old, three-sport athlete from Sheridan died in an apparent suicide.

Kizzy Chambers is a member:
9 Ways to Extend the Time You Spend Living Independently
Next Avenue
Kizzy Chambers, a professional care manager and licensed clinical social worker with RR Care Management, in Orlando, Fla., recommends “consulting with a care manager as soon as there is a concern or when a family member is feeling overwhelmed with caring for their loved ones.”

Antonia Amore-Broccoli is a member:
Marijuana and mental health: Examining a complicated relationship
Prescott News
Antonia Amore-Broccoli, a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist in Soquel, California,  also has noticed a correlation between cannabis use and mental health decline. “Chronic cannabis use can cause a whole variety of issues that can complicate mental health and can actually mimic mental health (issues). It can look like bipolar, bipolar two, depression, anxiety,” said Amore-Broccoli, who has struggled with cannabis abuse herself. “Cannabis is not a little herb that grows in our garden anymore,” she said, adding that the way the plant is grown and manufactured now leads to a much higher potency.

Tamara Hamilton is a member:
How To Help A Friend With Depression, VOX ATL Teen Shares Her Experience
WABE
It’s important to educate yourself in preparation for this situation, depressed friend or not. But while the internet is a fairly acceptable resource, sometimes it may not be so reliable or specific. So I decided to interview Tamara Hamilton, a licensed clinical social worker, and Dr. Stephanie Pearson, child psychologist, about some of the early signs of depression. Hamilton is my school counselor, and Pearson is the clinical director at the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.

Brittany Cruickshank is a member:
[Video] School social worker and psychologist talk about students’ mental health amid pandemic
Poughkeepsie Journal
Video interview with Brittany Cruickshank, a school social worker, on the effects the pandemic, social isolation, and distance learning has had on students.