Amanda Bracht is a member of NASW-TN:
Tyre Nichols death: How to navigate news coverage, social media as footage releases
Memphis Commercial Appeal
Amanda Bracht, a licensed clinical social worker who also helps lead the Mental Health Cooperative in Nashville, offered a few pointers on how to navigate social media and news coverage of Nichols’ death. Avoiding graphic, violent or disturbing images surrounding Nichols’ death may stir feelings of guilt in some — but Bracht said engaging these kinds of images can cause secondary trauma to the person watching.

Olivia Knox is policy assistant for NASW-NYS:
Report: Low salary contributes to NY social workers leaving field
WAER
A new report shows social workers are not being paid equal to similar professions. The report, from the National Association of Social Workers New York Chapter finds 34% of social workers surveyed are at the same salary they were when they started their job, which on average began one to five years ago. Many feel this is one piece of a larger puzzle contributing to social workers leaving the field. Report author and policy assistant with the NASW’s New York Chapter Olivia Knox said stagnant wages could make people leave the field for something different.

Juliana Palyok is executive director of NASW-SC:
Bill harms workers
The Post and Courier
The National Association of Social Workers South Carolina Chapter is strongly against the proposed House bill H.3515, also known as the “Entrepreneur Freedom Act.” The purpose of this bill is to repeal and do away with licensure for social workers and many other professions in South Carolina. However, it would harm thousands of South Carolina residents who use the services of social workers each day. Licensed social workers, like other mental health and health care providers, are regulated professionals who require a vigorous education, ongoing professional training and adherence to a strict code of ethics.

Cheryl Wilson is board president and Stephen Wanczyk-Karp is executive director of NASW-CT:
Social workers need more support from lawmakers
CTMirror
A December 2022 survey of its members by the National Association of Social Workers, CT Chapter (NASW/CT) found that since the pandemic began 14% of agency-based social workers have left for private practice and within the next two years 29% of the agency-based social workers are considering leaving agency practice for private practice. Another 14% are planning to change employment and 10% of all respondents plan to retire within the next two years. The pandemic has increased work pressures on social workers with 57% of the survey respondents reporting increased work stress. Even if the survey findings are only partially correct, it speaks to significant problems to come if the social work workforce concerns are not resolved.

Why Starbucks Is Inviting Social Workers Into Its Stores
Mother Jones
The program shows how private companies may find themselves filling holes in the US social safety net. And it also takes pressure off Starbucks baristas who may lack the formal expertise needed to deal with customers experiencing a crisis.… Starbucks began bringing trained outreach workers into its stores in 2020, and the program is active in eight US cities, including Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago and Seattle. Homelessness rates in all these cities are high or growing.

Ohio city rewrites abortion ban, advocacy groups end lawsuit
ABC News
Groups advocating for professional social workers and abortion rights said they have succeeded in forcing a small Ohio city to significantly narrow its ban on conducting or recommending abortions and so have ended their legal challenge. The lawsuit by the National Association of Social Workers and the Abortion Fund of Ohio argued that the law, passed in May 2021, represented an “extraordinarily broad” infringement on the constitutional rights of due process and free speech. The groups’ lawyers at the ACLU of Ohio and Democracy Forward further alleged the ban violated Ohio’s home-rule provisions.

Doris Wild Helmering is a member of NASW-MO:
What Grown Kids Want From Parents
Newsmax
When children grow up, the parent-child relationship is destined to change. When both are adults, it’s time to change the way they relate and communicate. This, however, does not come easily.… Parents and grown children desire a good relationship, but sometimes it’s not clear how to get there. Evaluate the suggestions I’ve given. Then ask yourself: Do you need to do anything differently?

Tania Malone is a member of NASW-WY:
Malone: Hardworking Wyomingites deserve access to health care
Wyoming Tribune Eagle
I say this all the time when I explain my situation to people: You try and do better. You work and try to save money and build a better life. You work the better job, but you’re still unable to receive the potentially lifesaving and life improving health care coverage that you need. I don’t want this to be anyone else’s story. If my experience can help shed light on the importance of access to health care during and after pregnancy and make it possible for more people to stay healthy, then some of the hardship will have been worth it. Hardworking Wyomingites like me deserve to have the tools to stay healthy and access lifesaving health care.

Karen Koenig is a member of NASW-FL:
Some People Are More Than Just Difficult: How To Recognize a Personality Disorder
Creators
Although you sound frustrated and justifiably upset, it’s helpful to learn how to handle similar situations, if they should occur. According to Karen R. Koenig, a licensed clinical social worker with a master’s in education, a psychotherapist and an author: “Not everyone, no matter how intelligent or talented they are, has effective, appropriate interpersonal skills. Some people are perfectionistic, impulsive, prickly, manipulative, critical, insecure, and need tight control in relationships, while others are more easy going.

Mikaela Frissell is a member of NASW-TX:
Dell Medical School receives gift to promote clinical social work
The Daily Texan
Social workers provide patient-centered care that accounts for all aspects of a patient’s health. They help patients find personalized assistance such as financial and mental health resources, said Mikaela Frissell, a clinical social worker working with a health care team. Due to an increase in emphasis on social work in health care, patients are more comfortable with the care process and are willing to take initiative to get long-term help, Frissell said.

Ken Howard is a member of NASW-CA:
24 highly relatable tweets on the agony and ecstasy of the gay gym crush
Queerty
So goes the emotional roller coaster that is the gym gay crush, and anyone who has caught feelings at their local Equinox can probably relate. Ken Howard, LCSW, CST, the founder and executive director of GayTherapyLA, devoted a blog post to gay gym crushes in 2021. 

Keri Baker is a member of NASW-FL:
Here’s What It Means To Be An “Almond Mom” & Why You Really Want To Avoid It
Scary Mommy
“Diet culture is insidious, and unfortunately it continues to be perpetuated by well-meaning adults who are also victims as a result of their own upbringing,” says Keri Baker LCSW, a Florida-based therapist specializing in disordered eating. Even if you’re not being as outright as the reality star in policing your kids’ food intake, Baker says that “parents talking about their ownfood intake or bodies in negative ways can have long-lasting effects on their kids, even if they never comment on what their kid is doing.”

Hope Weiss is a member of NASW-CO:
20 self-care ideas for when you need a mood boost
Today
“Self-care is the different ways we take care of ourselves that lead to increased well-being, and health — physically, emotionally and spiritually,” Hope Weiss, LCSW, tells TODAY.com. And keep in mind that while self-care is incredibly important for those who have been diagnosed with anxiety and depression, it’s something that can benefit everyone, whether you’re struggling with a specific condition or not.

Sharva Hampton-Campbell is an associate member of NASW-IL:
Poverty simulator to educate community on families’ struggles
Fox Illinois
The School Of Social Work (SSW) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign hosted a poverty simulator in light of Martin Luther King Jr. who also served as a community advocate. Here people walked in the shoes of impoverished families and learned how they too can be supportive as they go out into the real world. SSW Student Affairs Coordinator, Sharva Hampton-Campbell said the goal of the poverty simulator is to break the stigmas of those in need.

Uzuri Holder is a member of NASW-NC:
Beyond physical healing: Hospital programs follow up with gunshot victims
WRAL
“Gun violence is everybody’s issue. It’s a public health issue just like coronavirus,” said Uzuri Holder, program manager. Holder, a licensed clinical social worker with 17 years experience in the field, leads the three-person team that includes two senior violence recovery specialists. The team often makes contact with patients within hours of their arrival to the hospital while they are still admitted. The support they offer ranges from setting up counseling and therapy to housing, job and transportation support.

Jasmine Cobb is a member of NASW-TX:
What Depression Looks Like In High-Functioning Black Women
BlackDoctor.org
“One may envision depression to look like laying in bed with the curtains drawn in your jammies with your hair all over your head, not practicing daily hygiene, hardly eating,” says Texas-based grieving and trauma-certified clinical social worker Jasmine Cobb. “But working-class Black people don’t have time for that; we must go to work and keep progressing. Many depressed and anxious persons instinctively hide their symptoms as high-functioning or productive.”

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