Jury rejects Kentucky social worker’s ‘whistleblower’ claim
Louisville Courier-Journal
A Fayette County jury on Monday rejected the claims of a former social worker who filed a “whistleblower” lawsuit, claiming state officials made her job unbearable after she tried to report alleged wrongdoing by a supervisor.

University of Houston student awarded Hogg Foundation Scholarship
EurekAlert (press release)
Ana Luisa Laws, a second-year student in the master of social work program at the University of Houston (UH) Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW), is one of five outstanding graduate students in Texas to receive the prestigious 2011 Ima Hogg Scholarship for Mental Health.

Rep. King must realize Somali Americans are allies
CNN International
By Altaf Husain, Special to CNN Editor’s note: Altaf Husain is a fellow at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, assistant professor at Howard University School of Social Work, a board member of the Islamic Society of North America, and a former two-term national president of the Muslim Students Association.

Author-poet Sapphire talks about latest novel, ‘The Kid’
Bay Area Living
She is dismayed that some critics have seen her work as perpetuating negative stereotypes of African-American women. “Yes, there are examples of extreme black dysfunction in the book, but also extreme black functionality. (Precious’) own people are helping her deal with these situations — her teacher, her social worker. It’s a whole picture; nothing is black and white.”

Social Workers: Giving Voice, Navigating the System, Reclaiming Lives
Huffington Post (blog)
This turnaround is thanks in large part to Sherri Zabko, who has been called a miracle worker and an angel. But as far as she’s concerned, she’s just doing her job. Sherri is a social worker — one of approximately 650000 men and women across the country who are becoming known as the “unsung heroes” of our health care system — connecting individuals and families in need to resources that create real change in real lives.

The High Price of America’s Gambling Addiction
The Daily Finance
But Steve Burton, program director of Problem Gamblers Health Network of West Virginia, says some risk factors can make people more susceptible: A previous history of addictions/mental illness; a significant life event like divorce, loss of loved one, job loss; an early big win; a history of child abuse or neglect, or a family history of addictions or mental illness.

Suicide spikes among middle-aged women
msnbc
Dr. LeslieBeth Wish, a psychologist and licensed clinical social worker in Sarasota, Fla., has found through her online surveys, lectures and focus groups a startling increase in suicide attempts with women ages 45 to 54. Women are susceptible to depression but older women may also be suffering from pre-menopause hormone fluctuations that can affect mood changes and depression.