Life Changing: When History is Taught Honestly
NEA
Opening the conference was keynote speaker Rosalie Fish, a track and field champion and social work major at the University of Washington known for her advocacy of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. The athlete and activist shared her experience of navigating two distinct cultures, and the dangers of neglect and exclusion on the lives of diverse students. Fish is a member of the Cowlitz Tribe, of Muckleshoot heritage, and grew up on the Muckleshoot Reservation, in Washington. The first time she left her community was to attend an elementary school. It did not go well for her.

How Michiganders are handling abortion concerns
WILX
And that’s one concern the National Association of Social Workers in Michigan (NASW) says a lot of women are having right now — how to make a safe decision. “I have had roughly about 40 women reach out to me personally who have asked me just what this means in Michigan specifically, and where they should go, and who is safe,” said Melina Brann, Director of Public Policy with the National Association of Social Workers in Michigan. NASW of Michigan said the calls they’ve been getting are from women who worry about the stigma that comes with not being able to care for your child and women who worry about child poverty.

Kristen Lee is a member:
Finding Bravery During Bitterly Jarring Times
Psychology Today
Bravery can feel elusive in the face of such enormity. We wish for an antidote that matches the moment, to detoxify the poison being served at every turn. Moments like now can feel paralytic. There is so much outside our locus of control. Issues seem grand, insurmountable, and fixed. But counteraction can come in micro-steps. Science shows us that small acts of courage are cumulative, helping us build momentum during bitterly jarring times, and creating a positive contagion effect.

Chante Meadows is a member:
[Video] Working through a mental illness that stems from a trauma in your life
MyFox28Columbus
June is PTSD Awareness Month. Chante Meadows – owner and clinical director of Meadows Counseling Group – talks about the link between various traumas in someone’s life and a potential mental illness or substance use. Chante also teaches at Ohio State in their social work department and is the VP of the Ohio Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. She specializes in treating trauma and PTSD.

Frank Thewes is a member:
How to Deal with Verbal Abuse
PsychCentral
Resisting the urge to retaliate when someone has verbally abusive behaviors can be challenging, but it may be an important step to ending the verbal abuse cycle. “This will have a tendency to escalate,” says Frank Thewes, a licensed clinical social worker in Princeton, New Jersey. “Take deep breaths. Try to regulate your emotional reaction to their abuse. Remind yourself that this isn’t because of you, it’s because of them. Try to ask them to stop.”

Alaska Social Worker Dr. Yvonne Chase is the new President-Elect of NASW
Social Work Helper
Alaska social worker Yvonne Chase is the new president-elect of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and has pledged to keep the association focused on social justice issues while advocating for innovations to prepare the fast-growing social work profession for future challenges. Chase, PhD, LCSW, ACSW, MSW, who is an associate professor at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, will begin her three-year term as NASW president on July 1, 2023. She will succeed Mildred “Mit” Joyner, DPS, MSW, LCSW.

Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital adds social work fellowship program
VUMC Reporter
Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital (VPH) has launched a new social work fellowship which will prepare master’s degree-level graduates for social work in the behavioral health field. The two-year program will provide students with clinical experience, supervision and training focused on evidence-informed interventions, says Anne O’Halloran, LCSW, senior director of Social Work and Therapeutic Services at VPH. The program also gives participants a strong knowledge of ethics, policy, legal considerations and best practices.

Chelsea Haverly is a member:
The Healing Power of Strength Training
The New York Times
“There’s something in weight lifting and working with resistance” that builds resilience, said Chelsea Haverly, a licensed clinical social worker and founder of Hope Ignited, a Maryland-based organization dedicated to educating organizations and clinicians about trauma. “Not only in the brain, but also in the body.” Last year, Ms. Haverly and Emily Young, a licensed clinical social worker and certified personal trainer, created a trauma-informed weight lifting certification program for trainers, in an effort to bring its mental health benefits to more clients.