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News Items – March 18, 2015

airplane on runwaySherry Saturno is a member; the media contact was facilitated by NASW:
Dealing With the Dreaded Bereavement Trip
The New York Times
Traveling for funerals and memorial services, or for health emergencies, can become a major concern as people live longer and, in turn, watch friends and family members die. “I see so many seniors trying to cope with bereavement travel,” said Sherry Saturno, executive director of the Hudson Valley Care Coalition in Tarrytown, N.Y. “Making a last-minute trip can be enormously stressful for an older person.” But not being able to attend a funeral or memorial, whether for financial, health, emotional or other reasons, can also be agonizing.

Elana Clark-Faler is a member:
Art imitates life: Did ‘Empire’ tackle bipolar disorder accurately?
The New Pittsburgh Courier
“We don’t have all the answers to why this happens, but we do know that when the onset typically happens we know that its related to genetics and we know that it can cause significant damage to people’s lives if it’s left untreated,” Elana Clark-Faler, a licensed clinical social worker and the clinical director of Recovery Help Now Inc. says. She explains that the first instances of bipolarism are often very minor and hard to spot, hence the individual usually doesn’t get their diagnosis for the problem until their first maniac episode. In fact, individuals can sometimes appear so excited or euphoric from their maniac episodes that sometimes they’re mistaken for being on drugs by onlookers.

Darlene Tando is a member:
[Video] When your young daughter says ‘I’m a boy’
CNN
“Transgender” essentially means having the body of one gender and the brain or the mind or the spirit of the opposite gender, said Darlene Tando, a licensed clinical social worker and gender therapist who also appears in “Raising Ryland.” “So being transgender means you have something other than what everyone assumed you were based on how you were born, what body you were born in,” said Tando, who also writes a blog about gender issues.

Kim Evanoski is a member:
Tier’s arts, museum help residents with memory loss
Ithaca Journal
Alzheimer’s disease is the best known and most common cause of dementia, affecting more than 5 million Americans — most over the age of 65 — a number that is expected to grow as the population ages, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. “It’s going to be bigger and bigger,” said Kim Evanoski of Ithaca, co-founder of The Memory Maker Project and a licensed social worker who specializes in working with people with dementia. As a community “we need to help and support people, to teach them how to do that.”

Lisa Ferentz is a member:
President Obama Has Elevated The Conversation About Mental Health To The National Stage
ThinkProgress.org
Lisa Ferentz, a licensed clinical social worker, said that the low coverage also remains a hurdle for people who need mental health services. Ferentz, a practitioner with 30 years of experience, told ThinkProgress that solving this particular issue may be out of President Obama’s hands. The current insurance reimbursement system, according to Ferentz, places patients at a disadvantage. “Many insurance plans are restrictive. There are many people who deserve mental health care resources but who don’t get it because they can’t access them,” Ferentz said. “Even if people want to see me, the level of reimbursement is so low it ultimately discourages them. This has been an issue for years. Many of us who have been frustrated with the insurance companies opt out so what’s left for patients is a small pool of professionals limited in experience.”

Laurie-Ann Walton is a member:
New homeless expert brings hope, help to Hollywood’s down and out
The Sun-Sentinel (Ft Lauderdale, FL)
That’s where Laurie-Anne Walton comes in, a special emissary in Hollywood’s effort to end homelessness. A licensed social worker hired last year by Hollywood Police Chief Frank Fernandez, Walton works closely with police to help the city’s homeless. The approach is exceptional in that a social worker, not a cop, is in charge. Hollywood is an example of a national trend: Using a hybrid homeless outreach model to tackle a chronic problem, Walton says. The goal is to bridge the gap between law enforcement and social services by teaming Walton with a police officer to provide street-level outreach.

Rural Youth Suicides Almost Double Rates In Urban Areas
The Huffington Post
[Cynthia] Fontanella listed several other factors unique to rural life that may play into higher rates for youth suicides, having to do broadly with the culture, economics and geography of rural America. For one, rural areas are extremely understaffed when it comes to mental health professionals; she notes in her study that more than 85 percent of the federally-designated areas that are experiencing a mental health professional shortage are rural. Fontanella also pointed out that more than half of all counties in the U.S., which are all rural, do not have a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker in residence.

Jay Finestone is a member:
Activities for Increasing Self-Esteem in Teenagers
Modern Mom
If your child seems to be stuck thinking about all the things she can’t do, encourage her to go ahead and make a list of all the things she’s not good at. Then ask her to draw a line down the middle of the page and list all the things she can do well on the other side of the paper. Encourage her by making suggestions and reminding her that she’s the person her friends call when they need advice, the best video-game bowler in the house, responsible about getting her chores done or her friends’ go-to resource for finding new music. Forcing her to balance the negative with the positive will help her see herself more objectively, explains social worker and National Association of Social Workers spokesperson Jay Finestone on Education.com.

Susan Novello is a member:
Personal loss from suicide leads woman to begin again
Star News Online (Wilmington, NC)
Susan Novello became a widow in 2006. That’s an emotionally trying time for anyone, but it was especially wrenching for her. Her husband committed suicide. The Southport woman dealt not only with grief, but also with guilt. She was raising two teenagers, working odd jobs as she tried to put her life back together. Today, she is about to graduate from the University of North Carolina Wilmington with a degree in social work.

Transgender Teens Struggle In Foster Care
San Antonio Current
Moving the Margins was originally developed by Lambda Legal and the National Association of Social Workers as a training session for child-welfare and foster-care employees. The purpose of the class is to educate social-work professionals about the needs of LGBT foster kids and to help them “identify situations and scenarios associated with sexual orientation or gender identity that participants are most likely to face in their current jobs.”

 

Social Work Month:

Welcome to Social Work Month 2015!
The New Social Worker
THANK YOU to professional social workers everywhere for the good work you do! We are celebrating the social work profession throughout this month, March 2015. I am very excited to welcome you to THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER’s Social Work Month Series and Talent Show this year. Social work is a challenging and rewarding career.

Legal Services of Eastern Missouri Gives Social Salute During National Social Workers Month
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
In celebration of National Social Workers Month (March), Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (LSEM) is recognizing its many social workers and others in the community who are working to influence positive change and improve the lives of individuals and families. “We are proud of our many dedicated and talented social workers who work tirelessly and effectively on behalf of our clients,” said Dan Glazier, Executive Director and General Counsel for LSEM, who has both a Masters in Social Work and a law degree from Washington University. “I want to thank them as well as all the social workers in our community during this special month.”

Covenant Hospice to celebrate National Social Worker Month
Jackson County Floridian
Covenant Hospice proudly celebrates National Social Work Month throughout the month of March. This year marks a special year for the social work community, as it’s also the National Association of Social Workers 60th anniversary. NASW’s goal during Social Work Month and throughout 2015 will be to educate the public about how social workers and the association have brought about major positive social changes, improved the lives of individuals and families, and will continue to do so in the future.

Social workers are the agents of change
The State Journal (Frankfort, KY)
March is National Social Work Month — a time to honor the work of professional social workers in our country. The profession of social work was established in the 19th century, mostly in England and the United States, and was designed to primarily address the issue of poverty. Originally, “friendly visitors” sent by the church or other charities, attempted to resolve problems like disease, the needs of immigrants, support for the poor and services for the elderly. Today, social workers still focus on these areas, as well as many others.

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