Indiana, other states ponder solutions to growing shortage of social workers
Pharos Tribune (Logansport, IN)
“For the most part, direct service jobs are high stress, with large caseloads and lower pay and benefits, which makes things challenging,” said Beryl Cohen, executive director of the Indiana Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. According to the BLS, social workers in all fields last year earned a median annual wage of $49,870, up 6% from 2016. But entry-level workers frequently earn far less. Combined with the stress of working with often toxic family situations in the lives of clients, a career in social work can be a tough sell.

Louise Coggins is a member:
Coggins to receive Lifetime Achievement Award
Rocky Mount Telegram
Louise Coggins will be honored as the recipient of the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award by the YWCA Lower Cape Fear during the 34th annual Women of Achievement Awards to be held on May 7 at the Wilmington Convention Center. The Women of Achievement Awards is the signature fundraiser to celebrate women and young leaders in our community.

Jessica Holton is a member:
[Audio] The Brain Science of Addiction and Trauma: Discussion in Charleston
Public News Service
Brain science can help explain why people with serious addictions are so out of control, and why many addicts have trauma in their history. Jessica Holton is a licensed clinical social worker and addiction specialist teaching in Charleston this week. She said in her practice, almost all of the addicts have trauma in their background, as well as Substance Abuse Disorder. Holton said this is because both addiction and trauma take over the limbic system – the animal part of the brain – bypassing the rational decision-making part.

Terry Gaspard is a member:
What to Do if You Don’t Trust Each Other
Thrive Global
Terry Gaspard, MSW, LICSW: One of the hardest things about trusting someone is learning to have confidence in your own judgment. Trust is about much more than finding signs that your partner has been unfaithful. It’s about believing that they have your best interests at heart. Every person is born with the propensity to trust others but through life experiences, you may have become less trusting as a form of self-protection. Falling in love and getting married can be invigorating and scary all at once. An inability to trust a new partner may take several forms, from feeling they’re dishonest or secretive, to doubting they’re going to keep their promises or be dependable.

Nancy Kislin is a member:
Millburn Municipal Alliance Committee Holds Information Session on CBD Oil
TAP into Millburn/Short Hills
As part of the regular schedule of programming the organization puts on, members of the Millburn Municipal Alliance Committee (MMAC) presented another lecture in their empower hour series. Titled ‘The ABCs of CBD,’ the program looked to help equip its attendees with the information necessary to form a rational conclusion about the product. Group discussion was also encouraged. For Nancy Kislin, MMAC member and licensed clinical social worker, running this program is a good thing. Kislin said is passionate about the topic, and that she hoped her group discussion was enough to help parents take the next step.

Dana Branson is a member:
‘This kind of work will drain you’: How secondary trauma affects people responding to overdoses in Kensington
WHYY
Mental health experts describe what Pichardo and other bystanders who step in to respond are experiencing as “secondary traumatic stress.” “Secondary traumatic stress is a term that we reserve usually for professionals in the business that come across trauma on a regular basis, like firefighters, nurses, police officers, and first responders,” said Dana Branson, a licensed clinical social worker and vicarious trauma researcher at Southeast Missouri State University. “They are people struggling with their desire to help but feel like there’s too much need for them to do it all, and they become overwhelmed.”

Kimberly Boatner is a member:
Mental health workers describe dire circumstances for teens
Kane County Chronicle
In a meeting with more than a dozen mental health professionals May 3, U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, clearly was taken aback when she was told of the mental health crisis combined with increased drug use among local high school students. “The amount of drugs that I am seeing students use is just astronomical,” said Kimberly Boatner, a contract clinical social worker in Batavia District 101 who also has a private practice in Geneva. Boatner said that more than half of high school students she sees have used drugs, though not necessarily every day.