Powell was a suspect in the disappearance of his wife Susan Cox-Powell in 2009. A judge recently gave him visitation rights to his sons Braden, 5, and Charlie, 7, who were in the custody of Susan Cox-Powell’s parents.

A social worker took the children on a supervised visit on Sunday. When the children entered Powell pushed her away and locked the door.

The social worker pounded the door, trying to enter the home. She called her supervisor and reported smelling gas. Within minutes the home exploded.

Social worker Mariko Ukiyo (right) and other social workers meet with earthquake and tsunami survivors at a temporary housing facility. Image from CNN video.

Depression, post traumatic stress disorder and other mental illnesses still carry a heavy stigma in Japan, despite the fact the nation has the fifth highest suicide rate in the world, according to this article and video clip from CNN.

Some of the social workers helping survivors of the recent earthquake and tsunami are using a novel approach to help treat people who may be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. The video clip shows social workers offering massage and beauty treatments to residents of a shelter and using the occasion to discretely ask them about their emotional state.

Sadly, Japanese social worker Mariko Ukiyo said she expects suicides related to the natural disasters to spike in months ahead. According to the news report Japanese are still reluctant to talk to others about their sorrow and losses.

“They are only realizing now the sense of loss and deep grief,” Ukiyo said.

Thanks to National Association of Social Workers member Mary Ann Donegan, MSW, LCSW, for alerting us to this article!

To learn more about how social workers help people overcome mental illness, visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Mind & Spirit Website by clicking here.

Nick Cannon talked about the social worker visit during an appearance on "Showbiz Tonight." Screenshot courtesy of CNN.

Singer Mariah Carey, who played a social worker in the film “Precious,” was visited by a real social worker at the hospital where she is recovering from delivering twins by Caesarian section, according to this article and video clip on CNN.com.

Carey’s husband actor Nick Cannon said a nurse suggested she drink a little dark beer to aid breastfeeding. So Carey drank a small amount.

Child Protective Services were called by someone who claimed Carey was abusing her children by drinking alcohol and breastfeeding.

“I guess someone maybe overheard that (suggestion), and this is a good way to make a quick buck, or call the tabloids,” Cannon said. “It’s kind of sad that people think that we’ll make money off of these newborns.”

Carey delivered  son Moroccan Scott and daughter Monroe Cannon two weeks ago.

Carlina White. Photo courtesy of the New York Times.

Carlina White was reunited with her birth parents on Friday 23 years after being abducted as an infant from a Harlem hospital by a woman disguised as a nurse, according to this New York Times article and this account on CNN.

White had long suspected the woman who claimed to be her mother was not. So she went online to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and saw this poster.

White suspected the baby in the picture was her. After contacting authorities she took a DNA test that proved she was the missing daughter of Joy White and Carl Tyson.

Q: Social workers, should the woman who abducted and raised Carlina White be prosecuted? What services will White need to ease her reunification with her birth parents, siblings and other relatives?

Ted Williams

Ted Williams, the man with the “Golden Voice,” was homeless but is now landing sports announcing and voice-over deals.

Lorette Lavine, a social worker at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago, adjunct instructor at the Loyola University School of Social Work, and adjunct faculty member at the university, wrote on Facebook that she blogged about Williams. To read Lavine’s opinion, click here.

Others weighed in on Facebook. Here are some of the comments:

“I would recommend long term involvement in drug and alcohol treatment on an outpatient basis, including 12-step meetings, a strong support system, and probably some mental health therapy to deal with the myriad of changes he’s experienced recently.” – Steve Salomonsen

“You don’t just go from homeless to home owner. Money isn’t going to solve his core issues. He isn’t Eddie Murphy and this isn’t “Trading Places” I am happy for Mr. Golden Throat but now what about the other 43,000 homeless in Tampa alone that aren’t so photogenic?” – Shaw Eberhardt

 ”I agree with Steve on plan of action. This enormous change in his life is dangerous to his alleged sobriety of 3 years. He will need people around him that are going to be honest with him because they aren’t getting something from him & his new celebrity. From what I understand he hadn’t seen his daughter for many years. In TV land, you reunite with a hug & some tears, but in real life it takes time to reconnect & work through long-term issues between family.” — Nicole Taylor James

Police this week briefly detained Ted Williams after he got into an argument with his daughter. To read more about the incident in the Los Angeles Times, click here.

Several articles have mentioned that Williams’ new found fame could cause him to relapse. To read more about these concerns click here to read a CNN article and click here to read a Woman’s Day commentary on Williams’ new found fame and continued family problems.

Social workers help people overcome addictions, mental illness and homelessness every day. To learn more about the myriad services social workers provide, visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Web page by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of CNN.

Social work came in No. 71 out of CNN’s “100 Best Jobs in America.” In fact, the number of social work jobs is expected to grow 22 percent over the next decade, the article said.

We cheer CNN for giving the valuable career of social work such a positive plug. But we have to let readers know that media company’s coverage of social work in the past year has been a mixed bag.

In November 2009 CNNMoney.com listed social work as a high stress job that pays poorly, although that article praised the dedication of social workers. A year later social workers are still leaving comments about the Low Pay/High Stress story on SocialWorkersSpeak.org.

Yet just three months before CNN ran that article it was urging students to pursue a career in patient advocacy social work because that is a fast growing field. To read that article, click here.

Interested in becoming a social worker? To find out more about the career and accredited schools of social work, visit BeASocialWorker.com by clicking here.

Jan Ligon. Photo courtesy of Georgia State University where Ligon is an associate professor.

National Association of Social Workers member Jan Ligon, PhD, LCSW, became a specialist in drug addiction crisis services after taking care of his own son, who died at age 35 after taking heroin and cocaine.

Ligon is quoted extensively in this CNN article about signs parents can look for to tell their child is addicted to drugs. Drug addiction among young people is getting more attention in the news due to the arrest and sentencing of actress and teen idol Lindsay Lohan.

Lohan on July 6 was sentenced to 90 days in jail fo rmissing alcohol counseling services in violation of probation. The judge ordered her to sign up for an additional 90 days of drug and alcohol counseling after serving her term.

Social worker Jan Ligon offers more detailed advice on dealing with a loved with a drug or alcohol addiction on NASW’s “Help Starts Here” Web site. To read it, click here.

Abby Sunderland. Photo courtesy of CNN.

Abby Sunderland, 16, who tried to become the youngest person to sail around the world alone but ran into boat trouble, has been rescued. Now many are wondering whether her parents should have let her try such a dangerous journey in the first place, accoridng this CNN article .

National Association of Social Workers member Frederic Reamer, professor of social work at Rhode Island College, told CNN reporter Sabriya Rice teenagers vary greatly when it comes to judgment, maturity and the risks they are willing to take.

“There are circumstances in parenting where virtually everyone would agree… and then there are circumstances like this where reasonable, thoughtful minds can differ tremendously,” he says.

Q: Should teenagers be barred from attempting dangerous journeys such as the one Sunderland attempted?

Dana Plato. Photo courtesy of CNN.

Tyler Lambert, 25, son of “Diff’rent Strokes” actress Dana Plato, committed suicide this month almost 11 years to the day after his mother killed herself by drug overdose, according to this CNN article.

The death of two close family members from suicide may be more common than you think. The Johns Hopkins Children’s Center recently did a study that shows people who were children or adolescents when their parents committed sucide are more likely to commit suicide as well.

“It appears from our results that all factors — developmental, environmental and genetic — are important,” lead author Holly Wilcox said in a CNN article about the study.

Social workers often help families cope with grief. To learn more visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Grief and Loss Web page by clicking here. And to get information on how to prevent suicides visit the Suicide Prevention Action Network USA by clicking here.

Q: Social workers, when you help suicide survivors deal with grief  are you aware odds are higher other family members may commit suicide? Do  you try to address this trend in counseling?

Kyrsten Sinema. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.org.

Social worker and Arizona Democratic State Rep. Kyrsten Sinema was quoted in a CNN article protesting a controversial new state law that bans ethnic studies classes that “promote resentment” of other racial groups. To read the full article and watch related video click here.

State Schools Superintendent Tom Horne said that the legislation was created to get schools to teach children to treat each other as individuals and not on the basis of their race.

However, UN human rights experts say the law discourages students from learning about their culture and that of others. And Sinema said ethnic courses do not divide students.

“The fact is very clear that these courses are open to all students.” she said. ”I think it is important for students to learn about their own cultural heritage and to have the opportunity to learn about our cultures and ethnicities that make up the diverse and wonderful state of Arizona.”

The ethnic studies law is the latest controversial legislation out of Arizona, which has also been under fire for a controversial immigration law that lets authorities stop suspected illegal immigrants and demand identification.

Q: Should Arizona’s ethnic studies law be overturned?

Mike Stouffer with grandson Aiden Comfort. Photo courtesy of CNN.

Catherine Crisp PhD, MSW at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock wanted to share “A social worker named Dale,” an article she ran across on CNNiReport.

CNNiReport lets everyday folks report on news and issues that interest them. Regular contributor Mike Stouffer (WasauFamily) recently wrote about Dale Herrick, a social worker who guided him through some rough years beginning when he was a foster child. Stouffer continued to get into trouble well into adulthood but Herrick never gave up on him.

Here’s part of his moving tribute to Herrick:

“Social workers, the next time you are questioning whether your work matters believe that it does. (Dale)  never judged me or was mean. His voice was the only compassionate sound I heard, during some of my darkest and confusing hours of my young life. We did not always get along and agree on things either. When I became an adult he helped guide me as a friend.”

Besides being in foster care, Stouffer was a teen runaway, served time in juvenile jail, and as an adult was sentenced to prison, escaped and became a fugitive. He also battled alcoholism. Despite Stouffer’s poor choices Herrick never abandoned him.

“Everybody else has given up on these kids,” Herrick said. “I want to be the one who says, ‘I won’t give up on you.’”

To read more on Mike Stouffer and Dale Herrick click here. And to find out more about how social workers help children, teenagers and families in crisis visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Kids and Families Web page.

Efren Penaflorida. Photo courtesy of Asian Journal.

Cheers to the Asian Journal for its article on Filipino social worker Efren Penaflorida. CNN 360 host Anderson Cooper awarded Penaflorida CNN’s 2009 Hero of the Year award for his work helping youth in the Philippines stay clear of gangs. Penaflorida, 28, is founder of Dynamic Teen Company, which uses education as an anti-gang tool. About 130,000 youth in the Philippines are in gangs. ]]> http://www.socialworkersspeak.org/cheers-and-jeers/filipino-social-worker-named-cnn-2009-hero-of-the-year.html/feed 1 http://www.socialworkersspeak.org/media/latino-in-america-highlights-social-work.html http://www.socialworkersspeak.org/media/latino-in-america-highlights-social-work.html#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:11:45 +0000 admin http://www.socialworkersspeak.org/?p=264

Debra Duardo

CNN’s recent series,  “Latino in America,” gave a nod to social workers. A program segment that aired Oct. 21 featured Debra Duardo, director of Dropout Prevention and Recovery in Los Angeles. Debra decided to improve her education and job prospects after dropping out of high school, getting married, and having a baby. Ten years later Debra had earned a masters in social work. The same CNN segment also featured Cindy Garcia, an aspiring Latino social worker. Cindy is going to class day, night and weekends to gain her degree. Photo of Debra Duardo courtesy theU.com.