Image courtesy of the Star Tribune.

Many parents are unsure how to help children cope with the death of a friend or a friend’s family member, according to this article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Remke, MSW, ACHP-SW, remembers her mother would not let her attend the funeral of the mother of one of her fourth-grade classmates. “My mom was afraid it would have been too traumatic for me to attend a funeral at such a young age,” Remke said.

Remke suggested that among other things, parents should tell their children what to expect at a funeral, although this may be difficult if they do not know the family. Children should also be told it is okay to step out of a funeral if they need to, she said.

To learn more about how social workers help clients handle the deaths of loved ones visit NASW’s “Help Starts Here” Grief and Loss Website by clicking here.

Social workers: Community should have done more to save toddler
WCNC
by MICHELLE BOUDIN / NewsChannel 36 GASTON COUNTY, NC — Social workers said Wednesday that the community should have done more to save a 2-year-old girl who died in Bessemer City last week. The toddler’s mother and her boyfriend were in court Wednesday, charged with involuntary manslaughter after police said they let the toddlers’ broken leg and infection go untreated.

Learn how to get your anger under control
Daily Comet
Keith Weisheit, 43, of Houma, a licensed clinical social worker, said anger is a completely normal, usually healthy, human emotion, but when it gets out of control and turns destructive, it can lead to problems at work, in your personal relationships and in the overall quality of your life.

Elder Abuse: The (Almost) Invisible Crime
The Crime Report
Part of the reason for the small clientele is that the program attempts to comply with National Association of Social Workers caseload standards, which require that each worker be assigned only the number of cases that allow a high quality of service for each client.

In Tough Times, Philadelphia Bucks The Trend
NPR
As Nutter is quick to point out, the city’s problems would be worse right now if leaders hadn’t raised taxes to maintain services. “We did not lay off one sanitation worker, not one police officer, not one firefighter or social worker or health department worker,” says Nutter. He adds that the city did save some money by not replacing about 1,600 workers who left their jobs.

Tips to help new parents beat stress, stop abuse
Great Falls Tribune
The licensed clinical social worker has been a new parent, struggling to balance the joys of parenting with the new-found responsibilities. “I went to counseling after having both my kids, and that was the best thing I ever did,” she said.

Most avoid discussing a ‘good death’
UPI.com
Professor Deborah P. Waldrop of the University at Buffalo School of Social Work says, when asked, the majority of people say they want to die at home surrounded by their family. However, 60 percent of chronically ill people die in hospitals and 20 percent die in nursing homes, so these wishes are often unfulfilled, Waldrop says.

Yet statistics show 80 percent of chronically ill people die in hospitals or nursing homes.

“Too often, their lives have ended in pain and despair, spending their final days in an alienating institutional environment…,” Waldrop, DSW, ACSW, said.

There  is a growing emphasis on allowing chronically ill people to have a “good death,” which may include allowing them to die at home, said Waldrop, who is a professor at the University at Buffalo School of Social Work.

To learn more about how social workers help people at the end of life visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Death & Dying Web page by clicking here. NASW also released Social Work Practice in Palliative and End of Life Care. To read these standards click here.

Cuts at public universities destroy future prosperity
Bellingham Herald
When students graduate with high debts, they rarely choose a career in public service, teaching, social work or other low-paid caring professions. Instead, they are forced to go into the corporate sector. This seems to be a calculated part of a larger political strategy to disempower students.

Helping others through the worst
Asbury Park Press
Driving to New York City two years ago, lawyer Esther Daniel turned to her mother, Cheryl, a social worker, and described scenes in her office that played out over and over again. Her clients were going through divorces that were so stressful that they couldn’t think straight. Forget the complicated legal process; they needed to know how they were going to make it on their own.

A Bleak Life, Cut Short at 4, Harrowing From the Start
The New York Times
She died in September by the ugliest means, weighing an unthinkable 18 pounds, half what a 4-year-old ought to. She withered in poverty in a home in Brooklyn where the authorities said she had been drugged and often bound to a toddler bed by her mother, having realized a bare thimble’s worth of living.

Saratoga Springs woman overcomes alcohol addiction to pursue a college …
The Saratogian
She plans to utilize the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship to pursue a degree and future career in social work. “This scholarship is allowing me to imagine things I didn’t think possible,” she said.

Hiker killed in fall touched numerous lives
Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Ryan Suenaga, 44, of Kaneohe had a lot to say. That was evident through his work as a full-time social worker for Kaiser Permanente Hawaii and as a part-time educator for Parents Inc., which addresses parent neglect and child abuse.

Help Is Ready For Returning Heroes
KETV Omaha
KETV NewsWatch 7 talked to Donna Higgins, a Veterans Adminstration social worker, and one of a few dozen advocates ready to help. Higgins said all too often, some veterans don’t get assistance when they should. “For a year, they’ve been taught to, no matter what happens around them, you suck it up, you march it on, you do your mission,” explained Higgins.

Young athletes in training for Special Olympics
nwitimes.com
Training is an important component for any aspiring Olympian, which is why Kristin Erdei is putting her background as licensed clinical social worker and parent of a daughter with special needs to good use with the Young Athletes training program for Special Olympians and other educational activities for families.

The play’s the thing
Chapel Hill News
She’s a clinical social worker and associate professor in the UNC School of Social Work, at least by day. But no matter what you do with the rest of your time, if you write plays, you’re a playwright. And for someone who has only been at it for two years, Barrett has put together a pretty remarkable string of successes.

Governor Extols State Partnership with IU School of Social Work
IUPUI Newscenter
The Indiana University School of Social Work and the Indiana Department of Child Services have created an extraordinary partnership with incalculable benefits in the life and death mission of protecting the state’s most vulnerable children, Gov. Mitch Daniels said at the IUPUI Spirit of Philanthropy ceremony on Tuesday.

Alzheimer’s Caregivers Need Care, Too
U.S. News & World Report
But caregivers can take various steps to protect their health, says Rebecca Axline, a clinical social worker at the Nantz National Alzheimer Center in Houston. To keep stress in check, for instance, she emphasizes the need to find time and ways to reenergize, to keep meaningful things in your life and to remain social and participate in your favorite activities.

We need more social workers to help families
Las Vegas Sun
The writer is the executive director of the National Association of Social Workers, Nevada chapter. He also is a graduate school student in social work at UNLV.

Research redefines definition of poverty
University at Buffalo Reporter
By CHARLES ANZALONE A School of Social Work faculty member is helping redefine the country’s definition of being poor with research that shows the dramatic difference between achieving “basic economic security” and the federal government’s “poverty line.”

Students work with Fort Worth homeless population
TCU Daily Skiff
Erin Taylor, a senior social work major, works as an intern for Catholic Charities’ Street Outreach Services (SOS) team. “I didn’t really know a whole lot about the homeless population until I started working here,” Taylor said.

40 Under 40
Connecticutmag.com
Madeline Perez ●  37 ● West Hartford – Madeline Perez is an assistant professor at Saint Joseph College’s School of Graduate and Professional Studies who brings years of experience as a social worker and community organizer into the classroom.

Ohio social worker death not due to alleged attack
ABC6OnYourSide.com
CLEVELAND (AP) — An autopsy shows that the death of a Cleveland social worker five days after authorities say she was assaulted by a youth at work was not related to the alleged attack.

KOLD.comGroup donates $100000 to Gabe Zimmerman scholarship fund
KOLD-TV
AP Entertainment News Video AP National/International News Community Partnership of Southern Arizona (CPSA) has donated $100000 to the Arizona State University (ASU) School of Social Work in the College of Public Programs to establish an endowed scholarship honoring Gabe Zimmerman, who graduated in 2006 with a Master’s in Social Work.

Social Workers Recognized This Month
Ashland Current
The Department of Children and Families is proud to celebrate social worker month, as proclaimed by Gov. Scott Walker. Later this month, on March 23, the department will honor several social workers from around the state at an event at the State Capitol.

Hospitals help employees overcome anger, bitterness
Wrangler News
In her work as director of clinical social work at Chandler Regional and Mercy Gilbert Medical Centers, Lynda Dallyn often sees the way past hurt and disappointment can leave people filled with anger and bitterness.

Juliet Sternberg and Libro the cat. Photo courtesy of USA Today.

Cheers to USA Today for this article on National Association of Social Workers member Juliet Sternberg, MSW.

Sternberg has a unique job, even in the widely varied field of social work. She is co-owner of the Hope Veterinary Clinic in Brooklyn, N.Y., and offers counseling to people who have terminally ill pets.

Sternberg says her service helps improve care of pets because they have calmer and less anguished owners. And she helps owners prepare for the death of their beloved pets.

“It’s an honor to be invited into their final journey together,” she said.

To learn more about how social workers help people deal with death, visit NASW’s “Help Starts Here” Grief and Loss Website by clicking here.

Burch-York left work on Feb. 17 after being assaulted by the youth at a Cuyahoga County office building. Authorities are now investigating whether that attack led to her death. Her husband discovered her body.

The WFMJ.com article identifies Burch-York as a social worker. She was awarded an LSW in July of 1993 but it expired two years later and was not renewed, according to the Counselor, Social Worker & Marriage and Family Therapist Board in Columbus.

Burch-York had a bachelor’s degree that was likely in social work, an official at the board said. However, that cannot be confirmed at this time.

There have been several reports of social workers killed or injured at work in recent months. The National Association of Social Workers’ Center for Workforce Studies and the Center for Health Workforce Studies at the University at Albany did a survey that found that four out of 10 social workers face personal safety issues on the job. To learn more about that study, click here.

A scene from "Facing Death" on PBS.

PBS’s “Frontline” turned to the National Association of Social Workers to help build online educational resources for their new film, “Facing Death.” The film visits New York’s Mount Sinai Medical Center to examine how patients and their families make end-of-life decisions.

“Facing Death” will air on Nov. 23 at 9 p.m. Eastern on PBS (check local listings) but PBS posted the entire film online for social workers and others to view. To watch click here and let us know what you think.

The PBS online resource guide that includes NASW’s information should be posted by the end of this week. Frontline staff consulted with Chris Herman, MSW, LICSW, NASW’s senior practice associate for aging, about the online guide.

 Social workers have an important role in helping clients identify end-of-life options available to them. They provide such services in a variety of settings, including in-home care, nursing homes, hospitals, courts, schools and even prisons. For more information, visit NASW’s “Help Starts Here” Death and Dying Web page by clicking here and advance care planning guide by clicking here. NASW also has Standards for Palliative & End of Life Care that you can read by clicking here.

Leo Smith. Photo courtesy of the Boston Globe.

Social worker Leo P. Smith ran the  Caritas Good Samaritan Hospice outside Boston for years.

Then Smith found out he had terminal cancer, according to this obituary in the Boston Globe. But instead of withdrawing he used his condition to help train staff about working with the dying.

“He said, ‘You know, I think I should try to put some kind of seminar together and talk to my staff about what it’s like to be on this side of it. I think it might help them. There are certain things you don’t realize until you’re here,’ ” said his sister Maureen Sullivan. “He was thinking about how he might help others down the line.”

Smith, who was a National Association of Social Workers member, had a reputation for reaching out to diverse and underserved clients, including the homeless and immigrants. This caring attitude extended to his family — Smith made home-cooked meals for one of his sisters even as death neared.

 He passed away at his home on July 11.

 Instead, Cathy devotes her time left on Earth to trying to help others and living life to the fullest.

“The Big C” premieres Monday Aug. 16 at 10:30 p.m.

Social workers help people battling cancer and those in hospice care. Do you think it is okay for a television show to use comedy to depict such issues?

Katie Couric and Sesame Street Muppets on "When Families Grieve." Photo by Phillipe Cheng.

American society has become so fast-paced we often don’t give ourselves time to grieve properly,  social worker Mary Owen said.

We have “a society that doesn’t stop for much of anything,” said Owen, LCSW, clinical director of the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing in Washington, D.C. “It’s kind of like the show must go on.”

That is why Owen thinks it is important for families to watch the upcoming PBS special “When Families Grieve.” Owen served on the advisory board of the program, helping  show writers decide what topics to cover. The program follows several families that experienced death and lets them share strategies they used to deal with grief.

One of the families the program visits is that of social worker Kim Ruocco. Ruocco’s husband John was a Marine Corps helicopter pilot who committed suicide. Kim Ruocco got a masters degree in social work and is now director of suicide outreach and education for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. TAPS is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that helps grieving military families.

“When Families Grieve” is hosted by newscaster Katie Couric and features the Muppets of Sesame Street. Owen said it was not difficult being an advisor to the program. Sesame Street writers came to Washington for a one-day conference to ask questions and listen to informational presentations, she said.

Owen said the PBS program is important because Americans have a difficult time handling grief and reaching out to family and friends who experienced death. In the past there were etiquette rules that dictated what colors families could wear and how long they remained socially isolated after a death. However, those hard and fast rules no longer exist. 

“It used to be people had very outward signs (of grief),”said Owen, who got her degree in social work from the University of Nebraska. “This included sitting shiva and wearing black.”

“And now thank goodness we’re not tied to strict rules but whenever the pendulum swings it never stops in the middle. In some ways the pendulum has swung to the other side.”

People now feel more obligated to get back to work and school soon after a death and perform tasks and services people expect them to, Owen said. And many Americans are uncomfortable talking about death and grief.

“It becomes the unspoken discomfort,” Owen said. “The more people don’t know what to say the more they want to avoid saying anything.”

Hopefully, “When Families Grieve” will give viewers tools to handle their personal grief and help others.

“When Families Grieve” airs April 14 at 8 p.m. Eastern on PBS. Katic Couric will air a 10-minute feature on the program on CBS on Sunday morning April 11, Owen said. That segment will also feature an interview with NASW member Phyllis Silverman, PhD, an expert on bereavement. For more information on the program click here. And to find out how social workers help families grieve visit the National Association of Social Workers “Help Starts Here” Grief and Loss Web pages by clicking here.

Catherine White-Holman. Photo courtesy of Vancouver Sun.

Our regards  to the Vancouver Sun in Canada for their moving profile of Catherine White-Holman, a pioneering social worker who helped provide health care to the community and was an advocate for gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people. White-Holman, 55, recently died in a plane crash.

To read the full story click here.

Aracely Neeley

Aracely Neeley has a new job some actors would kill to get. She will get to use her social work skills on camera in “Keeping up with the Joneses,” an upcoming reality television show on Centric that follows entrepreneur Tracey Ferguson.

According to the Centric Web site, Ferguson is an “attractive fashionista” trying to build a magazine that serves affluent African American women in Houston.

“I’m still thinking it’s a joke,” Neeley, LCSW, said. “Did it really happen? Is it really real?”

Neeley is a licensed clinical social worker with a thriving practice in Houston. Producers of the show, which is scheduled to air on the Centric network in early 2010, found her through her Web site.

Show producers needed a professional to provide real-life grief counseling for Ferguson. They filmed several counseling sessions with Neeley and Ferguson. 

“We did actual taping in our office — there was no script,” Neeley said. “They said this is what we need for you guys to cover and we want it to happen organically.”

“And I said ‘I’m just going to do therapy like I do everybody else and they said that’s exactly what we want.’”

Neeley is of Mexican descent and offers bilingual counseling service. She said being a minority was a plus in landing the role. She hopes her work with “Keeping up with the Joneses” will make more African Americans willing to try therapy to ease depression, family strife and other social issues.

“I think this show will depict therapy in a very down-to-earth way, and as a reality TV series has a good chance of (letting minorities know) therapy is an okay and acceptable treatment,” she said.

To find out more about how social workers help clients deal with grief visit the National Association of Social Workers “Help Starts Here” Death and Dying Web page.

Q: Reality shows have sometimes been criticized as exploitative. But do you think such programming  could be useful tools to show the benefits of social work?

Director Oren Moverman, center, with "The Messenger" actors Ben Foster, left, and Woody Harrelson. Photo courtesy of Imdb.com.

Oren Moverman is director and co-writer of the newly released “The Messenger,” an emotionally stirring film  about soldiers who must inform families a servicemember has died.

The movie touches on issues social workers help people handle, including death, grief, and post traumatic stress disorder. The military is also an area where social workers have a lot of expertise — the Department of Veterans Affairs employs more master’s level social workers than any other organization.

Moverman gave the National Association of Social Workers an advanced copy of the film and agreed to answer questions about the movie from the Social Workers Speak! staff and Web site and the NASW Facebook page. Here they are:

Q: Oren, what made you want to get involved in filmmaking and screenwriting?

A: I’m almost embarrassed to admit it, but I wanted to be involved in filmmaking from an early age, very early, I was nine when I started dreaming about it.  Of course, I knew nothing about what it meant. It was something I felt I had to pursue.  I came to live in the States in 1988 with filmmaking in mind and I started writing scripts while attending Brooklyn College. My goal was to direct. I was very lucky to get financing for my first film as a director in 2000, but the financiers pulled out three days before shooting and I was left with a writing sample I sent around. I started getting hired as a screenwriter, and suddenly that was my profession. But the goal was to direct. It took awhile. And here we are.

 
Q:  Most Americans avoid issues such as death and grief – issues that you addressed head-on in the movie “The Messenger.” What made you want to tackle these issues? Do you think Americans are too squeamish about death?

A: I think Western Civilization in general is squeamish on subjects like death and other “dark” issues as well — aging, hospitalization, illness and more.  We don’t like talking about these things. So much is devoted to this imaginary pursuit of eternal youth and happiness. But death is so central to life, so important. Alessandro Camon, my co-writer on “The Messenger,”  and I wanted to take the subject on from the military perspective because it is so immediate and dramatic; we wanted to contribute to the dialogue about war from a human perspective, i.e. life and death. It’s really a powerful tool. But the issue of death, specifically notification of death, which means dealing with the reality that people die, clearly goes beyond the military context. We all get notified of the death of a loved one. I suppose we felt ready and mature enough to put these themes out there, to not be too squeamish about it. It’s reality after all.

Q: One social worker who viewed the film liked it because it was a “war movie yet it addressed the after effects of war.” Do you think too many war movies focus on heroism and not enough are like “Born on the 4th of July” and the “Deer Hunter” and focus on troops after they come home?

A: We wanted to show, in a small, intimate way, the lives of people who have to deal with the consequences of the decision to go to war.  That was our first impulse that gave birth to this movie.  I think there’s a cycle to these things, and it has to do more with movie economics than the war. Don’t forget, a movie gets made because someone somewhere thinks he or she can make money by appealing directly to what they think interests the public. Of course, movies are a lot more than that, but we can’t make them without financiers.  So it depends on the time, the mood of a country, the war itself, the financial instincts of certain entities. I think there are plenty of movies coming out of the last two wars dealing with the aftermath. But these movies have not done well in the box office and there’s a hesitancy to make too many of them right now. But that’s not to say that once these wars are over, hopefully soon, and our soldiers are back, there won’t be more. I believe there will be. There are many stories to tell and many issues to cover.

Q: The Department of Veterans Affairs employs more master’s degree level social workers than any other agency. Social workers also provide services such as grief counseling to armed services families. I know “The Messenger” is in the can but if you could have done it again would you have included a military social worker who came in after the news of death was delivered?

A: Honestly, no.  I have the utmost respect for social workers; they are out there in the trenches every day doing great work. But this movie is just an entry point into the current military world. It’s an introduction to most people. It starts a dialogue; it cannot cover every aspect of the war. We just wanted people to become aware that these people, returning soldiers, families, are dealing with tremendous  issues that demand our attention. It’s all we could do with this one. Social workers deserve a film of their own.

Q: Social workers who saw the film thought the acting was great and you handle the issues in a realistic way. They also realize this is a movie. But they saw a missed opportunity. Could you have focused more on social and psychological treatment soldiers can receive when they get home?

A: I’m sorry that they see it as a missed opportunity.  But I also understand their perspective. Social workers are dealing with huge, complicated problems and they are rarely acknowledged for their enormous contribution. So the frustration is clear. But you have to understand that this, as you say, is only a movie. It gives a spotlight for a brief moment and then it’s gone. The reality stays. And we were trying to introduce audiences to the reality. There are so many good people involved in the aftermath. We don’t even show the Casualty Assistance Officer the Army sends to help the families. We don’t go into the healing process, really. Maybe there’s a sequel there.

Q: One social worker wrote: “Based on my proximity to military bases and installations, I’ve had some limited experience with military families on my case roster. Did you use a consultant to help you portray the military ‘culture’ accurately?”

A: The Army fully supported our movie and we have a technical advisor on set every day, Lt. Col. Paul Sinor, a great guy and a great help to us.

Q:  Did you know actress Samantha Morton in your film is part of a campaign to recruit more social workers in the Great Britain? How do you feel about Samantha’s efforts?

A: Sam is a remarkable women and a sublime actress. I knew she was active in social workers issues and I know that it come from her childhood. I applaud her efforts and I know they come from a genuine place.  Sam doesn’t do anything she doesn’t believe in.

Q: Another social worker asked: “Do you feel that social workers are generally misrepresented as unskilled professionals? After directing this film, has your view of social workers’ role and impact change at all?”
A: I grew up in Israel where the role of the social worker is integral to society. I do think there’s a misperception in the U.S. as to what a social worker does. Unless you know one or you’re interacting with one, there’s no real model for people to look at and learn from. Social workers have not gotten their fair share of public attention, and their role has not been publicly acknowledged on a large scale. But that’s not to say that they are not being appreciated and admired by so many for whom social workers dedicate their lives and time.  To me there is something heroic about it. Not in a clichéd, Hollywood way. There’s something heroic about a life of giving, a life of service to social justice and bettering people’s quality of life.

Q: What projects are you working on next?

A: There are a few things I’m looking at, nothing solid yet. I’ll let you know as soon as I find out.  It sounds like your members have some ideas for me. And I appreciate it.

Ben Foster, left, and Woody Harrelson star in "The Messenger." Photo courtesy of "Moving Pictures."

Director Oren Moverman offered NASW a chance to do an advance viewing of his film “The Messenger” at NASW offices this afternoon. The movie is about soldiers who must deliver news of a death to families.

Most of the audience members were social workers. How did they feel about the film?

They thought the acting by Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster and Samantha Morton was spot on. It is also a good and timely message movie, considering the United States is still losing soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan and troops are returning injured and suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. For more information on how social workers are helping the military click here to vist the NASW’s “Help Starts Here” section on Veterans Affairs.

“I enjoyed it — I thought the acting was phenomenal,” said Sharon Issurdatt, LCSW. “It’s a war movie but different. It shows the after effects.”

However, other social workers in the review audience said the film should have given more attention to the services provided to grieving families after the “messengers” deliver their grim news. The Department of Veterans Affairs hires more masters level social workers than any other industry, and many of these social workers provide guidance to soldiers and their families.

The movie mentioned casualty assistance officers several times but where were the military social workers, several audience members said?

“The Messenger” opened in limited theaters on Veterans Day.

Oren Moverman is director of the upcoming film “The Messenger,” which stars actor Woody Harrelson. The movie is about two soldiers who have the emotionally draining duty of telling families that soldiers died in action. Many social workers work with the military and the film addresses issues social workers address, including post traumatic stress disorder and grief.

Oren is taking questions from social workers about the film, which premieres Nov. 11. Please submit your questions in the response section below. We’ll pick some for Oren to answer.

Woody Harrelson. Photo courtesy of Film Festival Ticker.

The soon-be-released movie “The Messenger” handles two topics many people would rather avoid — death and grief. Actors Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster play soldiers who must tell families their loved ones died in service to their country. This issue resonates with social workers who provide services to the military and grieving families. To read more about the role of social workers click here to visit the Grief and Loss section of NASW’s “Help Starts Here” Web site.

QUESTION: Do you think the process of death and grieving is handled accurately in the news, television and movies? Leave a comment!