51-year-old Japanese widow Satomi Sato works two low-wage jobs to support herself and daughter but barely makes ends meet. Photo by Ko Sasaki for New York Times.

Japan last fall announced its official poverty line for the first time.

The move was a surprise because many Japanese claim they live in a homogenous, mostly middle class society that does not have stark divisions between rich and poor, according to this New York Times article.

In fact Japan, which sunk into economic stagnation years ago, has a 15.7 percent poverty rate. That is just below 17.1 percent in the United States.

Some social workers are concerned poor people who cannot afford to educate their children in Japan’s highly competitive educational system will pass their plight on to the next generation.

“We are at risk of creating a chronic underclass,” said Toshihiko Kudo, a board member of Ashinaga, a nonprofit group based in Tokyo that helps poor children and orphans.

Mark Courtney

The outlook for the 30,000 foster children in the United States who ”age out” of the system each year is bleak, according to a study led by University of Washington School of Social Work researcher Mark Courtney. Many have no family support.

A New York Times article citing the study said only half will be employed by the time they reach their mid ’20s. Sixty percent of men will be convicted of a crime. Four out of 10 women who were formerly foster children will be on public assistance. And only six out of 100 former foster children will be attending community college.

To read the full article click here.

Possible solutions for this problem include encouraging birth families to stay involved with foster children and using mentors to help guide newly emancipated youth.

To learn more about how social workers help visit the National Association of Social Workers “Help Starts Here” Adoptions and Foster Care Web pages by clicking here. NASW member Matt Anderson is also working on a documentary on the plight of aged-out foster children. To find out more click here to read his interview with SocialWorkersSpeak.org.

“Social workers are often among the first to respond to disasters both nationally and abroad,” says Elizabeth Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH, executive director of NASW. “The people of Haiti need our help now more than ever, and we are committed to providing any assistance we can to one of the world’s poorest countries during this terrible tragedy.”

To learn more about NASW’s earthquake response and how you can help click here.
Here’s a round-up of social work news related to the earthquake. Please send us more tips:

Ex-Pasco resident bringing hope to Haiti
The News Tribune (Tacoma, WA)
“(Social worker) Brittany Hilker knew from the time she was a kid growing up in Pasco that she wanted to help people in need. So after graduating last year from Eastern Washington University, the 25-year-old moved to Haiti where she found an outlet for her generous spirit — the Hope for Haiti Children’s Center.”

Not Too Soon for Mental Health Care in Port-au-Prince
Huffington Post
“Naomi Levitz, a social worker on our team, has worked closely with Mabo for several years and when we arrive, she is quickly surrounded by a swarm of joyous children.”

Quake Victims Starving
Decatur Daily
“Leslie Loyd struggled to find words to describe what she saw in Haiti two months after a devastating earthquake. ‘It looks like the Apocalypse, really,’ she said. Loyd earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Auburn in 2009 and expects to graduate next year from University of Alabama at Birmingham with a degree in international public health, focusing on long-term hunger relief and development.”

Older Adult Specialists Travel to Haiti to Provide Needed Care to Vulnerable Nursing Home Residents
Newswise
“Two months after the devastating earthquake hit Haiti, the needs of older adults in the region remain an urgent priority. Dr. Martin Gorbien, a geriatrician, and Lauren Kessler, a licensed clinical social worker, both from Rush University Medical Center, will be among the first older adult specialists to travel to Haiti to provide care at make-shift nursing homes.”

Haiti’s Excluded
The Nation
“Ruth Derilus had seen her share of tragedy. A 33-year-old iron-willed social worker trained by Haiti’s Papay Peasant Movement, she twice helped organize relief efforts when massive floods devastated the city of Gonaïves and the surrounding countryside. But nothing would prepare her for the tribulations she would face after the earthquake that struck Port-au-Prince on January 12 of this year.”

SCCPSS School Social Workers Raise Money for Red Cross
WSAV 3  TV (Savannah, Ga. and Hilton Head, SC)
“It was an enthusiastic afternoon Thursday at the Savannah-Chatham County school district’s Bull Street offices.The school social workers hosted a silent auction complete with dinners out, hotel stays, artwork and more. All of the money raised is going to the American Red Cross for the Haiti relief efforts.”

Social workers play detective to reunite families
USA Today
“Social workers and community activists in Haiti are going to orphanages, hospitals, camps and even the medical Navy ship USNS Comfort on the trail of parents of children found alone after last month’s devastating earthquake.”

Annette Vander Ploeg: We were first responders to Haiti’s earthquake
Democracy for New Hampshire
“I, a clinical social worker by profession, assisted the nurse practitioners in numerous ways, scribing, blood pressure, weighing. Not speaking Kreole, communication was through eyes and touch and a few French words. The poverty and hard lives of these people were staggering. Their kindness and strong spirit were inspiring.”

Helping Haiti Heal
Student Life: Washington University in St. Louis
“While in Haiti conducting research, Washington University Assistant Professor of Social Work Lora Iannotti was caught in the earthquake that left an estimated 200,000 people dead…”

Local nonprofit strives to nourish infants of Haiti
The St. Louis American
“Two days before the Jan. 12 earthquake killed more than 200,000 people, Lora Iannotti, Ph.D., nutrition and public health expert from the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University, traveled to Port-au-Prince and Leogane, Haiti, to collaborate with Meds and Food for Kids on research regarding undernutrition and disease prevention in young children.”

Agency needs caseworkers who speak Creole
The Tampa Tribune
“Do you speak Creole? Have a background in social work? If so, Lutheran Services Florida desperately needs you – as either an employee or a volunteer.”

Bringing Hope, and Help, to a Battered Land
The Boston College Chronicle
“Alison Quinn, a student in the Graduate School of Social Work and Connell School of Nursing joint degree program, is preparing to put her skills to work in a place where they are sorely needed. On Feb. 21, she will head off to Haiti with Circle of Hope www.circleofhopeonline.org, an organization of doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses and medical staff that regularly goes to Leogane, a city outside of Port au Prince.”

Professor tells story of traveling with Haitian Orphans
The Pitt News
“Edward Sites, a professor in Pitt’s School of Social Work (and National Association of Social Workers member), was growing weary. He had not eaten or slept since departing from Pittsburgh hours ago. His energy faded as he unloaded and arranged medical supplies for nearly five hours. He was waiting for politicians to convince the Haitian government to allow Americans Jamie and Ali McMutrie and their colleagues to take 54 orphans into the United States.”

Local efforts spur more Haiti relief
Traverse City Record-Eagle (Michigan)
“A Haiti benefit concert is scheduled for Feb. 17 at Kilkenny’s. The concert is sponsored by Phi Alpha, a social work honors society student group through Ferris State University, and Kilkenny’s Irish Pub.”

Social worker helps relief staff handle the emotional trauma of Haiti
The Baltimore Sun
“Contino, a clinical social worker, was dispatched to Haiti to address the emotional trauma of the Baltimore-based (Catholic Relief Agency’s) large staff, which includes 300 Haitians and a core group of expatriates.”

In Disaster, Tensions Ease Between an Island’s Rivals
New York Times
“Like almost anyone from Hispaniola, the island uncomfortably shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Paloma Rivera is acutely aware that the two nations distrust each other, complain about each other and cite grievances about each other going back well over a century. Yet here she was, a Dominican, clearing garbage and digging latrines in a slum in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, to help survivors of the earthquake find a place to pitch their tents.’Maybe this earthquake, even with its tragedies, can do some good by making us a little less distant from each other,’ said Ms. Rivera, 24, a social worker who joined thousands of other Dominicans in loading emergency food and medicine into their vehicles and driving here.”

Dunlap native aids Haiti
PJStar.com (Illinois)
“When Dunlap resident Kelly Scott joined Meds and Food for Kids as an intern, she did not expect her first project to be Haiti’s post-earthquake relief efforts. Scott is pursuing a dual master’s degree in business administration and social work at Washington University in St. Louis.”

Area Students Pitch In for Haiti
Louisburg Herald (Kansas)
“The student council at Louisburg High School is collecting money this week to be donated, and Sara McIntire, social worker at BES and Rockville Elementary School, came up with a plan of her own. Working through Heart to Heart International, a non-profit organization based in Olathe, McIntire is collecting care kits to be sent to Haiti. Families construct the kits themselves and package them in a one-gallon plastic storage bag, along with $1 for shipping.”

In Miami’s Little Haiti, nothing to do but work, wait, hope, pray
Los Angeles Times
“At the Haitian Relief Information Center hastily set up in the heart of Little Haiti, county social worker Shirley Sieger was, in theory, there to help …”

Local woman worries over Haitian friends as aid efforts take form
Las Cruces Sun-News
“… are in Port-au-Prince,” said Burke, who works at the Gospel Rescue Mission in Las Cruces and recently earned her master’s degree in social work. …”

Mass. student on trip to Haiti
Nashua Telegraph
“The Telegram & Gazette of Worcester reports that Gengel is a 19-year-old sophomore majoring in social work. Comments from unverified accounts will be …”

Haitian Orphans Expected Tonight in Pittsburgh
Philly.com
“A plane carrying a medical team left Pittsburgh for Haiti today, and it is expected to return tonight with a group of orphans from a facility run by two sisters from western Pennsylvania…The flight also includes Ed Sites, of the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work, along with a pediatric nurse and a physician assistant from Excela Health Systems based in Westmoreland County.”

Haiti Relief effort group shifts into high gear
New Haven Register
“Mary Lou Ryder-Larkin, who works full-time in the pediatric emergency department of Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx section of New York, is medical director of Haiti Marycare, a group that since 1994 has delivered medical, educational and humanitarian relief to the poorest people of Haiti. The group was founded in 1994 by New Haven resident Sherman Cassidy Malone…These days, Malone, a licensed clinical social worker with a specialty in post-traumatic stress disorders and clinical director of the New Haven Family Alliance, is quick to answer the telephone in hopes of news, but often the connection disappears.”

Elation turns to anxiety for one Mass. family
Boston.com
“A Rutland couple’s relief and celebration that their daughter had been located alive in Haiti turned to shock and disbelief last night when they learned that a mistake had been made and she was still missing…Britney Gengel is studying social work, relatives said.”

Haiti Children Orphaned After Quake
WAAYTV.com
“Social workers say Haiti has always had a large number of children needing to be adopted, but after last week’s earthquake the number of orphaned children has surged.”

Quake’s tremors felt close to home
The Boston Globe
“It was an amazing thing for them to do, to embrace us like this,’’ said Exilhomme, a 33-year-old social worker who is president of A Better Tomorrow International Charities Inc., a social service agency for the Boston-area Haitian Community.

Haiti Orphan Adoption: Ensuring a Successful Transition
PR Web
“Haiti adoption interest has spiked after the disastrous earthquake and aftershocks in Haiti. In response to the crisis, you are invited to listen in on this discussion regarding the orphans being adopted out of this country. Heather T. Forbes, LCSW and Dr. Ronald Federici discuss the dynamics in transitioning these children from disaster to safety and security.”

Photo of Haitian earthquake refugees courtesy of CNN.

Carlos Lopez and social worker Liz Johnson search for relatives of foster children. Photo by Nicole Bengiveno of the New York Times.

Instead of finding adoptive homes for foster children, some agencies now try to place children with relatives when parents are not capable of caring for them.

The New York Times article, “Detectives’ quest: Find relatives of foster kids,” looks at the work of the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition in St. Louis. That organization uses a detective and social workers to track down relatives.

“The lost relatives are a largely untapped resource for adoption,” director Melanie Scheetz said. ”The system has overlooked all these amazing, strong people who are out there and willing to help.”

To read the full story click here.

To learn more about how social workers help foster children visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Adoptions and Foster Care Web page by clicking here.

Q: When parents are not capable of caring for children, do you think it is better to place foster children with relatives rather than  non-related foster parents?

Students walk down the hall at Morton Alternative High School in Chicago. Photo by Jose More/Chicago News Cooperative.

We commend the New York Times for running a Chicago News Cooperative article on the Morton Alternative High School.

A team of social workers at the Chicago school for teenagers with disciplinary problems uses individual and group therapy to help young people cope with the stress. Most come from neighborhoods where gangs, violence, and crime are rampant.

“Nobody here has a ‘Little House on the Prairie’ background,” said Matt Landa, one of the social workers. “But they are amazing to work with…when I don’t feel like pulling out my hair.”

The program at Morton may be adopted by schools in other parts of the nation. To read the full article click here.

And to learn more about how social workers help teenagers visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Youth Development Web page by clicking here.

The same rule likely applies to college professors, social work, art, fashion and therapy, according to two sociologist who did a study on typecasting in careers. Political liberals tend to flock to these professions because there is already a wide public perception that people who share a left-leaning political slant work in these fields.

Conservatives tend to work in law enforcement, farming, dentistry, medicine and the military because they believe they will find like-minded peopel there, according to sociology researchers Neil Gross and Ethan Fosse. Gross is at the University of British Columbia and Fosse is a doctoral candidate at Harvard University.

“The irony is that the more conservatives complain about academia’s liberalism,” Gross said, “the more likely it’s going to remain a bastion of liberalism.”

To read a New York Times article on the study click here. To read the full study click here.

Q: Do you think it is true people in social work tend to be more liberal? Are you a conservative or do you know conservatives who are social workers?

A recent article on 18-year-old Elsa Sanchez is just another example. Sanchez, a former student at Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics, was painfully shy and didn’t participate in many activities. A social worker referred her to the Children’s Aid Society, where Elsa entered a program that helped her build confidence, improve grades, and go on to college.

“I was always in that shell, but thanks to the Corporate Workplace Program, I somehow broke out of it,” Elsa said.

Our only quibble is that the New York Times didn’t identify the social worker who reached out to Elsa! To read the full story click here.

Photo of Elsa Sanchez courtesy of the New York Times.

To learn more about how social workers help teenagers, visit the National Association of Social Workers “Help Starts Here” Youth Development Web page by clicking here.

Jeers to the New York Times for this profile of Marina Draghici, a costume and set designer who transformed Mariah Carey into social worker Ms. Weiss in the film “Precious.”

The article praised Draghici for making Mariah Carey a “drab” social worker with a moustache.

Some social workers  left comments on SocialWorkersSpeak.org criticizing Carey’s appearance in the film because it perpetuates the stereotype that social workers are dowdy, style-challenged people (See our “Social Workers in Film Slideshow” entry).

For instance, Loretta Etienne wrote:

“The social worker characters are usually great people with diverse backgrounds that help them better perform their work. In short, the characters are great but I usually see the drabbed hair, 1980s styled social worker being portrayed as the norm as if this is the last career that a vibrant young man or woman would have wanted. I have a problem with that. Most of us are young, love our work and love life which shows in our outwardly appearance.”

Now at least social workers know who to blame for Carey’s looks in the film.

Photo of Marina Draghici courtesy of New York Times.

Tareese and Tyree Seabrooks. Photo by Sharon McCaffrey.

We like this New York Times article by Sharon McCaffrey about a  New Jersey program that helps children build emotional and social skills. McCaffrey, who is training to be a social worker, is raising money for the Family Connection PrePARE iniative. She talked to Tareese Seabrooks, a mother  who said the program helped her bond more with her son Tyree after her newborn infant and mother died.

To find out more about how social workers help families thrive or deal with grief visit the National Association of Social Workers “Help Starts Here” Kids and Families Web page and Grief and Loss Web page.

Susan Katz at age six with parents. Photo courtesy of New York Times.

Susan Katz is a trained social worker in New Jersey and worked for home care agencies and assisted and independent living facilities.

Despite her experience, Katz said finding care for her aging parents was not easy, according to this very personal and moving  New York Times article.

“My blind spot was, I didn’t recognize that family members are not like clients,” Katz wrote.

Social workers often help people and families deal with aging. To find out more, visit the National Association of Social Workers “Help Starts Here” Seniors and Aging Web page.

And we would like for you to comment on this question:

Q: Do you think your social work background makes it easier for you to care for and find services for aging parents, relatives or friends? Or is it still difficult to maintain your professional objectivity when dealing with family and friends?

New Jersey social worker Maureen Tillman LCSW has always been fascinated by life transitions.

So eight years ago she launched College with Confidence, a psychotherapy service that helps parents and young people deal with what can be one of life’s biggest changes – the period when teenagers leave the nest, go to college, and transform into adults.

Tillman’s work with families and online articles attracted the attention of New York Times editor Tina Kelley. Tillman’s meetings with Kelley led to the August launch of “College Corner,” a blog on the New York Times local Web page serving Maplewood, Millburn and South Orange, N.J.

College Corner has resources, tips and information for families going through the college process.

“It’s an educating role that’s I’ve taken about the importance of developing life skills as kids are growing and also about the mental health issues of students on college campuses,” Tillman said.

Many mothers and fathers can’t wait until their teenagers leave home, believing the hard part of parenting is over. But Tillman, who has a grown son who is a filmmaker and daughter who is a news reporter, said the most difficult times for parents could be just beginning.

Some children begin experimenting with drugs and alcohol and participating in risky sex practices in college, she said. Others become lonesome, anxious, depressed or develop mental illness. And suicide is the third leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 24.

 “I saw a lot of kids in my office that bounced back home,” she said “Their parents were pulling out their hair – they thought it was all lined up and they were despondent.”

Tillman’s blog gives families advice on a wide range of issues, including how to tour prospective colleges, help their kids address mental health issues , and what topics to bring up with children when they come home for Thanksgiving and winter breaks. She even has three college students writing about their first-year campus experiences.

Tillman hopes her blog will let the public know about the wide variety of resources social workers can offer them.

“Yes, there can be misconceptions about social workers having a limited scope which is so far from the truth,” she said. “My blog educates parents and students and professionals as well as demonstrating the exciting and creative niches that social workers can carve.”

She urges other social workers blog too, provided they have something interesting and important to say.

“It takes a lot of dedication. It takes a lot of time. It takes creativity. And it takes persistence,” she said.

To find out more about how social workers help college students overcome anxiety, read this article by Mary Anne Knapp, MSW, LCSW on the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Web site.

Photo Courtesy of wildaboutmovies.com

Social Workers Speak! has received more than 100 comments about  ”Precious,” a harrowing film about an abused teen girl. The movie features pop diva Mariah Carey as her social worker, Ms. Weiss.

Comments have been mixed. Some social workers were put off by Carey’s portrayal while others had no problem with it. Some said the movie was exploitative while other social workers said the film put a needed spotlight on some ugly social ills, including domestic violence, illiteracy, and HIV/AIDS.

The comments from social workers reflect how the film is playing in larger public. Here’s a brief list of who is giving ”Precious” a thumbs up, thumbs down, or neutral review:

THUMBS UP: Mark Blankenship of the Huffington Post probably wrote the most sensitive take on the role of Ms. Weiss. Ms. Weiss helped Claireece finally break the cycle of abuse, he said.

“That’s where the system really works. It’s too late for Precious, but because of the system’s support, she takes an action that might free her son from his mother’s miserable fate. She sets him on a path toward self-confidence and love.”

THUMBS DOWN: Juan Williams in this Wall Street Journal column says “Precious” is  just the latest iteration of “ghetto lit” — lurid escapist art for the black middle class.

NEUTRAL: The New York Times story “To Blacks, Precious Is ‘Demeaned’ or ‘Angelic,’” looks at why the movie is dividing the African American community. Some experts said the film demeans blacks while others say it is a powerful story that should be told.

THUMBS UP: Baltimore Sun critic Michael Sragow called the film “cathartic and exhilarating.” He also praised the role of the social worker Ms. Weiss in the story. “…Carey shows the catalytic strength of a social worker who completely honors her profession,” he said.

THUMBS DOWN: Respected New York Press critic Armond White said “Precious” is the most demeaning image of African Americans put on the screen since “Birth of a Nation” almost a century ago. “Shame on Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey for signing on as air-quote executive producers of ‘Precious,”" he wrote.

THUMBS UP:  Boston Globe critic Wesley Morris in his review said the film is sensational but does not exploit or condescend. But is colorism at play? Why are all the good characters, including social worker Ms. Weiss, light skinned?

THUMBS UP: The New York Times’ Richard Bernstein called “Precious” a modern-day Cinderella story. Ms. Weiss and Blu Rain, the teacher who helps Claireece learn to read and escape her horrid surroundings, are fairy godmothers.

Do you want to hold a discussion group about “Precious”? Lionsgate Studio offers this excellent discussion guide that includes statistics on many of the social issues the movie addresses:  Precious Discussion Guide

Jennifer Hero and son, Wells at their Brooklyn home. Photo courtesy of New York Times.

Kudos to New York Times reporter Jennifer Mascia for her article “The Neediest Cases: After Katrina, Struggle for High Ground.”

The story demonstrates how social workers change lives for the better. The advice of an unnamed social worker helped New Orleans evacuee Jennifer Hero get rent assistance and money to train to launch a new career.

For more information on how social workers help people recover from crisis visit the National Association of Social Workers “Help Starts Here” Mind and Spirit Web page.

Michael B. Friedman. Photo Courtesy of Columbia University.

National Association of Social Workers member Michael B. Friedman MSW is quoted in a recent New York Times article, “How to Find Mental Health Care When Money Is Tight.” Friedman said not all mental health problems such as worry over a job loss require a therapist.

The story also recommended folks enlist the services of graduate students in social work or clinical psychology because their fees are often lower. That strategy had the folks here at Social Works Speak! wondering so we decided to ask you this question:

Q: Do you think folks looking for low-cost mental health care should hire social work graduate students or use the services of professional social workers? Please leave comments below.

And to find out how social workers help people overcome mental illness visit the NASW Behavioral Health Web page or the “Help Starts Here” Web page on Mind and Spirit.

Q: Social workers are some of the most educated professionals in the nation, but often work for relatively low pay. What have you done to bring in extra income?

Many seriously ill women are abandoned by men.

New York Times health blogger Tara Parker-Pope put a spotlight on a troubling trend in a recent article. When women get long-term illnesses, their mates are more likely to abandon them.

There is scientific data to support this. Women who were told they had a serious illness were seven times more likely to become separated or divorced than men, according to a report published in the journal Cancer.

Social workers are not surprised. Many have been helping families address this issue for years. Social Workers Speak! gathered some experts in our field to talk about this issue, how they handle it in their practices, and what women can do to overcome the pain of abandonment.

The experts are Melanie Barton, LCSW, Ed.D, who was in the process of a divorce before being treated for colon cancer; and Maribel Quiala, MSW, LCSW, an expert on Latino and immigrant families who often appears on local and national television to discuss mental health, alcohol abuse and other issues.

Q: The New York Times article cited a study that said husbands are seven times more likely to separate or divorce from wives who are seriously ill. What is it about our culture that makes men less likely to take the caretaker role than women?

Barton: Many men do not deal well with women being emotionally, financially, or physically dependent on them even though they may have unconsciously fostered it. They want it, encourage it, but then resent it. The husband may fear the wife will outgrow her need to depend on him.  He may then get angry when the wife tries to assert her independence believing it means the husband is no longer needed and that she will find someone else to replace him. I often see men starting affairs when their wives get cancer.  Men divert all that painful emotion into something to distract them that feels good.

Quiala: Men become fearful and are at times unable to handle the unknown. Women are better caregivers because many times they have to be more nurturing, loving and caring. Few people have a plan for dealing with diseases and men are less organized for such occurrences. Many times cancer patients withdraw from those around them, even those that love them. If the relationship is shaky the (healthy) partner will also create greater resistance and find this is their exit out of a “dysfunctional relationship.”

What can we do to reverse this troubling trend?

Quiala: We live in an emotionally bankrupt society and everyone is disposable. We should try to humanize our society more, increasing our compassion for others and placing true value in what is really vital (which is each other) and not material things. If we can achieve these first steps we might begin to shift the paradigm of our emotionally bankrupt society.

Barton: In our culture we do not normally allow males to express their emotions unless it is lust, anger, or some other negative feature.  To combat this programming we need to instruct both our male and female children that it is healthy to discuss feelings without needing to violently display them.  We need to give children an opportunity to see illness not as a weakness, but a fact of life.  We need to teach boys and girls how to be self-sufficient learning to do things like cooking, cleaning, ironing, sewing on a button, and balancing a checkbook. As married people we need to talk about how we will handle situations when one of the couple gets ill.

Q: Are you dealing with this issue in your personal life or practice? How are you helping clients deal with this issue?

Barton: Yes, seven weeks after I separated from my spouse of 39 years I was diagnosed with colon cancer.  Prior to going on medical disability, I was helping clients deal with the issue in relation to my treating them while going through a divorce.  I let them know I have the tools to make a marriage work and the tools are valid, but you have to have people who are willing to use them.  Sometimes the tools let you know that ending something that is unhealthy for both parties is the most humane thing you can do.

Quiala: In therapy I empower clients, helping them gain control or regain control and assisting them in finding the internal courage to move forward and fight. Everyone is courageous. However, they lose sight of that when they are diagnosed with disease. I assist them with relaxation techniques, controlling what they can in their lives such as health care, increasing their ability to allow others to help them, and removing the guilt of feeling like they are a burden. Placing oneself first is foremost in order to heal. I also help them in finding their higher power, whether through religion or spiritual practice.

Q: Is it difficult for women to deal with serious illnesses such as cancer and lupus and build a new life after separation and divorce? What advice can you give them?

Quiala: Yes, after a traumatic disease and journey to heal having to rebuild a life is difficult but not impossible. Patients need to talk about and (resolve issues) with the healthy spouse in a mutually respectful and understanding manner. Thoughout the journey many times women come to realize that they are able to make remarkable transitions and transformation for the better. One patient told me “I realized that although I would love to heal the cancer permanently from my body, also wanted to heal the many insecurities I had in my marriage that had caused me to live such a sheltered, dysfunctional relationship.”

Q: Is this issue a matter of life and death? In other words, is there evidence that seriously ill patients do better physically when they are in a loving environment?

Quiala: Many of the techniques not widely evaluated are at times not recognized as potentially powerful therapeutic interventions. Simply keeping company with a patient who is in distress can many times be a very powerful intervention. Gently touching, massaging the patient’s hands and feet and anointing their skin with oils can be a very soothing intervention.

Barton: According to Steven Muse in a Yale University School of Medicine study of people undergoing coronary angiography, atherosclerosis (a waxy buildup in blood vessels) significantly decreased  for persons who felt solved and supported when compared to those who did not, even after other risk factors had been controlled, including age and sex. Most interestingly of all, researchers discovered that sharing feelings by way of writing in a journal even when no other person was actually present had important physical benefits.

For more information on how social workers guide families that need mental and health care, visit the National Association of Social Workers Web site on Health and ”Help Starts Here” Web site on Health and Wellness.