New Report Highlights College Majors That Lead to Job Opportunities
U.S. News University
For instance, while students who study architecture could face unemployment rates around 13.9% due to the struggling construction sector, majoring in a subject like psychology or social work leads you into an industry with a much lower figure of 7.3%.

END OF THE WAR: The new veterans
San Angelo Standard Times
Juan Rubio served two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan as a Navy combat medic. Rubio is battling post-traumatic stress disorder while volunteering as a counselor to other veterans. He said he may pursue a degree in social work to help others.

Where Have All the Doctors Gone?
Miller-McCune.com
At Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, launched in 2004, teams of medical, nursing, public-health, and social-work students serve individual families in low-income neighborhoods. They spend four years collecting data on the families’ health problems and developing plans of care to address them.

OU professor faces child sex complaints
NewsOK.com
The professor has not been charged in Cleveland County District Court, but an investigation is continuing, police say NORMAN — A University of Oklahoma social work professor has been arrested on complaints of rape and lewd acts with a child, police said Tuesday.

Docs won’t benefit from prevention cuts
The Hill
The just-released House Republicans’ payroll tax plan aims to increase doctors’ Medicare reimbursement by dramatically cutting the Prevention and Public Health Fund by more than two-thirds. We must address the rates that Medicare pays doctors, but doing so by raiding the prevention fund is a short-sighted solution that will cost money, not save it. Quality, affordable medical care and community prevention work hand-in-hand. Congress must find another way.

Gymboree Instructor’s Death Fuels Debate
Kingstowne Patch
In the book “A Good Friend for Bad Times:  Helping Others Through Grief,” by Deborah E. Bowen, MSW and Susan L. Strickler, the authors offer these tips on how to support children through grief.

Images of hungry children stick with social worker
Kansas City Star
Gina Harrison will never forget some of the images of childhood hunger she has seen in 16 years as a school social worker. Like the two young brothers stealing snacks from a cafeteria. When she reached the boys’ father, Harrison learned he was a single parent working hard to provide enough for the family.

What a difference 3 decades makes
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
As scientists and psychologists learn more about how infants’ and children’s brains and bodies work, it’s changing what parents know about bringing up baby, and often, says Beth Minick, a social worker who teaches parenting classes at the Women’s Care Center on Webster Street in Fort Wayne.

Strategies to Stay Safe from Sexual Assault
Mission Local
Chelsea Dodgen, a clinical social worker at UCSF’s Trauma Recovery Center, says that a targeted woman may help or hurt her situation by talking on the phone, depending on the situation. On one hand, the person could report the crime to whoever is on the line, but the phone is itself a distraction that could allow a predator to sneak up on their victim. The best strategy might be to stay off the phone, but pretend to call someone if you feel threatened.

We already know the reasons for child deaths
Lexington Herald Leader
Social workers, though not all employees of the department, are graduates of accredited schools of social work and are bound by a social work code of ethics that strictly prohibits the release of client information as well as those associated with the client even after the client has died.

Once-homeless Miami man earns master’s degree
msnbc.com
By Christina Hernandez After several arrests, drug addiction and being homeless, a Miami man has overcome the odds to graduate from Florida International University with a master’s degree in social work. Out of thousands of graduates, only one — 50-year-old Aaron Alvin Sr. — got a standing ovation at Tuesday night’s graduation ceremony in Miami.

Senators Ask Whether All Adults Should Be Required to Report Child Abuse
National Journal
Lawmakers asked Tuesday whether all adults—not just people who work closely with children—should be legally obligated to report incidents of child abuse to law-enforcement or child-welfare authorities.

Number of homeless vets down 12 percent
Florida Today
“They each have a case worker that helps them with problems that led to homelessness,” said Tony Ingram, a social worker supervisor at the Viera VA Outpatient Clinic. “It’s not just putting them in housing.” Ingram said there are 80 beds supported by the VA in Cocoa, 20 in Melbourne and 30 in Titusville to help the homeless transition into permanent housing.

UT Offering Online Training on Civil Rights Law for State Employees
Tennessee Today
KNOXVILLE—The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Social Work is piloting a new online learning management system that allows state employees to fulfill civil rights training requirements as well as other mandated courses and assessments.

It’s the thought that counts
Gothenburg Times
“The best gift of all is the gift of time,” says Tish Habe, social work director for Hilltop Estates. “It might mean reading devotions or playing the piano or simply sitting and holding someone’s hand. What older people want most is the gift of time.

Photo courtesy of Home Post.

Public schools should try to help ease the burdens faced by children of military families during war, including frequent deployments and absent parents, according to a research review from the USC School of Social Work, San Diego State University and Bar-Ilan University in Israel.

“Some of the recent studies that have come out show that the deployments are really, really causing tremendous impact on the children,” said National Association of Social Workers member Ron Astor, DSW, said in this article posted on the Southern California Public Radio Website.

Astor collaborated on a video that demonstrates what military children experience. One child in the video talks about being home alone with no one to help him with homework while another speaks about moving seven or eight times as his parent took on new assignments.

Astor said the research review shows public school teachers, counselors and even classmates should give specific support to children of the military.

 Only 86,000 of 1.2 million children of military service members attend Department of Defense schools. Most attend public or charter schools.

To learn more about how social workers help people in the military visit NASW’s “Help Starts Here” Veterans Affairs Website by clicking here.

From left: Army Reserve Capt. Chad Lauro, Kina Wilkening and Professor Nancy Brown talk about the military social work program. Photo courtesy of the Aiken Standard.

The University of South Carolina is creating a program to train social workers to work with military personnel, according to this article in the Aiken Standard.

“There is a growing need for social workers in this field,” said Nancy Brown, an associate professor at the University of South Carolina College of Social Work.

The program is in its final stage of academic approval. The course could prepare 3,000 social workers for the field in the next decade, dean Anna Scheyett said.

You can learn more about how social workers help people in the armed services by visiting the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Veterans Affairs Website by clicking here. And to learn more about social work activities in South Carolina vist NASW’s South Carolina Chapter’s Website by clicking here.

Program helps make transition from foster more successful
MiamiHerald.com
Casa Valentina now has a licensed clinical social worker and case manager on staff, and provides a host of support services to its residents, many of whom have never learned the life skills they need to live on their own. “When a new girl moves in, we help her pick out linens and hygiene products, help her get a bank account, show her how to use public transportation, take her to the grocery store,” Executive Director Chelesa Wilkerson said. “We offer incredibly intensive services.”

A Local Life: Lael Stegall, adventurer-activist who helped found Emily’s List, dies at 70
The Washington Post
At a midnight political rally at Colby in the fall of 1960, she heard then-Sen. John F. Kennedy (D-Mass.) describe his plans for a Peace Corps should he be elected president, and she vowed then and there to become part of it. After receiving a master’s degree in social work at the University of Chicago in 1964, she joined the nascent Peace Corps and served for two years in Turkey.

Improving Child Welfare Programs
Reporter-News
David Cory, education chair of the Texas Council of Child Welfare Boards, was employed for more than 20 years in Child Protective Services agencies in Abilene. He believes child protective services in Texas are underfunded.

Occupy LA to bring social workers to aid homeless
San Jose Mercury News
By CHRISTINA HOAG AP LOS ANGELES—Social workers will be visiting the Occupy Los Angeles camp this week in an effort to provide services to the influx of homeless people who have moved into the tent village surrounding City Hall.

Calming Schools With a Broader Approach to Troubled Students
New York Times
For schools in tough neighborhoods where many principals say they can barely see their teachers’ work through the fog of students’ extreme behavior, Turnaround offers a whole-child model that requires the hiring of social workers and the training of teachers in how to respond to outbursts in ways other than sending children to the principal’s office.

College offers training in counseling veterans
Chicago Tribune
By Michelle Manchir, Chicago Tribune reporter Chris Johnston, a former Marine who counsels veterans enrolled at College of DuPage, believes social workers need specialized training to help vets — especially those who return from a war zone.

Adults have the duty to report and prevent child abuse
Times Leader
In every case of child sexual abuse that I know, some adult knew something was not right long before a call was made. Step up and do what is right, send a message that you will not tolerate child abuse in your community.—Jenna Mehnert is executive director of the National Association of Social Workers — Pennsylvania Chapter.

Sex Crimes Against Boys Often Go Unreported Because of Queasiness Among Males
ABCNews
Frederic G. Reamer, a professor of social work from Rhode Island College, said that the male-dominated culture at Penn State, comparable to that of the Catholic Church, may make it harder to report these crimes.

Peter LaBarbera scapegoating gay men for the Penn State tragedy
LGBTQ Nation
To whit, there is no link between homosexuality and pedophilia. None whatsoever. And this is backed by the American Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Academy of Child Psychiatrists and the Child Welfare League of America.

Screen shot of Dan Grinstead courtesy of NBC Universal.

Cheers to Channel 9 News in Denver for this television segment and news article about social worker Dan Grinstead, who deployed to Afghanistan for year while in his 60′s.

A social worker for 35 years, Grinstead decided he wanted to serve his country by providing mental health care to soldiers. “I just couldn’t imagine myself sitting down talking with soldiers in anything other than a uniform,” he said.

During his year in Afghanistan the Iowa resident helped troops deal with a variety of issues including combat stress, relationships, loss of sleep, finances and the deaths of fellow soldiers. The commander of his battalion said Grinstead’s work was invaluable because he helped his comrades be better soldiers.

To learn more about how social workers help men and women in the armed forces visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Veterans Affairs Website by clicking here.

Mt. Hebron’s Safety Net Project Aims to Prevent Bullying
Patch.com
[This article was written by Kristin Cole, a social worker and director of the Safety Net Project.] For last week’s Anti-Bullying Program within the Montclair Public School District, a number of schools developed and delivered various activities and programs aimed at preventing bullying.

Conference inspires ideas to help military families
Fayetteville Observer
Anthony Raphael, a social worker at Owen Elementary School, said the conference inspired him to start a support group for military parents at his school on Raeford Road. The idea is for military families to share their concerns and suggest where to find help, from either Fort Bragg or in the civilian community, he said.

Feeding the masses, fueling a movement
Wall Street Journal
Seventy-year-old Phyllis Coelho plunged her blue gloved hands into a plastic sink of gray soapy water and spent an afternoon last week cheerfully washing dishes “to support the revolution.” The retired social worker had traveled from Belfast, Maine, the day before with her 78-year-old friend and fellow dishwasher, Jane Sanford. They headed directly to the protest at Zuccotti Park because, they said, it was time to “show up.

Jobs Act has elements all can support
Idaho Press-Tribune
“It is time for Idaho’s congressional delegation to come together with the Democrats in Congress and support passage of the Jobs Act.” —Delmar Stone is the executive director for the Idaho Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.

Social workers laid off by Jackson Public Schools ask district not to privatize jobs
The Jackson Citizen Patriot – MLive.com
Kathryn Fortune-Gallagher, who was a social worker at Bennett Elementary School, said if the district hires social workers who work for a company the positions would become a revolving door because the workers will always be looking for something better and not be “invested in the district.”

Combat veterans invited to join new Tahlequah support group
Cherokee Phoenix
Tulsa Vet Center Social Worker Matthew Tiger works with combat veterans and their families to help these veterans readjust. He is currently forming a new combat veterans’ support group in Tahlequah and is asking veterans to contact him.

The main lesson from a down job market? Stay in school. As long as you can.
The Washington Post
Sadly, the degrees in least demand — and that pay the least — lead to jobs that help other people the most. Counseling, psychology and social work are among these.

After Abduction of 8 Children, Sense That Mother Was Desperate
The New York Times
“Imagine if someone took your children away from you,” Forestdale’s executive director, Anstiss Agnew, said Wednesday from the leafy campus where the abduction took place. “What would you do to get those children back?”

Growing service offers help to those who struggle
Bucyrus Telegraph Forum
Kenzie Klamfoth, Licensed Social Worker, front; Barb Wirebaugh, Licensed Independent Social Worker and Supervisor; and Jean Ollis, Licensed Independent Social Worker, in front of Affinity HealthWorks’ new location at 106 E. Warren St. in Bucyrus.

Social Work advisory board establishes endowment to support family violence …
CisionWire (press release)
ARLINGTON — The UT Arlington School of Social Work Advisory Council has created a new, $250000 endowed professorship focused on issues of family violence in honor of the Arlington police officer and University alumna who was killed in the line of duty last year.

UPDATE: Atlanta Hawks’ Etan Thomas, Former Mayor Wilson Goode to Serve on Juvenile Justice Panel
PRLog
With an alarming number of African American youth ensnared in the juvenile justice system, U.S. Rep. Edolphus “Ed” Towns (NY-10) has convened a diverse group of leaders to explore solutions to this growing crisis. Entitled, “An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Re-entry Programs,” the panel will explore the juvenile justice system in America at a time when critics say it neither reforms young offenders nor protects the public.

Louie plays in Teresa Pavish-Paradiso's yard with children. Photo courtesy of the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin.

Cheers to the Seattle Times and Walla Walla Union-Bulletin in Washington state for this article about social worker Teresa Pavish-Paradiso, LCSW, and her adopted dog Louie.

Louie, who is a Hungarian Vizsla hunting dog, had been abused for four years by his orginial owners. Louie was undernourished, severely beaten, and fearful of humans. Pavish-Paradiso, who helps veterans overcome post traumatic stress disorder, said she used some of the same techniques used with humans to rehabilitate Louie.

“He didn’t let the pain of what happened stop him from having a life,” she said. “He’s made such a difference in my life. I respect him for giving us humans a second chance.”

Public divided on CVTC and group homes
Lynchburg News and Advance
A vivid warning also came from a Lynchburg social-work supervisor who described dangers and neglect that he’s investigated in some community-based homes. Heidi Dix, who oversees a division of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services in Richmond, said the hearing was held because the General Assembly created a $30 million trust fund this year to reduce the occupancy of training centers.

GLAAD Calls On NPR To Correct Its “Ex Gay” Therapy Broadcast
Instinct Magazine
The American Psychiatric Association; The American Psychological Association; The American Medical Association; The American Counseling Association; The American Academy of Pediatrics; The National Association of Social Workers — These are IMPARTIAL expert groups that shape the way the country learns and thinks about our well-being, have all stood up against this type of “counseling.”

Vouchers provide housing for homeless vets
Lebanon Daily News
The program is making a difference in the lives of homeless veterans in Lebanon County, said Joe Getway, a licensed clinical social worker and HUD-VASH program coordinator at the Lebanon VA Medical Center.

Strengthening military marriages
Fredericksburg.com (blog)
The Virginia Wounded Warrior Program for Health Planning Region I, in partnership with the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work, is presenting “Mission: Healthy Relationships” in Fredericksburg. This weekend relationship enrichment workshop for military veterans and their spouses will be held Aug. 26-28 at the Fredericksburg Hospitality House and Conference Center.

Child welfare workers to get extra pay for hazardous duty
The Advocate of Baton Rouge, LA
The state Civil Service Commission on Wednesday approved a hazardous duty pay supplement for child welfare workers investigating abuse and neglect complaints.

Office Stress Expert: West Virginia Social Workers Risking Burnout
Public News Service
Jennifer Powell is both an attorney and a licensed social worker. She says it is most important to recognize that sometimes those in professions such as social work can find their job overwhelming. “It’s the end result of unrelenting stress.

NH Groups: Debt Ceiling Debate Over, More Drama to Come
Public News Service
Steve Gorin is the executive director of the New Hampshire Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). “One of the things I’m concerned about in this whole debate is that Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are all lumped together as ‘entitlements.’ Many people think that we face an ‘entitlement’ crisis in this country, but we don’t. We face a health care crisis, a health care cost crisis.”

Why Social Media Matters to Therapists
PsychCentral.com
By Julie Hanks, LCSW You’re in the mental health field because you want to make a difference and make a living, right? Technology and new media now allow therapists to educate and interact with worldwide audience and to talk directly to ideal clients…for free.

Stranded in ‘food deserts,’ hundreds of thousands of NJ residents lack access to health, fresh food
NJ.com
Shanique Coleman, 21, lives in a food desert in Somerville. She has to rely on a social worker to shuttle her twice a month to neighboring Raritan to get groceries at a Stop & Shop for her two young children. Without the ride, she would have to rely on her grandmother in New Brunswick, nearly a half-hour away, to give her a lift.

Creator of Comedy Central’s ‘Ugly Americans’ is sitting pretty
Washington Post
The show follows Department of Integration social worker Mark Lilly (voiced by Matt Oberg) and his creature cohorts as they help new citizens — both human and others — adapt to life in the Big Apple.

Brian T. Watson: Sheriff shows prison can be place for rehabilitation as well …
The Salem News
He has a master’s degree in social work from Boston College and started his career by running the first of the Downey Side Homes, back then a group residence for eight homeless teens. He and his wife became their permanent parents, and it was there that he first field-tested and honed some of his progressive approaches to the circumstances and ingredients that contribute to dysfunctional human behaviors, values and motivations.

An update on two vets struggling to put the war behind them
Los Angeles Times
And Zenner was such a rookie social worker that Valentini began calling him Green. Even today, they see the drinking incident differently. “Tell him why,” Valentini pleaded, explaining that the beers were to celebrate President Obama declaring the end of the combat mission in Iraq.

At Camp No Worries, cancer patients are just kids again
Philadelphia Inquirer
Programs such as Camp No Worries give cancer patients a much-needed respite from medical routines and put them back on equal terms with their siblings, said Susan Stephens, a pediatric social worker with the Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

Experts say Mass. tornadoes scars could linger
Boston Globe
Those who lived through the devastation of their homes and neighborhoods may just now be dealing with the accumulated stresses of their tornado-related experiences, says Dorothy A. Brier, a licensed clinical social worker who has been volunteering her services here in Western Massachusetts since June 11.

Danieal Kelly murder trial opens | Philadelphia Daily News | 2011-07-02
Philadelphia Daily News
“These three defendants failed to act,” Selber said, referring also to former city social worker Dana Poindexter and Mickal Kamuvaka, the former head of a social-service agency hired by the city to help Danieal.

A special journey with a message
Marshall Independent
The irony was, I had a Masters in social work, but didn’t work with depression.” After Mark got out of the hospital he focused his efforts from a social work perspective. Now he teaches on mood disorders at the University of Minnesota graduate school of social work and has a consulting practice focusing on depression.

A Mixed Message about Stigma in Military Mental Health Care
Time
The military keeps talking about eliminating stigma related to seeking mental health treatment. Then why don’t they change the policies that promote it?

For Seemayer, Gambling Addiction Could Have Gotten Worse
Patch.com
A compulsive gambling habit can lead an addict to follow through with even more destructive decisions, says Terri Rodriguez Ohlms, a licensed, clinical social worker who practices in the St. Louis area. “He (Seemayer) is fortunate he was caught before he got deeper into the hole of despair,” Ohlms said.

Charlie Sheen’s New TV Show — ‘Anger Management’
TMZ.com
The plan as of now — Charlie’s character will be an ex-jock who got his master’s degree in social work during the offseason. He becomes a counselor to defendants in the criminal justice system with anger management problems.

Richmonder Recognized By National Association of Social Workers
GayRVA
Dr. Jonathan Lebolt was recognized by the National Association of Social Workers during the month of June for his work with the LGBT community.

Thought Leader in Health Care Lorissa MacAllister: Designing for change
Michigan Business Review – MLive.com
By Business Review West Michigan Education: BS in social work, University of Vermont; MS in architecture, University of Michigan; Ph.D. candidate from the School of Architecture, Georgia Institute of Technology. Properly designed health care spaces can improve operational efficiency and the quality of care provided within those spaces. 

Guitars for Vets program launched at Charles George VA Medical Center
Asheville Citizen-Times
“I’ve had one of my veterans tell me that just sitting and strumming his guitar reduces anxiety,” said David Legler, Guitars For Vets Asheville chapter co-liaison. Guitars For Vets contacts at Charles George VA Medical Center are: Carolyn Brown, LCSW, 298-7911, ext. 4366, Carolyn.CBrown@va.gov; David Legler, LCSW-P, 298-7911, ext. 4206, David.Legler@va.gov.

Former Sherborn resident joins the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza
Wicked Local Dover
Ridgely Fuller, a Boston area social worker with strong ties to Dover-Sherborn, has made numerous trips to Palestine’s West Bank and Gaza, staying as long as three months. Most of her work there focuses on resiliency, children and human rights.

Hennepin County social worker faces sex charges
Minneapolis Star Tribune
A Maple Grove woman faces two counts of criminal sexual conduct for allegedly carrying on a sexual relationship while a Hennepin County social worker with a client who had a history of chemical dependency and sexual abuse. The case against Shannon K. Riley, 39, was filed Friday in Hennepin County District Court.

How Budget Cuts Affect the Mentally Ill
New York Times
We lack legislation at the federal level to protect social workers, and despite advocacy efforts, the Teri Zenner Social Worker Safety Act has yet to become law. Detailed safety training for social workers who make home visits is desperately needed.

Sophie’s parents make the hardest choice
AZ Central.com
If a doctor asks you into a room, the news will be bad. If a doctor shuts the door, it will be worse. And if a social worker is there, it will be shattering. In this room, Rhonda, a social worker they know, is already at the table. The bone-marrow transplant did not work. Sophie has acute myeloid leukemia.

Retiree bases happiness goals on skills
STLtoday.com
Sylvia Nissenboim, clinical social worker who helps guide families with aging members, also coaches people who are trying to capture a vision of what their retirement will look like. “We rethink the work process to identify skill sets that you enjoy, that make you the happiest, then find a match and try to reinvent it,” she said.

Anonymous donor funds eight TPS social worker positions cut from budget
Tulsa World
By ANDREA EGER World Staff Writer An anonymous donor has stepped forward to fund eight social workers’ positions that had been eliminated in a $4.2 million cut from the Tulsa Public Schools special education budget for 2011-12.

University of Ga. students record oral histories of elderly Hart County residents
The Republic
The social work students have spent the last year and a half talking to the older adults about their upbringing and memories of their lives in the community. Each interview is taped on a digital recorder and then edited into a narrative about each person’s life.

NC Grapples With Legacy of Sterilization Programs
ABCNews
Nearly 35 years after ending the country’s most active post-war sterilization program, North Carolina is the only state trying to make amends to thousands of people who cannot have children because of eugenics-inspired theories about social improvement.

Dori Keys, right, a bartender at VFW Post 1503 in Dale City, Va., helped Vietnam vet Bruce Yeager deal with a leg amputation. Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Times.

Could bartenders be the key to helping veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and other mental and physical ailments get treatment?

National Association of Social Workers member Keith Anderson thinks so, according to this article in the Los Angeles Times.

Anderson, an assistant professor of social work at Ohio State  University, is author of a pilot study called “Healing Tonic.” That study looked at the family-like relationships that often grow among bartenders at Veterans of Foreign Wars posts and patrons of these establishments.

Anderson said with a little training bartenders could  be able to refer troubled veterans to mental and health services.

“In social work, you try to meet the client where they are,” Anderson said. “If that happens to be a bar, then that’s where the first line of help needs to be.”

To learn more about how social workers help people in the military and their families, visit the National Association of Social Workers “Help Starts Here” Veterans Affairs Web page by clicking here.

Mariah Carey visited by social worker, Nick Cannon says
Washington Post (blog)
(Frazer Harrison – Getty Images) Nick Cannon said a social worker visited new mom Mariah Carey in the hospital this week over allegations of drug use and drinking. On Thursday’s “Piers Morgan Tonight ,” Cannon said someone called child protective services after Carey followed a nurse’s suggestion to drink a small amount of dark beer to help with breast-feeding.

Dad gets college degree to help soldiers after his son dies in Iraq
KWCH
What made sense was to go back to school full time and get a master’s degree in social work. “The first month my brain almost exploded because I hadn’t studied or read that much in a number of years.”

For House Speaker Boehner at commencement address, scrutiny of Catholic charity
Washington Post
Doing so defied the Catholic church’s teachings, she said, and will hurt the people she hopes to help with her newly minted master’s degree in social work. “His policies reflect different values than the values of social work professionals, which are to help people who are poor, vulnerable and repressed,” Jamison said.

Phoenix VA Medical Center aide counsels sexually abused
Arizona Republic
15, 2011 12:00 AM For the past four years, a full-time social worker at Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center in Phoenix has been helping men and women who were sexually abused, harassed or assaulted in the armed forces.

Troops seek help for military sexual trauma
USA Today
The problem is so large that the Phoenix VA Medical Center has hired a full-time social worker who does nothing but provide individual counseling and support groups for sexual trauma victims. Social worker Judith Orosz said anger, anxiety, depression and an inability to hold a job are typical among those who seek help.

New ‘Bridges Out of Poverty’ program to help Poconos poor
Pocono Record
Keith R. Stevenson/Pocono Record Monroe County social workers hope a new program will help the area’s poor cross over to a better lifestyle. “Bridges Out of Poverty,” part one of a three-part workshop that studies the effects of poverty and how to deal with them, was held for the first time in Monroe County on Thursday.

Brinkley uses lockout to earn degree
Minneapolis Star Tribune (blog)
Brinkley accomplished his goal when he graduated last weekend with a degree in African-American Studies with a concentration in social work. Brinkley took part in the graduation ceremony held in South Carolina’s basketball arena.

Career change can do a number on many relationships
MSNBC.com
So how do these shifts manifest themselves in relationship problems? Karol Ward, a licensed psychotherapist and author of “Worried Sick: Break Free from Chronic Worry to Achieve Mental & Physical Health” offered a list of the reasons career changes can lead to divorce.

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.

Astor, who is project leader of Building Capacity in Military Connected Schools, said children of military families are under enormous stress. Many change schools frequently, have difficulty keeping up academically, and have to cope when parents are deployed overseas.

Astor talked about efforts to support military families, including President Obama’s Strengthening or Military Families directive. To read the complete column click here.

Social workers play a vital role in helping members of the U.S. armed services and their families. To learn more, click here to visit the National Association of Social Workers” “Help Starts Here” Veterans Affairs Web page.

Petty Officer Sarax, a computer simulation used to train social workers to help soldiers suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and other mental illnesses. Photo courtesy of USC School Social Work.

The USC School of Social Work is using computer simulations to train social workers on how to interact with military personnel who may be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, brain injury, depression and other mental health issues, according to this article in the Los Angeles Times. 

“Petty Officer Sarax,” the computer simulated soldier, says statements and uses facial expressions that can help students identify PTSD, the article said.

The article said there is a growing demand for social workers and other behavioral health professionals to treat soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army said 12 percent of these positions are vacant and the Navy, which also provides services to the Marine Corps., said 13 percent are unfilled.

However, the article also said behavioral health professionals face high burnout.

Did you know the Department of Veterans Affairs employs the greatest number of social workers with master’s degrees. To learn more about the services social workers provide the men and women in the armed forces, visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Veterans Affairs Web page by clicking here.

Social worker Jo Ann Dooley, LCSW, will run the new women’s program as well as the existing program for homeless male veterans, the newspaper said. SocialWorkersSpeak.org believes Dooley is a member of the National Association of Social Workers — there is a Joann Shaff Dooley, QCSW, in the Hagertown area in our records.

Funding for the building renovation will come from the Maryland Departments of Housing and Community Development and Health and Mental Hygiene, he said.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Labor will provide funding for Way Station Inc.’s homeless women veterans program once the building has been renovated, the article said. The Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs will also provide assistance.

About one out of 10 homeless veterans is female, the article said. The program will try to help these veterans find sustainable employment and get back on their feet financially.

Work on the 27-bed facility for the homeless women is expected to begin this summer.

Did you know the Department of Veterans Affairs is the largest employer of social workers with master’s degrees? To learn more about the services social workers provide soldiers, visit NASW’s “Help Starts Here” Veteran Affairs Web page by clicking here.

South Dakota social work pioneer dies
KCAU
Late in her life she was named a Social Work Pioneer by the National Association of Social Workers Foundation. South Dakota State University professor Ann Wilson says Chamberlain was “an advocate of the poorest of the poor.”

Cruz wants youth to become social workers
KUAM.com
I congratulate the Guam Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers and all organizations that advance social services, social justice and social consciousness. I want to encourage our young people to become social workers.

Social Work Students Get To Know the Capitol
KFYR-TV
The UND students and the National Association of Social Workers are soaking in the legislative process because they say there`s no better way to make change for North Dakota`s most vulnerable citizens. “Building up our knowledge by being on the floor, going to different committees. Being here on a regular basis and trying to work within the system to make some changes,” says David Bialik with the National Association of Social Workers.

Union debate really about who’s ethical
Idaho Press-Tribune
If we are going to hold people accountable and dismantle organizations, why not start with the culprits who decimated the economy? • Delmar Stone is the executive director for the Idaho Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.

Food Stamps are a SNAP
The Faster Times
So, I had to hunt down a social worker here in our new community to help us with that. While I was pursuing the Medicaid reinstatement, I inquired about food stamps. “Food stamps are harder to get than Medicaid,” said Mr. Bill[1], my gruff, brusque/garrulous (depending on his mood) social worker who I met over the phone. You never actually see any of these people.

Mom faces court
Stockton Record
Armstead is accused of torturing and killing the baby, who died Christmas Day, two weeks after a San Joaquin County social worker visited her home to investigate abuse allegations. The death has raised questions over whether social worker case loads are too high to ensure reports of abuse are investigated thoroughly.

Caregivers of wounded vets hold conference in Tampa
Tbo.com
Veronica Thomas talks with Adam Kijanski, a Veterans Affairs social work case manager. Thomas takes care of her son, a veteran who was severely wounded in Iraq.

Social Work Conference Talks about Helping People
KAUM News Extra
Video of NASW-Guam Executive Director

USF celebrates Social Work Month with launch of forensic social work program
TribLocal
According the National Association of Social Workers, Social Work Month is designed to bring awareness to the 640000 professional social workers across the country who have dedicated their careers to helping others overcome adversity to transform their lives or to improve environments to make such transformations possible.

Youth develop character while snowboarding with Shred Love group
NJ.com
By Barbara Milton, Ph.D., LCSW Doug Bauman/The Jersey JournalThirteen-year-old Edward Miles Fowlkes of Jersey City shows the certificate he received after participating in a Shred Love snowboarding trip.

An Education in Compassion
Durango Telegraph
To help address these problems in the 1930s, the University of Denver launched the Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW), the first such program in the Rocky Mountain Region. Today, it is the region’s top-ranked graduate social work program and and nationally ranked in the top 17 percent.

Ramapo students rally for bill to aid social work field
NorthJersey.com
BY ALLISON PRIES A rally to bring attention to the needs of the social work industry was held Thursday at Ramapo College. Five senior social work majors have undertaken a policy advocacy project to bring attention to the Social Work Reinvestment Act.

Editorial: Baylor’s admirable reach to help ailing soldiers
Baylor University The Lariat Online
For years, Baylor researchers from the psychology and neuroscience department and the School of Social Work have been working toward a cure for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Family Therapy: Actors give social work students a chance to practice counseling
Montana Kaimin
Ann Davis consoles “Kerri,” played my Myra Nurre, after she stormed out of a family counseling session Friday during Catherine O’Day’s social work class.

A conversation on newsroom
Los Angeles Times
Social workers dealing with abused and neglected children labor at one of society’s most difficult jobs, often facing an array of bad choices from which they must try to choose the least bad.

Southeast Tennessee Conference on Social Welfare Puts Spotlight on Poverty
WDEF News 12
Social workers say the number of families and children living in poverty is sky-rocketing. Thursday more than 150 social welfare professionals gathered for the Southeast Tennessee Conference on Social Welfare and talked about fighting the affects of a bad economy.

Randerson Cares Elder Services expands services to LGBT …
PR Web
“We combine both the perspective of social worker and advocate in order to help our clients maneuver complex systems and obtain the best possible care for an optimal quality of life…”

To protect the children
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is easing out Trish Ploehn from her post as director of the Department of Children and Family Services. That’s a welcome development.

Parricide (Part 2): Is Our Detached Society to Blame?
Huffington Post (blog)
Surrounded by a culture of violence, Jo Eekhoff, a licensed clinical social worker in Belen, NM, where the most recent patricide took place, found herself deeply saddened by the situation.

You Should Know: Gale Golden
BurlingtonFreePress.com
I am a clinical social worker and clinical associate professor of psychiatry. I practice general psychotherapy as well as clinical sexology.

 Ada Deer, Native rights pioneer, to launch Mitchell Museum’s …
TribLocal
Deer is on the National Association of Social Workers Foundation’s roster of “Social Work Pioneers.” She created the first program to provide social work training on reservations and co-founded the Indian Community School in Milwaukee.

Blueprint: Levine honored for his longtime service
Online Athens
He served on the board of directors of the Georgia Gerontology Society, as a member of the National Association of Social Workers, and as a participant in White House Conferences on Aging in 1971, 1981, 1995 and 2005.