In the aftermath of the riot of Trump supporters at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, U.S. Capitol Police Officer Howard Liebengood and D.C. Police Officer Jeffrey Smith died by suicide. Christopher Stanton Georgia, one of the rioters from Georgia who was charged by police, also died by suicide. Their deaths show that events such as the Capitol riot can ... Read More »

By Melvin H. Wilson, MBA, LCSW NASW Senior Policy Consultant Social Justice and Human Rights    And Samantha Fletcher, PhD, MSW Executive Director, NASW New York State Chapter Police in Rochester, NY on Jan. 30 used pepper spray and handcuffs to subdue a nine-year-old girl. The incident leading up to this police encounter is reported to have been related to ... Read More »

Coast Guard Veteran Zander Keig, MS, MSW, LCSW, is the National Association of Social Workers Social Worker of the Year. Keig has devoted his entire career to promoting the dignity and health of people who are transgender, living with a mental illness, or serving in our nation’s military. He is currently a senior clinical consultant and is an advanced mental ... Read More »

By Melvin H. Wilson, MBA, LCSW Senior Policy Consultant Social Justice and Human Rights The incoming Biden-Harris Administration’s firm commitment to immigration reform and making it one of the first issues they addressed on their first day in office is a welcome turn of events. By  all accounts, the administration has come up with an  ambitious immigration legislation plan. In addition, ... Read More »

  By Melvin H. Wilson, MBA, LCSW Senior Policy Consultant Social Justice and Human Rights Those of us who are elated with the outcomes of the two senatorial elections in Georgia have a truly short time to relish the victories.  Given the many crisis-level public health, economic, civil rights and political concerns confronting the Biden administration, Senators Jon Ossoff and ... Read More »

By Mel Wilson, MBA, LCSW NASW Senior Policy Advisor, Social Justice and Human Rights Leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives on Jan. 4 reintroduced the For the People Act (H.R. 1). This legislation, the first bill introduced in the 117th Congress, reaffirms the commitment of leadership and most members of the House to getting rid of “dark money” and ... Read More »

Social worker Michael Lindsey, PhD, MSW, MPH, has been appointed to the Centers for Disease Control’s Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) for a five year-year term starting in 2022. Lindsey is executive director of the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research at New York University (NYU) and Constance and Martin Silver Professor of Poverty Studies at NYU Silver ... Read More »

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is thrilled that the Seeding Rural Resilience Act, which we endorsed, has passed Congress and will  go to the President’s desk for signature. The bill is crucial in reducing the high rate of rural suicides. NASW is part of the Mental Health Liaison Group (MHLG), a coalition of national organizations representing consumers, family ... Read More »

NASW’s Task Force for Private Practice Guidelines is seeking public comments for the document, Clinical Social Workers in Private Practice:  A Reference Manual. This manual provides a useful set of guidelines for clinical social workers starting a private practice and for seasoned clinical social workers seeking specific information related to the practice and business side of a private practice. Your ... Read More »

President-Elect Joe Biden has tapped social worker Meg Kabat to lead his administration’s transition at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), according to an article in MeriTalk. Kabat, LCSW-C, CCM, is currently a senior director at the Atlas Group consultant firm, where her clients include the Defense Health Agency and the VA. Kabat was previously the National Director of ... Read More »