Source: Google News

Americans gloomier, for now
USA Today
Her husband is making 5% to 10% more than last year and her new degree in social work should have meant a job soon, but hasn’t. …

Social worker creates travel matching site
Reading Eagle - Reading, PA
By Jenee Osterheldt They share their secrets, the ups and downs of their days. And over the years, she has heard a recurring sentiment from some of her …

The great circus workout
KING5.com - Seattle, WA
You’re turning your body upside down in space, and you’re having to engage your core,” said Carrie Heller, MSW,Director of the Circus Arts Institute. …

Message on the move: MSU students take out
Indian Express - New Delhi, India
In an attempt to create awareness on social issues in the slum areas of the city, more than 100 students from MS University (MSU) Faculty of Social Work …

Bethany Student Obtains $5000 Social Work Grant
KSAL,� KS
A grant obtained by a student at Bethany College will help the school’s Social Work Department. According to the school, senior social work student Kelsey …

Fla. social workers dig into own pockets for needy clients
Scripps News,� DC
The National Society of Social Workers has a strict code of ethics that discourages workers from giving personal money to clients. ..

The op-ed below was submitted to local media by Richard Cook, University of Maryland School of Social Work. This link to resulting article in the Baltimore Sun: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.vozzella07sep07,0,6995248.column

This week the nation is hearing again that Barack Obama started his work on human concerns in Chicago as a community organizer. While the world is familiar with what a soldier does, or what a lawyer or a stockbroker does, not as many are familiar with the world of community organizing and whether or not it is a suitable starting place for someone taking on major responsibilities in political life.

At the University of Maryland School of Social Work we have been training community organizers for nearly 50 years. A number of them have found their way into politics including the Senior Senator from Maryland Barbara Mikulski, a deputy mayor of Baltimore, and several state legislators. In addition, others such as Wendy Sherman, a former ambassador, and Jody Olsen, the deputy director of the Peace Corps, were trained as community organizers.

What is a community organizer and why does someone choose a job of community organizing?

Just as medicine is a profession dedicated to restoring health to the human body, community organizing is dedicated to restoring democracy at the grassroots level, to re-energizing citizens as an active part of the community. Community organizers focus on bringing about concrete changes in peoples’ lives, fixing broken systems, and changing power relationships so that unengaged people despairing of their lack of power can become re-engaged. (more…)

Source: Google News

Web site created as recovery resource
Red and Black, GA
Graduate students in the School of Social Work are giving back the community by helping people overcome addictions. In honor of September’s National Alcohol …

Names in the news
Baltimore Sun, MD
The University of Maryland School of Social Work has announced the addition of four new faculty members. Charlotte Lyn Bright joins the school as an …

Social workers becoming an important part of school
Fort Worth Star Telegram - Fort Worth, TX
As schools grapple with social issues such as childhood hunger, cyberbullying and teen pregnancy, the need for licensed social workers is crucial to student …

Unsung heroes of the ‘golden hour’
Pasadena Star-News - Pasadena, CA
Social workers and chaplains make contact with them, providing invaluable support. But once the trauma team and trauma surgeons have finished their …

Eastern Michigan University social work professor wins national award
The Ann Arbor News - MLive.com - Ann Arbor, MI
Leisa Thompson | The Ann Arbor NewsElvia Krajewski-Jaime, who recently won the National Association of Social Workers‘ 2008 Social Worker of the Year award, …

September 16, 2008

As I travel around the country representing the National Association of Social Workers, I meet many social workers who work with clients and communities in different capacities. Many of these social workers have dedicated their lives to serving those living in poverty, particularly children.

How do families become impoverished? We know that 13 million children live below the poverty line. We also know that another 16 million children are living in low income households. Did their parents fall victim to tough economic times? Did they lose their jobs? Were the prices of food and gas too much for their budgets to handle?

Is the cost associated with healthcare in this country more than they could afford? Were they affected by a natural disaster?

In this country, we are familiar with urban poverty. We see the pan handlers and the projects. We see the run-down schools and playgrounds. We manage to look away – we try not to see the poverty that exists in our midst.

A few months ago, I visited rural eastern Kentucky, far into Appalachia. I also recently met with a large group of social workers for an American Indian nation. I was struck by the enormous needs of the rural poor, who are nearly invisible to society because they are hidden from us. We don’t know about it, so we don’t think about it.

Yet, poverty – in all its ugliness –affects those who are the most vulnerable — children and older Americans — regardless of where they live.

Through interventions such as Social Security, Medicare, and other support programs, government has made significant investments in working toward reducing the number of older people living in poverty. But, those who have yet to find their voice – children living in poverty – need similar action taken on their behalf. Because we have not provided comparable programs to all children, the cycle of poverty continues. (more…)

Source: Google News

May I ask? Finding help for troubled young adults
Wicked Local West Roxbury - Needham, MA
“Transitions is a comprehensive therapeutic and rehabilitative service for young adults with psychiatric disabilities,” said Sara Cunningham, LICSW, …

Discuss clothing with daughter
Washington Times - Washington, DC
Redeployed, But Broke, Busted and Disgusted Vicki Johnson, a licensed clinical social worker, military spouse and mother of three, has been counseling …

Finding the calm after the storm
The Daily Advertiser - Lafayette, LA
Shelley Chaudoir, a licensed clinical social worker in private practice, has seen restlessness and poor sleep in some of her clients after hurricanes. …

“Aunt and uncle roles go beyond standard definitions”
Bend Bulletin (subscription) - Bend, OR
“They get to see their parents as human,” said Loren Gelberg-Goff, a licensed clinical social worker. She also sees the benefits of kids having “other …

Utah wilderness-therapy programs try a gentler, targeted approach
Salt Lake Tribune
Joanna Bettman, a University of Utah professor of social work, has tracked students at Aspen Achievement Academy, a Loa-based program where she first worked …

As Hurricane Ike approaches Texas, the American Red Cross is in great need of licensed mental health professionals (Volunteering)*

Volunteering in your local community

To find the Red Cross chapter closest to you, please go to the Chapter Locater website at www.redcross.org. Local volunteers may be called upon to provide mental health support to volunteers going on national disaster assignments or to Red Cross chapter workers and volunteers who may be experiencing increased stress due to the pressures of coordinating the response to national disaster relief operations while still responding to the ongoing needs of their local community. Please be aware that mental health volunteers may be expected to complete Red Cross-specific training in psychological first aid and disaster mental health to prepare them for their volunteer roles and to ensure the safety and welfare of Red Cross clients and volunteers as well as those from partnering agencies.

Volunteering outside your local community

If you are interested and available for a national deployment for 10 days to 3 weeks, please contact your local Red Cross chapter. To find the Red Cross chapter closest to you, please go to the Chapter Locater website at www.redcross.org. Please be aware that prior to a national deployment, mental health volunteers must be registered as Red Cross volunteers and will be required to complete Red Cross-specific mental health training in psychological first aid and disaster mental health to prepare them for their volunteer roles and to ensure the safety and welfare of Red Cross clients and volunteers as well as those from partnering agencies. Be prepared for there to be a waiting period before Red Cross training is available and before you can deploy out of state. Any help you can provide to your local community and Red Cross chapter during this waiting period will be of great help. (In special circumstances, you may be notified of alternative training arrangements).

If you have additional questions or need more information, please contact your local Red Cross chapter directly.

*DMH Eligibility Criteria

• Independently-licensed, master’s level (or higher) mental health professionals
• State-licensed or state-certified school counselors and school psychologists
• Licensed psychiatric RNs or RNs with at least two years experience working with direct client service in a behavioral health setting

*Duties and training for volunteers vary and are subject to the discretion of the American Red Cross. Any question you have regarding applying your professional social work skills in disaster mental health volunteering with the American Red Cross must be addressed by the local Red Cross chapter.

NASW has a continuing partnership with the American Red Cross

Social workers were in attendance at the RNC.

“Nita Waddell, an alternate delegate from Hope, Ark., and retired social worker, said she liked McCain’s speech but that it was Palin’s address Wednesday that finally sold her on a ticket she had some misgivings about – mostly because of McCain’s support for campaign-finance-reform measures that conservatives view as an infringement on free speech.

“Palin made the difference, baby,” she said, stomping her feet and clapping.” - CSMonitor.com

“Alternate delegate Catherine Starks of Livonia, a retired social worker, agrees that the values of the Republican Party should appeal to other African-Americans as they do to her. She switched parties 12 years ago, “because of what the Republicans stand for — life, moral standards.”" - The Detroit News

“After a life of much involvement within the Republican Party, Albert Lean Tom Schleck is getting the opportunity this week to be involved with the Republican National Convention. Working as a volunteer security member at the convention, each night he is being assigned to a specific gate to work as a supplement to the Secret Service, Schleck said.

In 2007, he retired from his position as a social worker for Freeborn County after 36 1/2 years of service. He was responsible for the county’s chemical dependency program.

He said his involvement with the Republican Party stems back as far as the 1964 presidential election when he supported Barry Goldwater. Schleck was 19 at the time.” - Albert Lea Tribune

If you are a social worker who attended the Republican National Convention and you would like to share your convention experience, please email us.

The National Association of Social Workers was outraged to hear Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, one of the nation’s vice-presidential candidates, malign in a live international broadcast the work of community organizers.

The social work profession takes great pride in its community organizing roots and lauds the contributions of its members, and other professionals, who commit their careers to helping residents of different communities organize their resources and take social action to improve life for themselves and their families. Small town reformers and urban community organizers have much in common.

The concepts of community organizing, community building and community development undergird the premise of American democracy. As a result of these efforts, institutions and officials often deliver more effective economic growth strategies, as well as mental health, health, and family services for people of all ages.

Community organizing is also the foundation of most successful political campaigns. Meeting fellow Americans in their communities and working with them to find solutions to problems that limit their potential is valuable and necessary work—with significant responsibilities.

The profession of social work was founded on the legacy of outstanding women leaders such as Nobel Laureate Jane Addams, who practiced community organizing in the Settlement Houses she created for the poor and working class immigrants of Chicago. The profession also counts Civil Rights icons such as Dr. Dorothy I. Height among its luminaries. It is fitting that both women are considered two of the most influential people in American history, and are inspirations for many of our country’s finest leaders.

During this election year, NASW encourages both parties to stay focused on issues of substance to the American people. We hope that instead of denigrating the lives and work of huge segments of the population, candidates will demonstrate how their plans for the country will protect and elevate the quality of life for all Americans.