Social Work Advocates Magazine

Researchers study ways to achieve equality

Researchers study ways to achieve equality

By Alison Laurio, News contributor Damon Smith had been suspended from school more than 15 times. “You start thinking it’s cool,” he said. “You think you’re going to come back to school and catch up, but unless you’re a genius you won’t. It made me want to mess up...

Biblio/poetry therapy used in numerous settings

Biblio/poetry therapy used in numerous settings

By Alison Laurio, News contributor Humans understood the power of words to heal long before they could write them. The holy men of primitive peoples chanted poetry for the good of their tribes and its members. Later in human history, in the fourth millennium B.C. in...

More states consider physician-assisted death

More states consider physician-assisted death

By Alison Laurio, News contributor "Goodbye to all my dear friends and family that I love. Today is the day I have chosen to pass away with dignity in the face of my terminal illness, this terrible brain cancer that has taken so much from me ... but would have taken...

NASW attends first pain care policy congress

NASW attends first pain care policy congress

By Paul R. Pace, News staff A key step in implementing solutions for the opioid overdose epidemic was reached in San Diego in October where days later the opioid crisis was officially declared a national public health emergency. Seventy representatives from more than...

Ambassador predicts need for social work skills

Ambassador predicts need for social work skills

By Paul R. Pace, News staff  The world needs an interdisciplinary approach more than ever to address the social, political, technological and climate challenges of today and the future, says Ambassador Wendy Sherman, a newly appointed NASW Social Work Pioneer ® ...

Experts say prevention key for healthy development

Experts say prevention key for healthy development

By Alison Laurio, News contributor When J. David Hawkins was a probation officer in the 1980s, he thought, “Isn’t there something we should have done to prevent these kids from getting to this place?” Programs from that period like “Just Say No” and “Scared Straight”...