Social Work E-News 
Social Work Month 2016
Special Edition #1, March 15, 2016
 
 
Social Work E-News
Happy Social Work Month!
 
 
Editor's Eye
Hello --
 
Happy Social Work Month! This is the first of two special editions of the Social Work E-News to celebrate this month. Thank you for subscribing to receive this email newsletter, which is brought to you by the publisher of The New Social Worker magazine, SocialWorker.com, SocialWorkJobBank.com, and other social work publications.
 
The New Social Worker's Social Work Month Project 2016 is well under way at our website at http://www.socialworker.com.  All this month, we are publishing a variety of essays, poetry, artwork, music, videos and more to inspire and educate about social work. I am so excited about the entries we have published so far and those that are still to come for the second half of the month!
 
In addition, TODAY is World Social Work Day! This year's theme is "Promoting the Dignity and Worth of Peoples." According to the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW), "WSWD 2016 creates another opportunity for the profession to express international solidarity and to bring common messages to governments, regional bodies, and to our communities." Read more here.
 
Reminder: The Winter issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER is available NOW. Read articles from this issue at http://www.socialworker.com. Highlights of this issue include mindfulness and self-care, reflections on child protection work, tips to stay strong during a long job search, working on interdisciplinary teams, mandated reporting, safety awareness for social workers, adolescent prescription drug abuse, suicide and social media, behavioral health in the primary care setting, five new book reviews, and more. Here’s a quick link for immediate download of the PDF edition for Winter 2016: Winter 2016 issue: Quick Download Now
 

You can go to http://www.socialworker.com/Subscribe_to_The_New_Social_Worker and subscribe (free) to receive an email reminder and table of contents of each issue of The New Social Worker magazine when it is available. If you are a subscriber to the E-News (which you are reading now), this does NOT mean that you are automatically subscribed to The New Social Worker magazine. They are two different publications.
 
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Until next time,
Linda Grobman, ACSW, LSW
Publisher/Editor
THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER®
 
 
Networking:
 
 
Social Work Month Project 2016
 
The New Social Worker's SOCIAL WORK MONTH PROJECT 2016
 
March is Social Work Month!
 
This is our fourth year to feature a Social Work Month series on THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER’s website. This year, we are calling it Social Work Project 2016! I am extremely excited about this year’s project.
 
The project started on March 1! Each day during the month of March, we will publish one or more Social Work Month Project entries. You can follow the project on our Facebook page, Twitter, or by going to http://www.socialworker.com/extras/social-work-month-project-2016 each day. Follow our Instagram account (@newsocialworker) for some fun items!
 
This year's series is filled with wonderfully creative work by social workers and social work students, including essays, poetry, artwork, music, and other original work.

Here are the items published in the first two weeks of the Social Work Month Project 2016:
 

Social work calls the professional to a lifestyle of considerate living. It encourages us to emphasize goodness within both our world and ourselves. 

As a congresswoman—and as the people’s voice for social workers nationwide—Barbara Lee has sponsored an impressive array of legislation that is paramount to the livelihoods of social work clients and the profession. Read Brad Forenza's interview.

For Social Work Month 2016, this is our third in a series of "future social worker" memes by social worker Gina Bowers.

I have an auto-immune condition that resulted in frequent hospital stays. For me, it was not the duties of the social workers with whom I interacted that stood out to me, but rather their ability to connect and communicate with their clients. 

Social work is everything. The cause, the cure, and the remedy. What’s your story? Reflections on social work by Edward J. Meredith, MSW student at Loyola University Chicago.

Social workers are loud because we speak out for those who have been silenced by pain, shame, and stigma that society buries them under. Social workers speak loudly because we understand the beauty that is being human, that is being humane. 

The journey from soldier to social worker, as told through Haiku, by Donald McCasland. 

From the very first class, I had that feeling in my soul. It was all making sense. 

My artwork aims to signify the attributes they share with mainstream superheroes, like Superman. Although they don't wear spandex and capes, social workers are superheroes to those in the community. 

Poetry on social work by first-year MSW student at IUPUI, Kathleen Chaney. 
 

“You got it, Grasshopper. ‘Semper Paratus, Semper Gumby.’ Always keep alert. Always pay attention. Zig when you gotta zig. Zag when you gotta Zag. Even when the seas get rough, the social worker keeps reaching out.” 

A letter of thanks to social workers, by Brad Bender, MSW student at Michigan State University.
 

Poetry about social workers by Nia Johnson

An original song about monsters in your head. "Singing this song in front of the whole student body meant that my heart was about to ooze out of my mouth, roll off my tongue, and touch the small worlds that were the hearts of everyone in the room."

What are the lessons learned from a social work career of servant leadership? First, know yourself and find your passion. Is leadership a good fit? A message on social work leadership from M. Jenise Comer, president of ASWB.

Our future social worker ponders...how can I make this strengths-based? 

Just what is a Social Worker? S - Someone with super powers that is socially concerned....

Alyssa Lotmore, LMSW, encourages social workers to be media-savvy through this short YouTube video. She is the co-host of The Social Workers Radio Talk Show.

Social Workers - a poem by Mithsuka Paul "Let us hold hands and become one."

I believe that each of us has a life-defining moment that changes the way we view things - a moment when something inside us shifts and causes us to find ourselves realizing what we are truly passionate about. 
 

Katie Prochnow is a social work student at the University of North Dakota. Her drawing shows how positive personal qualities of social workers are related to their careers and make them who they are. 

The Right Balance is important in group work, as this poem tells us. 

The "six-word story" writing prompt is used in a "Living with Cancer" writing group to facilitate members’ (both patients and caretakers) inner dialog, expression, and themed group conversation.

Writing résumés might not seem like clinical work, but it’s really just another version of narrative therapy. When clients collaborate with me on their résumés, they share stories. 

Social worker and new mom Gina Bowers sent us some cute memes of her adorable baby boy for the Social Work Month Project 2016.

Whatever your working definition of empowerment, we generally concur it has a central element of having control (power) over decision-making about one’s life and destiny. We can better empower clients when we empower ourselves. 

My Social Worker - a poem by Imran A. Mohammed

We need space to process terror and hate. Sometimes we don’t know what to do. What happens when the helpers don’t know how to help? For students, and ourselves, the concept of cultural humility may not seem new, but it is oh so powerful. 

Every social worker has a tool bag equipped with gadgets to assist students and clients. Humor is one of many skills that can be applied in a variety of settings, including agencies and classrooms. 

The Grand Challenge Initiative by the AASWSW has great promise for social work for (at least) two compelling reasons: to communicate to the world what social workers do and to bring an army of allies into the profession. 
 
Our purpose in hosting this series each year is to honor and highlight the diverse work social workers do, celebrate the many talents of social workers and social work students, and provide an opportunity for creative expression and sharing of ideas.  I hope you enjoy this series and find it educational, as well.
 
Bonus: Check out recent posts from our Real World Clinical Social Work Blog by Danna Bodenheimer:
 

As social workers, we are trained in the art of understanding relativity. We step away from the stance of relativity when our clients are in danger.

The more I practice clinical social work, the more I believe in ghosts. I don’t mean ghosts in the classic sense. Instead, I mean that our work is haunted, on many levels, by relationships and historic interactions from the past.
 
 
 
This Month
March marks several observances, including but not limited to:
 

  • World Social Work Day - March 15
  • Brain Injury Awareness Day - March 16
  • World Down Syndrome Day - March 21
  • International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination - March 21
  • International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade - March 25
 
and more!
 
Job Corner
FEATURED JOBS
 
 
Shelter Case Manager, Operation Hope, Fairfield, CT
 
Purpose:  In addition to a safe, warm place to stay, our Shelters also provide three meals a day, showers, laundry facilities, clothing, and social contact.  Our Shelter guests have access to phones, health screening, computers, transportation assistance, and other services to meet their basic needs. All of the guests who stay with us participate in our shelter program, a comprehensive support program geared to help them address the root causes of their homelessness, and to achieve increased stability and self-reliance.
 
Clinical Responsibilities:  The case manager provides high quality, individualized therapeutic case management, including housing, income, and personal development goals for clients transitioning from the shelters to housing. 
 
This person will provide services for guests that include but are not limited to: connecting people to family, friends, and their community; address physical and mental health; discuss ways to achieve self-identified goals; improving or maintaining their economic security through benefits, skill development, work readiness, and employment; and preparing guests for future housing options.  The case manager will meet on a weekly basis with the guests assigned to them.
 
Required support work includes: case presentations, group work, maintaining statistical data, maintaining up to date and accurate case records, representation at community-based meeting 1 to 2 times per month, utilization of weekly supervision, attendance at bi-weekly staff meetings and other duties as requested by Shelter Manager or Clinical Director.
 
It is imperative that this person fosters good communication between team members and maintains liaisons with mental health and substance abuse providers in the field.  The case manager will work closely with the social workers and will report directly to the Shelter Manager. The case manager will receive clinical supervision by the Clinical Director.
 
RequirementsDegree in Social Work or related field.  Previous supervisory experience required.  This position requires the ability to work well with a diverse population.  Requires a commitment, good communication skills including computer literacy, and a strong sense of responsibility, teamwork and flexibility.  Requires experience in working with people with addictions and mental health conditions.  Spanish speaking candidates encouraged.    Driver’s license required.

APPLY FOR THIS JOB

Contact Person: Corey Allen
Phone: 203-292-5588 Ext. 219
Email Address: callen@operationhopect.org
 

 
Community Case Manager, Operation Hope, CT
 
Purpose:  To assist homeless individuals and families in achieving increased stability and self-reliance, through case management, skill building, and obtaining housing. The BSCM is responsible for counseling and case management for households moving from homelessness to housing. 
 
Clinical Responsibilities:  Works with shelter staff and management to transition guests from shelter to housing; will also work in collaboration with Supportive Housing Works and long term PSH clients. Case management services to include: crisis intervention for issues threatening the security and stability of housing; identification and intervention in housing, personal, or other barriers and conflicts with a focus on obtaining and maintaining housing; landlord/tenant relations; life skills building; helping households to develop and maintain positive and natural systems of support within their communities; and helping the households to access other resources in the community.  Address mental health and substance use issues within scope of services.
 
Liaison with, and make referrals to, various community resources, develop and maintain strong working relationships with community providers. Participate in multidisciplinary team, clinical staff meetings and client centered meetings, maintain accurate and up to date records, prepare reports for funder, and participate in trainings and ongoing supervision.
 
All work is geared to assist individuals to set and attain goals toward obtaining and maintaining housing successfully.  Home visits and on-site individual meetings are required and scheduled based on client need. 
 
Housing Responsibilities: The Community Case Manager identifies housing opportunities based on the individuals needs which may include high utility balances, mobility issues, substance use, criminal background, credit check, and eviction history. Assist clients with all paperwork needed to successfully obtain housing, including security deport guaranty applications, housing subsidy applications, rental applications, etc. Must build and maintain relationships with the local housing authorities, landlords, property owners and others with a goal of securing housing for the organization’s clients. Attend lease signing with client. Responsible for education and counseling for tenants regarding timely rent payments and fulfilling lease obligations to ensure housing retention; and early identification and assistance with issues that could threaten housing stability. 
 
Required support work includes: good record keeping, data entry, file/case notes, outcome assessments, attendance at clinical and shelter team meetings, and any other duties as requested by Clinical Director and Shelter Manager.  Reports to and is supervised by the Clinical Director.
 
RequirementsMaster’s Degree in Social Work or other related field preferred, with a minimum of three years of experience in working with the homeless or at risk population. Should have the ability to engage easily with people, perform quick assessments, prioritize under pressure and work independently.  Good communication and computer skills with a working knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel. Experience with homelessness, mental health, substance use, housing, and other related issues. Must be able to adhere to proper attendance, proper attire and the Operation Hope employee handbook.
 
Will represent Operation Hope in a professional manner, understand and follow all policies and procedures of Operation Hope, have a positive and friendly attitude and be able to communicate with all levels within the organization, as well as with community partners. Maintain good working relationships with organizational Staff and Volunteers. Must adhere to all professional standards and ethical practices. Staff must be able to create and maintain healthy boundaries and professional relationships with clients, co-workers, and others.
 
Must have a strong sense of responsibility and a commitment to the mission of ending homelessness.  Bi-lingual candidates preferred.  A valid driver’s license, proof of insurance and use of personal car is necessary.
 
Operation Hope hires and promotes employees regardless of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin or ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition or physical handicap or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law.
 
Operation Hope is an equal opportunity employer. Operation Hope strives to be culturally competent, responding respectfully and effectively to people of all cultures, classes, races, ethnic backgrounds and religions in a manner that recognizes, affirms and values the cultural differences and similarities and the worth of individuals, families, and communities and protects and preserves the dignity of each person.
 
Most employees at Operation Hope are funded by a variety of grants, governmental programs and endowment sources. Continued employment is contingent upon continued receipt of those funds.
Full-time, 40 hours per week, some evenings.

APPLY FOR THIS JOB

Contact Person: Corey Allen
Phone: 203-292-5588 Ext. 219
Email Address: callen@operationhopect.org
 

Find jobs for new grads and experienced social work practitioners at http://www.socialworkjobbank.com, THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER’s online job board and career cen
 
 
If you or your agency are hiring social workers, don’t forget to post your jobs on SocialWorkJobBank.com. Please check the SocialWorkJobBank “products/pricing” page for job posting options and SPECIAL offers. 
 
Job seeker services are FREE—including searching current job openings, posting your confidential résumé/profile, and receiving e-mail job alerts. Please let employers know that you saw their listings in the SOCIAL WORK E-NEWS and at SocialWorkJobBank.com.
 
There are 1,051 jobs currently posted on SocialWorkJobBank.com. Check it out today.
 


 
Featured Excerpt

 
FEATURED EXCERPT—SOCIAL WORK MONTH
 
Editor’s Note: This excerpt is from THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER’s Social Work Month Project 2016. Read the full article and listen to Sydney's POWERFUL and MOVING original song at:
 
 
Never Alone - Why I Want To Be a Social Worker
by Sydney Holofcener

I wrote the song "Monster" in honor of Eating Disorder Awareness Week, 10 months after I was diagnosed with my own monster, Anorexia Nervosa. I wanted to take the opportunity to bring justice to all those suffering in silence, raise awareness for an illness that is surrounded by so many stigmas, and help people know they're not alone. This song was the turning point. This song marks the point where I knew that what I have to say matters. My story matters. I am worth listening to. That is the reason I am in college as a social work major. I want to be there for people who are afraid to have a voice or are yet to realize the power they have.
 
I initially wrote this song for my high school's talent show. I was shaking from the fear of vulnerability when I walked out into the light of the stage and up to the microphone. Singing this song in front of the whole student body meant that my heart was about to ooze out of my mouth, roll off my tongue, and touch the small worlds that were the hearts of everyone in the room. Some knew I had previously skipped the first two months of my senior year to go to residential treatment, but most didn't. My biggest fear was that nobody would get it. Much like the eating disorder in my brain would try and convince me of my insignificance, I was afraid I would be left on stage, alone in my thoughts and feelings. However, like always, my eating disorder was feeding me lies.
 
The reaction from the crowd was more than my mind even let me expect. I got a standing ovation. I left the stage shaking in shock and awe. I felt stronger in that moment than the false control of my eating disorder had ever made me feel. I will never forget the three little girls who came up to me with roses and thanked me for sharing my story - their mom in the distance, giving me a soft, thankful smile. The best thing that happened that night was when people began opening up about their personal stories and experiences with eating disorders and mental illness - either personal, or with people they knew. I realized I wasn’t alone.
 
 
Editor’s Note: This excerpt is from THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER’s Social Work Month Project 2016. Read the rest of this article and listen to Sydney's POWERFUL and MOVING original song at:
 

 
Words From Our Sponsors

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What does a life in social work look like? You might look at it as a series of “sideways” stories! “If life were black and white, we’d have no need for social work.” Read Ogden Rogers’ collection, Beginnings, Middles, & Ends: Sideways Stories on the Art & Soul of Social Work. Available on Amazon.com (print and Kindle), Google Play (e-book), directly from the publisher, and other bookstores. Do you know a social worker or social work student who loves to read? This book is a welcome retreat from academic textbooks.
 

 
 
 
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In Print
White Hat Communications, publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine and the Social Work E-News, has published several books about social work. These books make great gifts (for graduation, holidays, or other occasions) for yourself, or for your friends, students, and colleagues in social work!
 
We also publish books on nonprofit management. Want to start your own agency? We have a book for that.
 
 
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Reminders
  
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www.socialworker.com
 
 

IN THIS ISSUE
Social Work Month 2016
This Month
Job Corner/Featured Jobs
Featured Excerpt
Words from Our Sponsors
In Print
Reminders
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THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER® SOCIAL WORK E-NEWS is published by:
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