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THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER® Social Work E-News
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Issue #58-Part 2, September 21, 2005
EDITOR'S EYE
Dear Social Work Colleagues,
Welcome to Issue #58 (Part 2) of the Social Work E-News. This e-mail newsletter is brought to you by the publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine, SocialWorker.com, and other social work publications.
Last week, I sent you Part 1 of this month's E-News (see archived copy at https://www.ymlp.com/pubarchive_show_message.php?lindagwhc+72), which focused on the great needs related to Hurricane Katrina. Those needs continue, as the hurricane season continues with Rita. After sending out that E-News, I received several responses from readers, including one from a social worker in Gulfport, MS, whose response is included here. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is working to reunite thousands of children and their parents. As of yesterday, CNN reported that 2,393 children were still missing as a result of Hurricane Katrina. See http://www.missingkids.com
As promised in the August issue of the Social Work E-News, I have a very exciting announcement to make. THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER is entering a new digital era with the introduction of our NEW digital edition!
Why am I so excited about this? What's so great about a digital magazine, and specifically, a digital version of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER? Well, it's something I've been thinking about for a while, and I believe reading THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER digitally has the potential to greatly enhance your experience with the magazine. I've looked at every digital format available, and I ultimately made the decision to team up with Zinio, the leading digital magazine provider, because this company offers fantastic features for you-our readers. Besides getting the same exact magazine as the print edition, with the same content, you get it faster (no waiting for the mail to come), and you can link directly to Web sites from the magazine, search, zoom in, store your back issues in a neat corner of your hard drive (instead of your living room), and even send a copy to a friend. No matter where in the world you live, you can get the latest issue via immediate download.
You can see a FREE sneak preview of this exciting new format in your Web browser at http://www.zinio.com/express?issue=105154918&rf=swen or download a complete issue (Summer 2005) FREE from http://www.zinio.com/offer?issn=1073-7871D&of=ZF01&bd=1&rf=swen
I really hope you will check out these links to see it for yourself. If you haven't seen the print magazine yet, it is a good way to see a sample of what we offer, whether in print or electronically. I know you'll be as excited as I am when you see how this new technology will change the way you experience social work reading! Please give it a try, and let me know what you think! See the article in this E-News for more details.
We have recently added some new book reviews to our Web site. See http://www.socialworker.com/home/index.php?option=com_wrapper&wrap=THE%20NEW%20SOCIAL%20WORKER%20Reviews&Itemid=89 to visit our Social Work Bookshelf.
Until next time,
Linda Grobman, ACSW, LSW
Publisher/Editor
THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER®
http://www.socialworker.com
linda.grobman@paonline.com
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IN THIS ISSUE
Features
The New Social Worker's NEW Digital Edition
Job Corner
Call for Submissions
Letter to the Editor
On Our Web Site
In Print
Newsletter Necessities
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FEATURES
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Children and the Aftermath of Katrina:
From Fear to Hope
By Gary Direnfeld, MSW, RSW
In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, many children will be hiding under the covers. When tragedies such as Katrina strike, children, like many of us adults, have no way to understand the unimaginable. It is normal to be frightened of life threatening events.
Also like adults, children do best with certainty, predictability, and stability in their lives. Tragedy, however, turns those elements upside down and chaos often reigns. A consequence of chaos is powerlessness & that sickening sense that you are unable to effect any change in circumstances whatsoever for the better. After powerlessness comes either anger or depression and sometimes both, then despair.
Children, particularly young children, will gain their sense of safety and security first from their parents and secondly from other adults. They will look to our reactions to help them interpret their own and then they will look to be comforted by us.
The challenge for parents and adults in view of the needs of children is to manage our negative reactions such that they do not spill over on the children. This is not to say that parents or other adults hide their reactions, but only share them in such a way as to say to children that their fears are reasonable, but we will do our best to protect them from harm. This legitimizes their experience, yet provides a positive future orientation that all will be well in time & with patience.
To help children cope, consider the following:
1. As best as possible, try to limit re-traumatization. Shelter children from ongoing horrific images that only contribute to fear, turmoil, and upset. Limit exposure to graphic news stories and hold adult conversations out of earshot of the children.
2. Find a way to provide structure. Two elements of structure are routine and activity. The activity may relate to the routine, such as preparing food for mealtime. Routines and activities help regain a sense of control when all else feels out of control.
3. Listen to their fears and acknowledge them, but remain reassuring. Children experience the same feelings as adults, so it is important and reasonable to validate their feelings while all the while keeping a positive future orientation.
4. Do good deeds, however small, by helping others. In addition to being an activity, doing good deeds helps overcome the sense of powerlessness and cascade of negative emotions. It empowers children and adults alike and is a potent antidote to powerlessness.
5. Lastly, hold your children tight and continue to give hugs and kisses. As reassuring as it is for the kids, it works for us parents, too. As we comfort and take care of our children, we take care of our worst fears and ourselves. We need to know our children are safe and free from harm.
As we concentrate on the needs of our children, we re-focus in the aftermath of tragedy and find purpose and meaning for our existence.
Concentrating on the needs of our children organizes our activity, thus providing structure. The good deeds we do in participation with our children help us while helping others. This in turn protects us from fear and leads to hope
and hope is the key ingredient to overcoming the most horrible of tragedy while helping our children.
Gary Direnfeld, MSW, RSW, is a social worker in Ontario, Canada, where courts consider him an expert on child development, parent-child relations, marital and family therapy, custody and access recommendations, social work and an expert for the purpose of giving a critique on a Section 112 (social work) report. See his Web site at http://www.yoursocialworker.com.
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LETTER AND CALL FOR HELP
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(Note: I received the following after Part I of the E-News went out last week.)
Hi, Linda. I am an LCSW here in Gulfport, MS working with the Disabled American Veterans who have been displaced. There are many ways social workers can volunteer here. The Red Cross here has seen over 55,000 people in the shelters for mental health assessments. We didn't have phone service to call anyone and no electricity for 8 days, no gas for 10 days, so it has been very traumatic.
Having worked hurricane Mitch in the US Virgin Islands in 2000 and lived through four or five in NC, it gave me some coping skills to help people here. The coast has been inundated with lots of clothes and food, but needs people to help clean yards, cut trees, put on roofs, and just relieve or give some respite to other volunteers, especially Red Cross workers.
There is so much loss here, and people feel very violated by Katrina. They have nothing but maybe the clothes on their back and have lost their families at the same time
. Each day gets better, and soon we will have potable water once again. Right now, we are dealing with the mold that is growing day by day, hoping we don't get rain to expedite it even more.
Thanks again for all you do and your support to the MSWs here on the coast.
Ginni McCann, LCSW
Below is some information Ginni sent me about the need for volunteers:
****URGENT NEED FOR SOCIAL WORKERS****
There is an urgent need for social workers with experience in working with geriatrics and Alzheimer's patients to assist with assessment of Mississippi Gulf Coast residents. This is a volunteer position for up to one week with food and shelter provided. There is anticipated to be a need for these volunteers for up to eight weeks. Contact Barbara Dobrosky at Barbara.dobrosky@alz.org or at 601-497-7584. This relief effort is being coordinated by the Alzheimer's Association and the Area Agency on Aging of the Gulf Coast.
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The Mississippi Chapter of NASW has information on several relief efforts that need help from social workers. Contact the MS Chapter of NASW at 601-936-0557; 601-936-0559 FAX; e-mail: naswms@aol.com
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The Louisiana NASW Web site lists extensive information related to Hurricane Katrina. See http://www.naswla.org/
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Texas NASW''s Web site (see http://www.naswtx.org/Katrina.htm) has extensive coverage of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and related information. One item of interest is that the Texas social work licensing board is implementing short-term measures to help social workers who are displaced/evacuees or helping evacuees get licensed immediately. Contact:
DSHS Professional Licensing and Certification Unit
1100 West 49th Street
Austin TX 78756-3183
(800) 232-3162
(512) 834-6677 fax
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SEPTEMBER IS RECOVERY MONTH
Youth Drug Use Continues to Decline
Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt announced a nine percent decline in illicit drug use among American youth between the ages of 12 and 17 from 2002 to 2004. Marijuana use also declined by seven percent among young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 during this same period. Marijuana continues to be the most commonly used illicit drug, with a rate of 6.1 percent (14.6 million current users) for the U.S. population 12 and older. The findings are from the 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).
The survey findings, released by HHS's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), show that overall 19.1 million Americans, or 7.9 percent of the population ages 12 and older were current illicit drug users, meaning they used an illicit drug in the past month. This rate was similar to the rates seen in 2002 and 2003, around eight percent of the population ages 12 and older.
Particularly striking was a decline in current use, defined as used in the past month, of marijuana among boys ages 12-17, from 9.1 percent in 2002 down to 8.1 percent in 2004. But marijuana use by girls in that age group did not decline and remained at about seven percent. Similarly, for the 18- to 25-year-old category, the cohort with the highest illicit drug use rates, there were declines in current marijuana use from 17.3 percent in 2002 to 16.1 percent in 2004; and use of hallucinogens from 1.9 percent in 2002 to 1.5 percent in 2004.
"Prevention and treatment are key in the federal strategy. We in the federal government will work with our state and local partners, and we will redouble our efforts to deal with drug use in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina,'' Secretary Leavitt said. "Clearly the data show by working together as a nation, we can achieve success in preventing drug abuse."
An area of concern is the increasing non-medical use of prescription medications among young adults. The 2004 survey shows about six percent of young adults used medications non-medically in the past month, and 29 percent had used in their lifetime. From 2002 to 2004 there was an increase in lifetime prevalence of non-medical use of narcotic pain relievers in the 18-25 age group, from 22 percent to 24 percent. Hydrocodone and oxycodone products showed increases in lifetime use among young adults ages 18 to 25.
"The news today is an indication that our partnerships and the work of prevention professionals, schools, parents, teachers, law enforcement, religious leaders, and local community anti-drug coalitions are paying off," SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie said. "Yet our work is far from over. We must continue our efforts to support people in their struggle with substance abuse and mental illness to help ensure they have the opportunity for recovery."
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health is an annual survey of close to 70,000 people. The survey collects information from residents of households, residents of non-institutionalized group quarters, and civilians living on military bases.
Recovery Month is observed in September to recognize the accomplishments of people in recovery, the contributions of treatment providers, and advances in substance abuse treatment. This year is the 16th annual observance. The theme "Join the Voices for Recovery & Healing Lives, Families and Communities" emphasizes that addiction to alcohol and drugs is a chronic, but treatable, public health problem that affects everyone in the community.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health is available on the web at http://www.oas.samhsa.gov. Electronic versions of Recovery Month materials are available at http://www.recoverymonth.gov.
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THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER'S NEW DIGITAL EDITION
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TRY a FREE no-obligation sample of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER® in digital format right now!
THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER® has teamed up with the digital magazine specialist Zinio to deliver a great new digital version of the magazine, available online all around the world. Without leaving the comfort of your home or office, you can get an exact electronic replica of the full version of the print magazine, on your computer screen, with the same great content. Zinio produces digital versions of more than 300 magazines, including U.S. News and World Report, BusinessWeek, and others, as well as digital textbooks.
THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER® is the ultimate source of information to help you succeed in your social work career. Independently published by a social worker (Linda Grobman) for social workers and social work students, we feature:
Social Work Ethics - informative articles to help you get through the tough dilemmas that social workers face
Field Placement Issues - tips to help students survive the internship selection process, supervision, working with clients, professional relationships, and more
Social Work Careers - job search advice, career advancement, and practice specialty overviews
Book Reviews - descriptions and critiques of the latest professional resources
Electronic Connection - updates to keep you "in the know" with the latest technology that affects your clients and your practice
Social Work Around the Map - reports on what social workers are doing around the globe
On Campus - highlights of innovative and interesting social work student projects
Now get all this and more in our new, exciting, and FUN digital format! Easy storage, immediate access, flipping pages, searching, zooming, linking, note taking, and other interactive features will add a whole new dimension to your reading experience!
The digital edition is an exact electronic replica of the print magazine. HOW IT WORKS: You will be provided a link to download your digital magazine. If you have not done so already, you will be prompted to download the FREE Zinio Reader software. Then, you will be ready to download the full magazine. Open it in Zinio Reader and start taking advantage of this new, interactive reading experience.
Ready to take a look? Here are three ways:
1. Try it out! Go to http://www.zinio.com/express?issue=105154918&rf=swen to see a preview in your Web browser (nothing to download).
2. Download a FREE no-obligation sample of the Summer 2005 issue with all the digital bells and whistles at: http://www.zinio.com/offer?issn=1073-7871D&of=ZF01&bd=1&rf=swen
3. Subscribe! Digital subscriptions to THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER will be offered at the reduced price of $9.99 for one year. (A print subscription is $15.) As a special introductory offer to our Social Work E-News subscribers, you can subscribe for one year and get TWO FREE issues. So, you will get SIX issues for the low $9.99 rate. You can take advantage of this offer and download your first issue today at http://www.zinio.com/offer?issn=1073-7871&of=PH1&bd=1&rf=swen
Get more details at http://www.socialworker.com/digitaledition
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JOB CORNER
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Find your next job at http://www.socialworkjobbank.com, THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER's online job board and career center. Both new grads and experienced social work practitioners are included in our ever-growing candidate profile bank, which now includes thousands of confidential profiles/resumes of social work job seekers! We are proud of the fact that this site was chosen as one of 350 (out of 40,000+ employment sites) to be included in Weddle's Recruiter's and Job Seeker's Guide to Employment Web Sites 2004 and 2005.
If your agency is 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.
All job seeker services are FREE-including searching current job openings, posting your confidential resume/profile, and requesting e-mail job alerts. Please let employers know that you saw their listings in the SOCIAL WORK E-NEWS and at SocialWorkJobBank.com.
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
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BE PART OF THE NEW AND EXCITING "REMEMBERING WHO WE ARE" PROJECT
Call for Submissions Continues: Remembering Who We Are
Do you have an inspiring or heartwarming story to tell-a story of celebration or inspiration for other social workers that helps us remember who we are, what we do, what we have accomplished? The publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER is seeking short writings by social workers for social workers, to be published electronically and/or in print. Published authors and those who've always wanted to write, but haven't yet, will be included. Social workers Karen Connell, Anne Hills, Hope Horowitz, and John Weaver are the creative editorial team behind this exciting new project.
Themes for the collection flow from, and are organized around, the values and principles of social work, including:
Service
Social Justice
Dignity and Worth of the Person
Importance of Human Relationships
Integrity
Competence
Other Related Duties and Responsibilities
We want to hear from you! Writings are sought from social workers in all settings and roles. This will be an ongoing project, with an initial deadline of October 10, 2005. For detailed submission guidelines, visit http://www.socialworker.com/home/menu/remember
Please put the word "Remember" in the subject line of your submission. Thank you!
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
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(Editor's Note: The following is an unedited letter I received telling about some activities of social workers in another part of the world last month.)
Dear Linda,
I have received your e-magazine for about 6 months. Although most of its parts belong to your country, I use it. I would like to inform you Iranian social workers have especial ceremony in the national day for social work. All Iranian social workers will gather in Tehran in Welfare and Rehabilitation University this year. This ceremony is held by Scientific Social Work Association of Iran and Welfare and Rehabilitation University of Tehran in August 1, 2005. I would be really appreciated if you wrote this news in your magazine, because I know some Iranian social workers are receiving your e-magazine.
Sincerely,
Masoomeh Maarefvand
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ON OUR WEB SITE
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THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER's Web site at http://www.socialworker.com includes the full text of many sample articles from past issues of the magazine. On our site, click on "About the Magazine" to find Tables of Contents of the current and back issues, and click on "Feature Articles" to find full-text articles.
Our online discussion forum/message board is a place for open discussion of a variety of social work-related issues. Join in our discussion at http://www.socialworker.com (click on "Discussion Forum" in the left menu) -- you do not have to be a registered user to participate, but registering allows you to use some additional features of the message board.
Be sure to check out the Social Work Bookshelf and continuing education offerings available at http://www.socialworker.com, or go directly to http://www.ceu4u.com/tnsw for continuing education offerings.
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JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK VALUES AND ETHICS-FALL ISSUE AVAILABLE NOW!
The Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics is a free, online, peer-reviewed journal published by the publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER. It is published twice a year, in full text, online at http://www.socialworker.com/jswve
The third edition, Fall 2005, is available now! Articles in this edition are as follows:
* Editorial Comment: The State of the Journal
* Undergraduate Views of Capital Punishment: Are Social Work Students Different From Other Students?
* Social Work Researchers and the Institutional Review Board
* Disclosure of Sensitive Student Information in Social Work Field Placements
* Professional Boundaries in Dual Relationships
* Ethics Forum: Rural Social Work Practice
Go to the journal Web site at http://www.socialworker.com/jswve to read this issue. You can also sign up for a free subscription, and you will be notified by e-mail when each issue is available online.
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IN PRINT
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FALL ISSUE OF THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER AVAILABLE SOON
The Fall issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine will be available in print soon. Here are some highlights of this issue:
ISM and IST: Effective Tools for Cultural Awareness
Learning to Dance
Surviving College and Moving Toward a Balanced Life: Strategies for Social Work Students
International Social Work I: Poverty is a Grind (First of a 3-part series)
My Professional Life as an EAP Social Worker
Career Talk: Transferable Skill Extraordinaire: Suicide Intervention
Electronic Connection: The Digital and Ethical Mindset of Social Work Students
and more!
See our Web site at http://www.socialworker.com for more details about this issue.
This issue is available NOW in our new digital format. Order a subscription at http://www.zinio.com/offer?issn=1073-7871&of=PH1&bd=1&rf=swen and download the Fall issue TODAY.
THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER print edition can be ordered directly from our online store at http://www.whitehatcommunications.com/store -- where you will also find the social work and nonprofit management books we publish.
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THE SOCIAL WORK GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICANT'S HANDBOOK
THE SOCIAL WORK GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICANT'S HANDBOOK, by Jesus Reyes, is now available in its second edition. Published by White Hat Communications, publisher of The New Social Worker, the book offers advice on choosing and applying to MSW programs in the U.S. and Canada. The book is presented in three parts: 1) what to look for in a graduate school, 2) what schools look for in applicants, and 3) resources for applicants. The handbook, written by a former admissions director, provides insight into such issues as writing the application essay, what to do when an applicant's undergraduate academic record is "less than perfect," and more. Especially useful is the "In Their Own Words Section," in which graduate school admissions representatives give "tips for applicants," "common applicant mistakes," and specific information about their schools.
Order the second edition now from our online store at http://www.whitehatcommunications.com/store -- it is also available from Amazon.com at: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1929109148/newsocialwork-20
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ITEMS FOR SOCIAL WORKERS
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Do you need a unique item for someone who is interested in social work, a colleague, a student, or yourself? Here are some ideas:
Visit THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER's Poster Store at http://www.socialworker.com/home/menu/Poster_Store to find posters on topics of inspiration, self-esteem, tolerance, attitude, caring, personal relationships, bullying, leadership, and change. Excellent topics for a social worker's (or social work student's) office, dorm room, or home.
Visit THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER's book shop (in association with Amazon.com) at http://shop.socialworker.com/shop.php to stock up on social work textbooks and/or professional publications.
Go to our Mugs and More Store at http://www.cafepress.com/socialworker to find some interesting specialty items (teddy bears, mugs, and tote bags, for example).
You can find our social work and nonprofit-related books at our online store at http://www.whitehatcommunications.com/store
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NEWSLETTER NECESSITIES
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ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER® SOCIAL WORK E-NEWS is published by:
White Hat Communications (publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER® magazine and THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER® ONLINE)
P.O. Box 5390
Harrisburg, PA 17110-0390
Linda Grobman, Editor
linda.grobman@paonline.com
http://www.socialworker.com
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Advertising: If you would like to place a job listing or sponsor this newsletter, e-mail linda.grobman@paonline.com for rates and further information. We also now offer banner advertising on our Web site.
News: Please send brief social work-related news items to linda.grobman@paonline.com for consideration.
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PRIVACY
Your subscription e-mail address will only be used to deliver this e-newsletter and to occasionally inform you of updates from its publisher. Your e-mail address will not be given to anyone else or used for any other purpose as a result of your subscription to this newsletter.
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Copyright 2005 White Hat Communications. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this entire newsletter, with all information intact, by e-mail to social work colleagues, students, and others interested in social work, for personal use only. You may also print out this newsletter for personal use. All other uses of this material require permission from the publisher at: linda.grobman@paonline.com
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