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ON CLINICAL SOCIAL WORK: MEDITATIONS AND TRUTHS FROM THE FIELD is Dr. Danna Bodenheimer's NEW book. Published last month by The New Social Worker Press, it has already reached #1 in new social work releases in the last 90 days on Amazon.

 

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Jonathan Singer of the Social Work Podcast wrote the foreword to this book, and he said, "Danna pays attention to life’s details with a psychotherapist’s insight and writes about them with the passion of a slam poet. She speaks to the soul of social work and inspires us to think about more than just social work."

 

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In 2011, I began working as a case manager at an East Harlem supportive housing site for adults with mental illness who have experienced homelessness. I had never worked with underserved adults, and I quickly noticed that the majority of tenants experienced obesity and related issues, such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and joint problems. Indeed, almost every client experienced a combination of those chronic, preventable health conditions.  

 

A year later, I started working at another supportive housing site, where I observed the same health issues among tenants. I later learned that people with mental illness die, on average, 25 years earlier than the general population, primarily resulting from those same chronic health problems (Parks, Svendsen, Singer, & Foti, 2006).    

 

With more experience, I frequently noted the connection between physical and mental health. For example, I worked with one woman whose intense knee pain typically confined her to her apartment. Her inactivity hastened weight gain, which placed more strain on her knees. Meanwhile, her pain and inactivity combined to exacerbate her depression and diminish her self-concept. I realized that to effectively treat and assist the whole person, we social service providers must seriously consider the relationship between physical and mental health.  

 

In 2013, I began facilitating a weekly “Healthy Living” group to address chronic, preventable health problems among individuals who lacked nutrition education, exercise experience, and access to exercise opportunities. Group members and I shopped for healthy, low-cost groceries; set fitness-related goals; and toured local gyms. However, I saw the need to provide more comprehensive preventive health programs for people in supportive housing. A year later, I earned my certification as a personal trainer, so I could fuse fitness and mental health programs for individuals in supportive housing and similar settings. 

 

While I was attending NYU for my MSW, Lantern Community Services hired me to facilitate fitness programs at two of the agency’s sites. Lantern operates several supportive housing sites throughout New York City and has demonstrated its commitment to preventive wellness programs for community members.  

 

As a fitness consultant, I provide personal training for residents and lead exercise classes for clients and staff. I offer informal counseling and collaborate closely with the social service teams at each site to best serve clients. The individuals with whom I work have pursued exercise to support their substance use recovery goals, developed strong relationships with their neighbors, and achieved health goals, such as weight loss and stable blood pressure.

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