Social Work E-News
  Issue #114, May 11, 2010
REMINDER: Download The New Social Worker magazine FREE at our Web site.
Visit our blog at http://blog.socialworker.com.
Social Work Chat tonight, May 11: http://www.socialworkchat.org.
Editor's Eye
Dear Social Work Colleagues,
 
Hello! Welcome to Issue #114 of the Social Work E-News! Thank you for subscribing to receive this e-mail newsletter, which is brought to you by the publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine, SocialWorker.com, SocialWorkJobBank.com, and other social work publications.
 
I would like to send out a huge CONGRATULATIONS to all new social work grads!  Welcome to the profession, and best wishes in your job search or new job.  This is an exciting time for you as you complete one phase as student and enter a new one as a professional social worker.
 
Do you use an iPhone or other handheld device?  THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER now has a mobile Web site.  If you go to http://www.socialworker.com on your mobile device, you will be directed automatically to our new mobile site, where you can read our blog, Tweets, and latest job postings.
 
In May, we are observing National Mental Health Month, Older Americans Month (http://olderamericansmonth.org/), National Arthritis Awareness Month, National Foster Care Month, Stroke Awareness Month, and Women’s Health Week (this week), among others.
 
In honor of Older Americans Month, we are offering a 15% discount on the book, DAYS IN THE LIVES OF GERONTOLOGICAL SOCIAL WORKERS, which I co-edited with Dara Bergel Bourassa. This book contains 44 first person stories of social workers who work with and on behalf of older adults.  Use coupon code GER15 when you place your order for this book at http://shop.whitehatcommunications.com. (Coupon valid through the end of May 2010.)
 
Coming in June: Men’s Health Month, Gay and Lesbian Pride Month, National Cancer Survivors Day, National HIV Testing Day, and more.
 
The Spring 2010 issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER is now available in PDF format. You can download this issue (and others) of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine in PDF format FREE at http://www.socialworker.com/home/component/remository/Download/TheNewSocialWorkerMagazine/
 
Individual articles from this issue are also available on our Web site in Web format.  Just go to http://www.socialworker.com and start reading!
 
You can also go to http://www.socialworker.com/home/menu/Subscribe/ and subscribe (free) to receive an e-mail 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!
 
The Social Work E-News has 27,500+ subscribers, and thousands of social workers (and people interested in social work) visit our Web sites. If you like our Web sites, The New Social Worker, and the Social Work E-News, please help us spread the word! Tell your friends, students, or colleagues to visit us at http://www.socialworker.com, where they can download a free PDF copy of the magazine, become our fan on Facebook, participate in discussions, and lots more.
 
Until next time,
Linda Grobman, ACSW, LSW
Publisher/Editor
THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER®
 
Networking:
Words From Our Sponsors
NEED BOOKS OR GIFTS? The publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER has some great books that make great gifts for yourself or someone else. Give the gift of Days in the Lives of Social Workers, The Social Work Graduate School Applicant’s Handbook, or our other social work and nonprofit management titles.  Our books are available in our online store.
 
And now for something really different…social work notecards!  The front of the card says: “Social Work! An Awesome Profession.”  The inside of the card is blank, so you can write your own note.  Congratulate a new grad, thank a field instructor, send a gift to your favorite social worker.  Available in packages of 10 cards (including envelopes) for $10.
 
All of our books and products are available through our secure online store at:
 
You can even put items on your wish list for a special occasion!
 
You can also download our catalog in PDF format at:
 
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**Get your textbooks!**  Support The New Social Worker while you shop.  Visit our Amazon-powered store for all your textbook needs.  http://shop.socialworker.com
Job Corner
U.S. Probation Officer--Jacksonville, Florida   If you share our mission--the belief that people can change--consider a career as a United States Probation Officer.  U.S. Probation in the Middle District of Florida offers a unique opportunity for those with case management, treatment, and counseling experience. As a U.S. Probation Officer, you will supervise offenders, conduct investigations, provide counseling, correctional treatment, and maintain detailed written record of case activity. Bachelor’s degree, Master’s preferred, and two years of case management experience.  Excellent oral and written communication skills.  Excellent salary, federal retirement benefits, and annual and sick leave accruals.  Fax resume to (813) 301-5727 or e-mail to hr_mail@flmp.uscourts.gov.   
 
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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 center. Post your confidential résumé at http://jobs.socialworkjobbank.com/c/resumes/resumes.cfm?site_id=122
 
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 at http://jobs.socialworkjobbank.com/r/jobs/post/index.cfm?site_id=122 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 1,069 jobs currently posted on SocialWorkJobBank.com. Check it out today.
Features
Article Excerpt:  Building a Practice While Raising a Family
by Melissa Groman, LCSW
 
Editor’s Note: We celebrated Mother’s Day earlier this week. The following is an excerpt from an article from the Spring 2010 issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER and addresses issues of special concern to social worker mothers/parents. Read the full article at:
 
I have five kids and I did it. It was not always easy, but whenever social workers or therapists who are moms, or who want to be moms, ask me how I built a full-time private practice with small children at home, I am quick to say that it really is possible. All you need is a little bit of faith, a spoonful of determination, and some good guidance.
 
Because starting and maintaining a practice means that you have to tend to all the details of owning a business, from marketing and bringing in clients to budgeting on an unpredictable paycheck, to doing the actual work of therapy, many would-be moms put their dream on hold. After all, how do you do all this while having and nursing babies, cooking dinners, driving carpools, and doing homework and bedtime? Building a practice while raising a family can seem daunting at best and impossible at worst.

Working mothers are historically torn between their desire to stay home with their babies, their wish to be home for grade-schoolers at the end of the school day, and the pull to pursue their career and the need to earn money. Having a practice of one’s own, for those who dream of it, is more than a good job, more than a career move, or the fulfillment of years of schooling. A private practice is an arena for creativity, productivity, and a real room of your own.

Social worker moms often think that going out on their own is significantly more demanding than working for someone else. Or that there is only one model to work from. They reason that they are best off putting off the idea of a private practice until the kids are bigger, or the pregnancies are past. It doesn’t occur to many would-be therapists that there is a lot of room for new ideas about how to create their own business while raising a family—that there are lots of fun, prudent, exciting ways to proceed that can work well for both family and career. Whereas it’s true that having your own business can seem more overwhelming than working for someone else, there are many ways and reasons to succeed.

Amidst a struggling economy, the normalcy of two-income families and the pursuit of a good family life, private practice can meet moms at the intersection of personal and professional growth and satisfaction; fulfillment of our creed as social workers, advocates, and care givers; and financial prosperity. Social workers are creating inventive, interesting niches for themselves more and more through self employment, independent contracting, Web-based work, teaching, consulting, and writing, as well as the traditional “in-office” practice. The classic idea of private practice is broadening to include elder care and other kinds of on-site consulting; home visits; workshop presentations; online, video, and phone work; and more! We are thinking outside the office and loving it! For moms, alternative private practice venues can be an invigorating way to start off and work with flexibility and synchronicity, in concert with our mothering.

Today, there is no shortage of practice building coaches, “How To” books, and online advice. The wheel has been invented on how to start and build a successful private practice. Still, moms sometimes hesitate because of the mental energy we know it takes to run two entities—the House and the Practice. We know that we have to set things up so that everyone, from our kids to our spouses to ourselves to our clients, gets and stays nourished. For this, to me, there is no substitute for good clinical supervision, mentorship, and support from a trusted supervisor, consultant, or therapist. Or all three!

I often found it difficult in the early years of my practice to write out the checks to my “team” of clinical and business consultants, but it was, and still is, money well spent. I believe that in the short and long run, the better care I take of myself, the more my practice thrives, and the more my family thrives. The investment of time and money into my own therapy and supervision, giving me a place to talk and reflect, to plan and consult, a place to work through worries, doubts, and insecurities (and celebrate successes!), has yielded me more money, resiliency, and creativity, as well as a solid and satisfying professional life.

Read the rest of this article at:
 
Additional articles from the Spring 2010 issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER include:
 
 
…and more!
 
 
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Number of Children in Foster Care Decreases, Needs Still Go Unmet
 
May is National Foster Care Month, a time designated by the National Foster Care Month Partnership to shine a public light on the plight of children and youth in foster care. This year, despite a marked decrease in the total number of children in foster care – from more than a half million in 2007 to 463,000 at the end of 2008 – serious issues remain, especially for older youth in care.  The Foster Care Month Partnership, comprised of nearly 20 child welfare organizations around the country, calls on all Americans to help make a difference in the life of at least one young person in foster care.
 
A recently released study by Chapin Hall revealed that youth who reach the age of majority--age 18 in most states--and exit the system, experience futures full of hardship.  More than one in five will become homeless after age 18, just 58 percent will graduate high school by age 19 (compared to 87 percent nationally), fewer than 3 percent will earn a college degree by age 25 (compared to 28 percent nationally) and one in four will be incarcerated within two years of leaving the system.
 
Over the last decade, the number of young people who “age out” of foster care has risen steadily – from 19,000 in 1999 to an all-time high of nearly 30,000 in 2008. On their own, without the safety net of a family or the education they need to compete in the workplace, these young adults must navigate a weakened economy offering fewer jobs and less support for vital services such as housing. 
 
New federal legislation addresses some of the needs of this population. The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act, signed into law in October 2008, includes a state option to continue providing Title IV-E reimbursable foster care, adoption, or guardianship assistance payments to children after the age of 18; it also extends eligibility for Independent Living services to older youth, with certain requirements.
 
Everyday citizens can help to change a lifetime for a child or youth in foster care by becoming foster or adoptive parents; serving as relative caregivers, mentors, advocates, or volunteers; helping to educate federal and state public policy leaders on the issues facing children and families; urging state legislators to implement all aspects of the Fostering Connections Act; and encouraging employers/employees to volunteer their time as professional coaches and role models for foster youth or young families with children in foster care.
 
The National Foster Care Month Partnership consists of the following national organizations:
 
American Public Human Services Association/National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators; Annie E. Casey Foundation/Casey Family Services; Black Administrators in Child Welfare; Casey Family Programs; Children’s Rights; Child Welfare League of America; Foster Care Alumni of America; FosterClub; Foster Family-Based Treatment Association; Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative; National Association of Social Workers; National Association of State Foster Care Managers; National CASA; National Foster Care Coalition; National Foster Parent Association; Orphan Foundation of America; Voices for America’s Children
 
Visit www.fostercaremonth.org to find out more about the many ways to get involved and make a lasting difference for America’s children.
 
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The Importance of Mental Health Starting at Birth

To highlight the importance of promoting children’s mental health from birth, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and more than 80 public and private collaborating organizations and federal programs and agencies – including new supporters, such as the Office of Head Start at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Endowment for the Arts, and the American Legion Auxiliary – joined in a nationwide celebration of National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day (May 6).  National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day put the spotlight on the importance of promoting positive social and emotional development in children and the need for early identification of mental health challenges. 
 
Nationwide, more than 1,000 community-based mental health service and support providers, community programs, schools, and collaborating organization affiliates also celebrated this annual observance, marking the day with community events, youth rallies, social media campaigns, and art activities with children to raise awareness about the importance of children’s mental health. SAMHSA supports this program as part of its strategic initiative to promote public awareness and support of mental and substance use disorder prevention and treatment, as well as part of its activities in support of Mental Health Month.   
 
The Awareness Day Early Childhood Forum, held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, featured presentations by SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, J.D., and Dr. Joan Lombardi from the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The event included two discussion panels with celebrity parent Sherri Shepherd from ABC’s “The View,” as well as renowned family, child development, and early childhood mental health experts, who discussed why positive social and emotional development in children as early as birth is essential to their overall healthy development.
 
Pediatrician and author Dr. T. Berry Brazelton received the SAMHSA Special Recognition Award at the Awareness Day Early Childhood Forum for his pioneering work in pediatric and early childhood development over the past six decades. A leading force behind the pediatric health care revolution, his ground-breaking Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) is now used worldwide to recognize the physical and neurological responses of newborns, as well as emotional well-being and individual differences. His legacy continues to transform our understanding of child development.
           
For more information about Awareness Day and to view the list of collaborating organizations, visit http://www.samhsa.gov/children.
News & Resources
SocialWorkChat.org–A Service of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER and NASW
 
Connect with other social workers online! THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine and the National Association of Social Workers have teamed up with the Social Work Forum to bring you SocialWorkChat.org, an online community of social workers offering twice-weekly online real-time chats on a variety of topics. The chats are held on Sunday and Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. Eastern Time. Susan Mankita is the manager of SocialWorkChat.org.
 
Registration is free! Chats are at 9 p.m. Eastern Time and will last about an hour. Check regularly for chat topics or sign up for e-mail reminders.
 
Go to http://www.socialworkchat.org to register and participate in the chats and other features of the site.
 
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Ph.D. Culture Project
 
Are you, or someone you know, working on or thinking about getting a Ph.D. in the social sciences (or already have one)? Gary Grobman wants to change the culture of Ph.D. programs, through humor, to make them more humane.  Visit http://www.phdculture.com and http://www.facebook.com/phdculture to read more, find out about his new book, view a weekly original Ph.D.-related cartoon, and share your input on this issue.
 
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15% Discount Available on Continuing Education
 
YOU DESERVE CREDIT! Now you can get it. Keep up with your profession (and get credit for it) with THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER.
 
THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER has partnered with CEU4U (http://www.ceu4u.com/tnsw) to provide online testing, so you can receive continuing education credit for reading your favorite magazine. Take THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER courses or ANY courses at http://www.ceu4u.com/tnsw and automatically receive a 15% discount.
 
Continuing education credit is available for the Winter 2006-Fall 2008 issues of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER (2 hours/credit per issue).
 
All of these issues can be downloaded free of charge in PDF format at: http://www.socialworker.com/home/component/remository/Download/TheNewSocialWorkerMagazine/
 

 
Go to http://www.socialworker.com/home/menu/Continuing_Education_Program/ for complete details on THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER’s Continuing Education Program.
 
 
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JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK VALUES & ETHICS CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAM
 
The Journal of Social Work Values & Ethics, a free, online, peer-reviewed journal published by the publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER, now offers continuing education credit. Beginning with the Spring 2007 issue of the journal, you are able to read selected articles and then take an online exam and receive continuing education credit. See http://www.socialworker.com/jswve/content/view/57/52/ for complete details of this program.
 
CE credits for the Journal of Social Work Values & Ethics are offered in cooperation with CE-Credit.com. To see a complete listing of the 600+ courses that CE-Credit.com offers, go to: http://www.socialworker.com/cecredit.html
On Our Web Site
Spring 2010 ISSUE OF THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER IS NOW AVAILABLE!
 
The Spring 2010 issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER is available now.  The Spring 2010 issue is available to download in PDF format at:
 
THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER’s Web site at http://www.socialworker.com includes the full text of many articles from past issues of the magazine. The current issue is featured on the site’s main page. Past issues can be found under “Magazine Issues” on the top right column of the page. For selected full-text articles from issues prior to Spring 2006, click on “Feature Articles Archive” on the left side of the page. The magazine is also available for FREE download in PDF format.
 
Individual articles from the Spring 2010 issue now online include:
 
 
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 the “Forum” link).
 
Be sure to check out http://www.ceu4u.com/tnsw for online continuing education offerings, including courses based on reading THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine. Receive a 15% discount on all courses you take at: http://www.ceu4u.com/tnsw
 
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JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK VALUES AND ETHICS SPRING ISSUE AVAILABLE!
 
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 (with occasional special issues), in full text, online at: http://www.socialworker.com/jswve
 
The Spring 2010 edition is available online now at:
 
This is a special edition on social work research ethics.  It is also the first edition in a new PDF format.
 
Go to the journal Web site at http://www.socialworker.com/jswve to read this and other available issues. You can also sign up for a free subscription, and you will be notified by e-mail when each issue is available online.
 
Get continuing education credit for reading selected articles from the Journal of Social Work Values & Ethics. See http://www.socialworker.com/jswve/content/view/57/52/ for details.
 
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 or other occasions) for yourself, or for your friends, students, and colleagues in social work!
 
Briefly, those currently in print are:
 
DAYS IN THE LIVES OF SOCIAL WORKERS: 54 Professionals Tell Real-Life Stories From Social Work Practice (3rd Edition), edited by Linda May Grobman
 
MORE DAYS IN THE LIVES OF SOCIAL WORKERS:35 Real-Life Stories of Advocacy, Outreach, and Other Intriguing Roles in Social Work Practice, edited by Linda May Grobman
 
DAYS IN THE LIVES OF GERONTOLOGICAL SOCIAL WORKERS: 44 Professionals Tell Stories From Real-Life Social Work Practice With Older Adults, edited by Linda May Grobman and Dara Bergel Bourassa.
 
THE SOCIAL WORK GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICANT’S HANDBOOK: The Complete Guide to Selecting and Applying to MSW Programs (2nd Edition), by Jesus Reyes
 
THE FIELD PLACEMENT SURVIVAL GUIDE: What You Need to Know to Get the Most From Your Social Work Practicum, edited by Linda May Grobman
 
We also publish books on nonprofit management. Want to start your own agency? Check out THE NONPROFIT HANDBOOK: Everything You Need to Know to Start and Run Your Nonprofit Organization (5th Edition), by Gary M. Grobman.
 
HOW TO ORDER
All of our books are available through our new secure online store at:
 
You can also download our catalog in PDF format at:
VISIT OUR SITE

www.socialworker.com


IN THIS ISSUE
Words from Our Sponsors
Job Corner/Current Job Openings
Features
News & Resources
On Our Web Site
In Print
Newsletter Necessities
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
 
 
Advertising: To place a job listing, sponsor this newsletter, or place a banner ad on our Web site, e-mail linda.grobman@paonline.com for rates and further information.
 
News: Please send brief social work-related news items to linda.grobman@paonline.com for consideration.
 
 
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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.
 
 
Copyright 2010 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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White Hat Communications, P.O. Box 5390, Harrisburg, PA 17110-0390 http://www.whitehatcommunications.com
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