Hello --
Welcome to Issue #165 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 was saddened by the death of comedian Robin Williams yesterday. The likely cause was reported to be suicide by asphyxiation. Severe depression is very real, and no one is immune to it. Depression is also treatable. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts or feelings, help is available 24 hours a day at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at  800-273-TALK (8255).
We need more education and less stigma around the issues of depression and suicide. As one commentator pointed out last night, celebrities are often reported as having "gone into rehab," when in fact it may be that they are receiving mental health treatment. The implication, it seems, is that being "in rehab" for an addiction is less stigmatizing than being "in treatment" for one's mental health. Here's a brief article about stigma and mental illness from the Mayo Clinic. For more on suicide, see the American Association of Suicidology.
August marks several observances, including but not limited to: International Youth Day, World Humanitarian Day, National Breastfeeding Month, Child Support Awareness Month, Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, and others.
Coming in September: Healthy Aging Month, National Recovery Month, National Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month, Newborn Screening Awareness Month, World Alzheimer’s Month, National Suicide Prevention Week, World Suicide Prevention Day, and many others.
I attended the National Association of Social Workers national conference, “Social Work: Courage, Hope, and Leadership,” in Washington, DC, last month. I was excited to meet many of you—readers—at the conference. It is always great to make in-person face-to-face connections with so many people who I usually only “see” virtually. And it was good to meet up with long-standing colleagues and friends. The conference covered a wide variety of social work issues on the micro and macro levels. The keynote speakers were inspiring, and the breakout sessions were informative. Some of the topics of sessions I attended included: aging and relocation stress, media savvy for social workers, vulnerability, institutional racism, diversity, licensure exams, and military sexual trauma. There were many others. Read some of my conference reflections.
Last week, I was fortunate to make a professional connection of a different kind. Rosita Mazzi, a social worker from Italy, visited my city. We had the opportunity to exchange ideas about social work in our respective countries. I interviewed Rosita and will be posting the interview on THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER’s website soon!
As I announced in the last several editions of the Social Work E-News, we have introduced a new nonprofit management section on our website. These pages provide complimentary access to the full text of several nonprofit management and nonprofit ethics books. For example, you can read the full text of selected chapters from THE NONPROFIT HANDBOOK by Gary M. Grobman.
REMINDER! The Summer 2014 issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER is available now! Read articles from the Summer issue now at http://www.socialworker.com! Highlights of the Summer issue include teaching cultural competence, tips for new social work interns, tips for young social work supervisors, writing your social work resume and cover letters, a hostility reduction group, “impersonating” a social worker, social work connections through social media, review of the film Belle, 6 new book reviews, and more.
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!
Don't forget-- THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER is available in a print edition at http://newsocialworker.magcloud.com. You can also purchase all four issues from 2011, 2012, or 2013 in one perfect-bound volume. The prices of the annual volumes have recently been reduced. They are available at:
You can go to http://www.socialworker.com/Subscribe_to_The_New_Social_Worker 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. Subscribe to both to get the most advantage.
The Social Work E-News has 36,000+ 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 by using the "Share" button on the right side of this newsletter to share the newsletter with your friends and contacts. 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 one of our 77,000+ fans on Facebook, and more. If you have a social work-related Web site, please feel free to link to us ( www.socialworker.com) and let me know about your site, too, so I can check it out.
Until next time,
Linda Grobman, ACSW, LSW
Publisher/Editor
THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER®
Networking:
(Be sure to click the “like” button on Facebook or “follow” on Twitter.)
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LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT SOCIAL WORK GIFT?
LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT SOCIAL WORK GIFT? 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. Listen to a new episode of the Social Work Podcast that includes author Ogden Rogers reading from 6 of the 99 stories in the book. Now 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. For info, see http://www.beginningsmiddlesandends.com.
Check out all of our social work and nonprofit books, social work greeting cards, social work buttons, and more. All of our books and products are available through our secure online store at: http://shop.whitehatcommunications.com.
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**Get your textbooks!** Support The New Social Worker while you shop. Follow this link to Amazon.com for all your textbook and other supply needs.
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Social Worker/Assistant Social Worker
Lake View Adult Day Health Care
Lake View Terrace, California
We have position open for: Social Worker, Assistant Social Worker, and a Registered Nurse for an Adult Day Health Care Center. Monday-Friday, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
We are closed Saturday and Sunday.
Must be bilingual: Spanish/English.
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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. Our audience of professional social workers is active and engaged in the job search, receiving more than 511,000 e-mail job alerts last year and actively applying to open positions. Your jobs will gain additional exposure to our social networks on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Also, please note that SocialWorkJobBank.com is part of the Nonprofit Job Board Network. You can post your job to SocialWorkJobBank and get exposure on other network sites for a reasonable additional fee.
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 1,171 jobs currently posted on SocialWorkJobBank.com. Check it out today.
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What Every Social Worker Needs To Know About Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT)
Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from the Summer 2014 issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER. Read the full article at:
by Shelley Steenrod, Ph.D., LICSW
A social worker visits Mr. Henry, an older African American man who is attending a community-based day program for senior citizens. He is very insistent that the program social worker ask his doctor to refill a prescription for pain medication. The social worker is concerned that his medication-seeking behavior may indicate a substance abuse problem.
Yolanda, an 18-year-old Latina college freshman, is taken to a local hospital emergency room by ambulance. She is accompanied by her frightened roommate, who reports that Yolanda has passed out after consuming a “huge” amount of alcohol while playing a drinking game at a party.
Denise, a 33-year-old pregnant White woman meets with a social worker in an early intervention (EI) program to discuss her 3-year-old child who receives EI services. The Early Intervention Program social worker screens Denise for alcohol, tobacco, and drug use with the ASSIST. The screen reveals that Denise is abusing tobacco, alcohol, and methamphetamine.
The cases above illustrate how social workers are often on the front line when it comes to interacting with individuals with substance use disorders. Unfortunately, social workers often feel under-prepared or untrained to intervene in cases in which substance abuse is present. The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) have put forth a public health model to identify and provide treatment services to individuals with substance disorders. This approach, called SBIRT, is an acronym for Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment.
Why is the federal government interested in a screening program for substance disorders? Consider the following: One in every four deaths is the result of alcohol, illegal drugs, or tobacco use (National Institute of Drug Abuse, 2012). In addition, the economic cost of alcohol and illegal drug use in the United States is a whopping $426 billion per year (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2012; National Drug Intelligence Center, 2011). SBIRT is grounded in the belief that early identification of problematic alcohol or drug use can save lives and reduce costs related to health care and behavioral health care, crime and incarceration, and overall loss of productivity.
What is SBIRT?
Screening is the first step in the SBIRT process. Screening is a universal process, meaning that an entire population group is screened for an illness or disease. For example, in the field of medicine, all female patients are instructed to begin regular mammography screening at the age of 40, all pregnant women are screened for gestational diabetes with a glucose tolerance test, and men and women alike are routinely screened for high cholesterol through laboratory tests.
It’s important to note that screening is different from assessment. Screening is brief, time limited, and intended to simply identify clients with problem alcohol or drug use. In contrast, assessment is a deeper, more thorough process that may take several sessions. Assessment interviews are conducted by substance abuse specialists who consider multiple domains of a client’s alcohol or drug use, including risk for withdrawal, medical complications, emotional/behavioral complications, stage of change, relapse potential, recovery environment, legal complications, family system, and employment history.
In the SBIRT framework, screening for substance use is conducted on every client who is seen in a particular program or agency. Settings may include emergency rooms, trauma centers, psychiatric crisis units, health centers, doctors’ offices, child protection settings, and other medical or behavioral health environments.
Read the rest of this article at:
Articles from the Summer 2014 issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER include:
...and much more!
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Reflections From the 2014 NASW Conference
By Linda May Grobman
I attended the 2014 NASW national conference in Washington, DC, on July 23-26, 2014. The theme was “Social Work: Courage, Hope, and Leadership.” It was a time of learning and connecting with colleagues. I have posted some reflections on my experience at the conference on THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER’s website. Read them here:
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Book Club Selection Featured on Jonathan Singer’s Social Work Podcast
This book was recently featured on Jonathan Singer’s Social Work Podcast. Listen to it here. The podcast features the author, Ogden Rogers, reading from six of his stories on “the art & soul” of social work.
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National Breastfeeding Month
For National Breastfeeding Month, here are some resources on breastfeeding:
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Write for THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER
I am seeking articles for upcoming issues of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine and/or our website. I am especially interested in articles in the following categories:
- field placement
- practice specialties
- what every new social worker needs to know about…
- social work job search/career development
- social work news items
- other topics of interest to social work students, new graduates, and seasoned professionals. Some popular topic examples include those related to getting into graduate school, becoming licensed in social work, private practice issues, advocacy, and social worker burnout.
Our style is conversational and educational, and articles typically run 1,500-2,000 words for feature articles (considerably shorter for news items). We want positive articles that social workers can use to help them advance in their careers.
I also welcome submissions of poetry, photographs, illustrations, artwork, videos, audio, and other creative work depicting social work and related topics.
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Contribute Your Social Work Graduate School Tips!
I am looking for short tips for social work graduate school applicants. What helped you get into the school of your choice? How did you know which school was right for you? What is the one thing you wish you had known about the application process?
Please send your best tip to Linda Grobman. Include in the e-mail subject line: "Submission--Grad School Tip." Attach your tip as a Word file, and include your name, social work credentials (degree or student status), e-mail address/contact information, and a brief bio, in addition to your tip, within the content of the attachment. Tips should be no more than 300 words in length.
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Contribute Your Social Work Graduate School Question!
I am looking for questions applicants have about getting into social work graduate school. If you are currently applying to social work graduate school, or have recently applied, let us know your top question(s).
Please send your question(s) to Linda Grobman. Include in the e-mail subject line: "Submission--Grad School Question." Attach your question as a Word file, and include your name, social work credentials (degree, student status, or applicant status), e-mail address/contact information, and a brief bio, in addition to your question, within the content of the attachment. Submissions should be no more than 300 words in length.
If we are interested in publishing or using your tip or question, we will contact you with further information. Thank you!
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SUMMER 2014 ISSUE OF THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER IS NOW AVAILABLE!
The Summer 2014 issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER is available now! It 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 hundreds of articles from past issues of the magazine. The current issue is featured on the site’s main page. Articles in various categories, such as field placement, ethics, and technology, can be found by clicking on “Articles” in the top navigation of the site.
You can also purchase bound volumes for 2011, 2012, and 2013 at Amazon.com. Search for “The New Social Worker” (in quotes). Prices reduced!
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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!
Briefly, those currently in print are:
BEGINNINGS, MIDDLES, & ENDS: Sideways Stories on the Art & Soul of Social Work, by Ogden W. Rogers
DAYS IN THE LIVES OF SOCIAL WORKERS: 58 Professionals Tell Real-Life Stories From Social Work Practice (4th 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.
RIDING THE MUTUAL AID BUS AND OTHER ADVENTURES IN GROUP WORK: A “DAYS IN THE LIVES OF SOCIAL WORKERS” COLLECTION, edited by Linda May Grobman and Jennifer Clements
IS IT ETHICAL? 101 SCENARIOS IN EVERYDAY SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE: A DISCUSSION WORKBOOK, by Thomas Horn
THE FIELD PLACEMENT SURVIVAL GUIDE: What You Need to Know to Get the Most From Your Social Work Practicum, 2nd Edition, edited by Linda May Grobman
THE SOCIAL WORK GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICANT’S HANDBOOK: The Complete Guide to Selecting and Applying to MSW Programs, by Jesus Reyes
We also publish books on nonprofit management. Want to start your own agency? Check out the following:
THE NONPROFIT HANDBOOK: Everything You Need to Know to Start and Run Your Nonprofit Organization (6th Edition), by Gary M. Grobman
IMPROVING QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE IN YOUR NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION, by Gary M. Grobman.
HOW TO ORDER
All of our books are available through our secure online store at:
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IN THIS ISSUE
Words from Our Sponsors
Job Corner/Current Job Openings
Featured Excerpt
Features
News & Resources
On Our Web Site
In Print
Newsletter Necessities
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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
Advertising: To place a job listing, sponsor this newsletter, place a banner ad on our Web site, or advertise in THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine, 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 2014 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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