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THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER® Social Work E-News
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Issue #48, November 16, 2004


EDITOR'S EYE

Dear Social Work Colleagues,

Welcome to Issue #48 of the Social Work E-News. This e-mail newsletter is brought to you by the publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine and other social work publications.

I recently attended the BPD (Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors) conference in Detroit. I heard the presidents of all the major U.S. social work organizations in a presentation about marketing social work and the BSW, in particular, and about NASW's Public Education Campaign. At the conference banquet, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow was presented the 2004 NASW Public Elected Official award. She is a social worker from Michigan, and it was exciting to hear her speak. I saw colleagues, students, and readers of this newsletter. I had a chance to meet the BPD Policy Fellow from 2004, Julie Ferris. (See information in this issue about the 2005 policy fellowship.) I always find it inspiring and stimulating to be among such a wonderful group of colleagues. It was great to see many of you there! And welcome, to the new subscribers who signed up at the conference to receive this e-newsletter.

November is National Adoption Month, National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, National Family Caregivers Month, American Diabetes Month, and National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month (see http://www.ihs.gov/PublicAffairs/Heritage/index.cfm), among others. The Great American Smokeout takes place this week, as does National Adoption Day. I have included news/items about some of these events and issues in this newsletter.

When we redesigned our Web site a few months ago, we added a "Tell Us About It" poll. Our current poll asks the site's visitors about their social work salaries-are they good, bad, or "just right"? Go to http://www.socialworker.com to see what our visitors have said so far, and to add your response to this important question.

Our online job board at http://www.socialworkjobbank.com has a number of new BSW and MSW positions listed this month. Please look at the Job Corner section of this newsletter and go to the site itself to see a complete listing of jobs that have been submitted. If you are seeking a social work job or seeking social workers for your agency, don't forget to visit SocialWorkJobBank.

I wish you a happy Thanksgiving (next week!) and look forward to our next correspondence.


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
Words From Our Sponsors
Features
News
On Our Web Site
In Print
Social Work Gifts for the Holidays
Job Corner/Current Job Openings
Newsletter Necessities


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A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR

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A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR


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FEATURES


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Support Groups Aid Women With "Breast Cancer Gene Mutations"

A new study has found that support groups can relieve the anxiety and depression associated with carrying BRCA1 or 2 gene mutations, the so-called "breast cancer genes." The results of the first study to investigate a support-group model intervention for women at high risk of breast cancer is being published this month in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

Women who carry BRCA1 and 2 gene mutations have up to a 90 percent lifetime risk of breast or ovarian cancers. As a result, they must address difficult issues that can lead to depression and anxiety, including the perception of personal vulnerability to cancer, and communicating the inheritable vulnerability and its risks to their families. They must assimilate much information swiftly to make significant life-altering decisions, such as whether or not to have surgery or chemotherapy in hopes of preventing the disease. Previous needs assessments have demonstrated that women affected by the genetic mutations are seeking support networks and therapy when no validated model currently exists.

In the first prospective study to evaluate the effects of a psychosocial intervention for women carrying BRCA1 or 2 mutations, Mary Jane Esplen, Ph.D., of the University Health Network and the University of Toronto, and her colleagues followed 70 women who participated in 12 group sessions of "supportive-expressive group therapy."

The researchers say 67 women completed all 12 sessions. Those who participated in psychosocial-focused group therapy showed improvements in several psychosocial factors, including general anxiety, cancer anxiety, and depression. The group therapy appears to have helped the women decide whether or not to pursue surgery by giving them an opportunity to fully examine their feelings and perspectives about treatment choices.

"Our group intervention was associated with improvements in the psychosocial variables of intrusion and depression," conclude the authors. "The groups appeared to be an ideal forum for exploring key issues, such as the notification of test results to family, guilt around transmission of a mutation, and decision-making around risk-reducing options."

The full article is: "A Multicenter Study of Supportive-Expressive Group Therapy for Women with BRCA1/BRCA2 Mutations," Mary Jane Esplen, Jon Hunter, Molyn Leszcz, Ellen Warner, Steven Narod, Kelly Metcalfe, Gord Glendon, Kate Butler, Alexander Liede, Mary Anne Young, Stephanie Kieffer, Lisa DiProspero, Ellen Irwin, & Jiahui Wong, CANCER; Print Issue Date: November 15, 2004.

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Great American Smokeout

The American Cancer Society (ACS) holds the Great American Smokeout® each November to help smokers quit smoking cigarettes for at least one day, in hopes they will quit forever. This year's event will be held on November 18, 2004.

For information, see http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/ped_10_4.asp


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NOVEMBER IS NATIONAL ADOPTION MONTH

In preparation for National Adoption Month in November, the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse and the Collaboration to AdoptUSKids (both services of the Children's Bureau) launched the 2004 National Adoption Month Web site (http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/general/adoptmonth/index.cfm).

Highlights of the 2004 National Adoption Month website include:

• Calendar with suggested activities (http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/general/adoptmonth/activities_calendar.cfm).

• National Adoption Day, (Saturday, November 20, 2004), a day when hundreds of children around the U.S. will have their adoptions finalized in local courts and jurisdictions (http://www.nationaladoptionday.org/2004/). The National Adoption Day Web site features a page called "Debunking the Myths: The Facts About Foster Care Adoption." (See http://www.nationaladoptionday.org/2004/adoptInfo/myths_facts.asp )

• Resources for Professionals on Recruiting and Retaining Foster and Adoptive Parents (http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/general/adoptmonth/resources_profess.cfm)

• Resources for Parents and Teachers (http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/general/adoptmonth/resources_parents.cfm)

This year's theme for National Adoption Month, "Answering the Call--You don't have to be perfect to be a perfect parent," builds on the Collaboration to AdoptUSKids' national recruitment campaign "Answering the Call," as well as a public service campaign launched early this summer by the Ad Council encouraging families to step forward to be adoptive parents (http://www.adcouncil.org/campaigns/adoption/).

For additional information on adoption issues, visit the newly redesigned National Adoption Information Clearinghouse Web site at http://naic.acf.hhs.gov

For more information on adoption and National Adoption Month, see the National Council for Adoption site at http://www.ncfa-usa.org and its "Correct Adoption Terminology" page at http://www.ncfa-usa.org/pub_CorrectAdoptionTerm.htm


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MORE RESOURCES FOR SOCIAL WORKERS

By Linda May Grobman, ACSW, LSW

In the last Social Work E-News, I included a list of some organizations of interest to social workers, from my book, DAYS IN THE LIVES OF SOCIAL WORKERS. The third edition of that book has since gone to press and will be available shortly!

As promised in the last E-News, below are some additional organizations that you might find of interest.

Alzheimer Society of Canada
20 Eglinton Avenue W., Suite 1200
Toronto, ON M4R 1K8
416-488-8772
http://www.alzheimer.ca

Alzheimer's Association
225 N. Michigan Avenue, Floor 17
Chicago, IL 60601
800-272-3900
http://www.alz.org

American Network of Home Health Care Social Workers
1187 Wilmette Avenue, #139
Wilmette, IL 60091
847-853-9204
http://www.
homehealthsocialwork.org

Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups (AASWG)-An International Professional Organization
Raymie Wayne, General Secretary
30 N. Canton Road
West Simsbury, CT 06092
866-90-AASWG
860-651-7089
http://www.aaswg.org

Child Welfare League of America
440 First Street, NW, 3rd Floor
Washington, DC 20001-2085
202-638-2952
http://www.cwla.org

National Organization of Forensic Social Work
5784 E. Silo Ridge Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
734-913-4616
http://www.nofsw.org

The Eastern Branch of the Ontario Assocation of Social Workers, while not listed in the book, offers a wealth of information on its Web site at http://www.eastoasw.org, which was brought to my attention by a Social Work E-News reader. The main site of the Ontario Association of Social Workers is at http://www.oasw.org.

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Caregiver Involvement Improves Quality of Care and Life for People with Alzheimer's Disease

Family involvement and individualized care by professional caregivers results in better care and quality of life for people with Alzheimer's disease, according to studies presented at the Alzheimer's Association's 12th National Alzheimer's Disease Education Conference and the 9th International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders in Philadelphia earlier this year.

"Family and professional caregivers are the backbone of the long-term care system and new data show people with Alzheimer's benefit when their caregivers collaborate to provide dementia-sensitive care and also take care of themselves," said Sheldon Goldberg, president and CEO of the Alzheimer's Association.

Today, 70 percent of the 4.5 million Americans with Alzheimer's disease live at home, where family and friends provide most of their care. In nursing homes, nearly 60 percent of residents have Alzheimer's and at least half of residents over age 65 in assisted living facilities have Alzheimer's or other cognitive impairment. In these facilities, more than one million nursing assistants provide as much as 90 percent of hands-on care for residents with Alzheimer's.

"These data have widespread implications for long-term care policy and practice," said Goldberg. "We are working with leaders in long-term care, academia, and government to establish guidelines for quality dementia care and help consumers make informed decisions on care for a family member."

Family involvement an overlooked resource

Families involved in providing care for people with dementia in residential care settings are an important and largely overlooked resource for the long-term care system, according to data presented by Cynthia Port, PhD, at the University of Maryland, Baltimore Department of Epidemiology and Prevention.

"The more families are involved in caring for people with dementia in residential care settings, the greater the likelihood of improved individual care and resident well-being," Port said.

"Family caregivers can notice changes in the person's condition and alert staff," she said. "They also can help in personalizing residents by sharing information about their youth, jobs, and hobbies, so they are more than just patients in beds. My research shows that when a family caregiver visits frequently and is well-known to staff, the resident is eight times less likely to have undiagnosed and untreated medical conditions compared to residents with little or no family involvement."

Care for the Caregiver: Counseling and Support

More than 80 percent of family caregivers report frequent, high levels of stress resulting from behavioral, physical, and emotional changes as the disease progresses. The results of a 17-year study of Alzheimer caregiver-spouses suggest that individualized psychosocial interventions available over the course of the disease, such as formalized counseling and support services, have beneficial, long-lasting effects for caregivers, even after the spouse dies or enters a care facility.

"Overall, family caregivers who were less stressed and less depressed also provided longer and better care," said Mary Mittelman, DrPH, of the Silberstein Institute for Aging and Dementia at the New York University Alzheimer's Disease Center. "The intervention tested at NYU significantly reduced caregiver reactions to behaviors exhibited by people with Alzheimer's for at least four years and helped cut the long-term risk of caregiver depression for more than three years."

The intervention included two individual counseling sessions for the caregiver and four family counseling sessions, participation in support groups affiliated with the Alzheimer's Association, and telephone counseling.

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MORE RESOURCES ON FAMILY CAREGIVING

The United Hospital Fund of New York offers extensive information on family caregiving on its Web site at http://www.uhfnyc.org

UHF offers several downloadable publications for professionals and family caregivers, as well as information about publications that can be ordered, such as the newly-published, Family Caregivers on the Job: Moving Beyond ADLs and IADLs. Edited by Carol Levine, the book captures a year of debate among experts convened from around the U.S. to analyze the limitations of Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs).

Another useful resource for family caregiver information is the Web site of the National Family Caregivers Association at http://www.nfcacares.org

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NEWS

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BPD Summer 2005 Policy Fellow Award

BPD invites BSW students who are currently enrolled or who have completed a policy course(s) to apply for the Summer 2005 Policy Fellow Award sponsored by the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors (BPD) in collaboration with the Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research (IASWR).

This BSW Policy Fellow experience will provide the opportunity for an undergraduate social work student to spend the summer of 2005 in Washington, D.C. to gain experience in the areas of political advocacy, lobbying, and participating in policy change efforts at the national level.

The selected Fellow is expected to spend 8 to 10 weeks in Washington, D.C. under the capable supervision of the Executive Director of IASWR. It is anticipated that the Fellow will have office space at NASW Headquarters in downtown Washington, D.C.

The stipend amount awarded is $5,000, which can be used any way the Fellow deems necessary to assist in covering expenses. The Fellow is responsible for arranging his or her own housing.

Students applying should have an interest in addressing social work issues through policy change at the national level and have an understanding of the policy changing process. The student must be willing to perform administrative and research activities. Basic computer skills are expected, including the ability to do research on the Internet.

The applicant must submit a resume, a current transcript (unofficial), two letters of reference (only one from a social work faculty member), which specifically address the applicants' ability to work as an advocate on legislative policy.

In addition, the applicant must submit a statement of approximately 1,000 words that addresses the following questions:

a) Based on your area of interest and knowledge of the policy making process, how would you envision using your social work knowledge of policy to contribute to the passing of social work legislative issues? (e.g. the National Center for Social Work Research Act & see www.cswe.org)
b) What are some of your professional goals that would compliment this policy fellow experience?
c) What experiences do you feel you have had that prepared you for this opportunity?

The recipient of the Fellow Award must also commit to attend the 2005 BPD conference in Austin, Texas to present his or her Washington experience. (BPD will pay for air travel and one night's lodging for the student selected.) The recipient will also be required to write an article on the experience for publication.

Deadline for receipt of the application material is February 18, 2005. Please send four (4) copies of the resume, letters of reference, transcript, and statement of interest to:

Dr. Jack Sellers, Chair
BPD Policy Fellow Committee
Box 5029
University of North Alabama
Florence, AL 35632-0001

The Chair of the Selection Committee will e-mail or call each applicant within seven days after receiving the application to confirm that the application was received. If the applicant has not received a receipt confirmation within seven days, please notify Dr. Sellers by e-mailing him at jrsellers@una.edu, or calling him at 256-765-4391.

The winner of the 2005 Summer Policy Fellow Award will be announced by April 1, 2005.


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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 newly-designed 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.

When we redesigned our site a few months ago, we added a poll feature. Our current poll asks the site's visitors about their social work salaries. Are they good, bad, or "just right." Go to http://www.socialworker.com to register your vote in the poll and to see how it compares to others!

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. Recent discussions have focused on social worker safety, the effect of one's personal values on the social work role, and more.


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IN PRINT

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FALL ISSUE AVAILABLE NOW!

The Fall issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine is now available. Here are some highlights of this issue:

Ethics: Human Rights and Social Work
Field Placement: The Role of Field Instruction in Social Work Education
I'm Straight--Does That Matter?
Research: To Once and Future Research Students (this article available online now)
Working with Transgender Individuals: Guidelines for Beginning Practitioners and Students
To Lead or to Serve: Using Theory to Do Both
Career Talk: So You Have a Job: Now What?
…and more!

See our Web site for excerpts from this issue.

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COMING SOON!

New editions of two of our most popular books are being printed now. One is the third edition of DAYS IN THE LIVES OF SOCIAL WORKERS. Watch our Web site and the Social Work E-News for availability of the new edition, which includes new chapters on health care social work, international social work, social work in a summer camp, and social work with Holocaust Survivors. The new edition also has an updated disaster mental health chapter, as well as newly-added questions for discussion or thought at the end of each chapter.

The other book that has recently gone to press is the fourth edition of THE NONPROFIT HANDBOOK: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO START AND RUN YOUR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, by Gary Grobman. If you are thinking of starting a new nonprofit, or if you are a nonprofit board or staff member, you will find this book to be chock full of information to help you run your organization. Go to our online store at http://www.whitehatcommunications.com/store and look for THE NONPROFIT HANDBOOK. Specify on your order that you want to receive the 4th edition. This book will be available next week!


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SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER MAGAZINE

THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER 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.

Subscriptions to THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER are also available through Amazon.com. Go to Amazon's magazine subscription store (from Amazon's main page at http://www.amazon.com ) and search for "new social worker."

Visit http://www.lulu.com and find instant downloads of selected back issues of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine. Buy a single issue or a whole collection.


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SOCIAL WORK GIFTS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

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Do you need a unique holiday or graduation gift for someone who is interested in social work, a colleague, or a student? Here are some ideas:

• Subscription to THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine--$15 for 1 year (to U.S. address)
• Books-DAYS IN THE LIVES OF SOCIAL WORKERS offers an overview of "typical" days in a wide variety of social work settings! THE SOCIAL WORK GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICANT'S HANDBOOK is a great gift for anyone who is thinking about social work graduate school.
• "I Am a Social Worker" Buttons-Red buttons with yellow lettering. Stock up on them and give them to your fellow classmates, colleagues, interns, or new graduates.

These items and more are available at our online store at http://www.whitehatcommunications.com/store

We also have specialty items (social work mugs, teddy bears, and more) at http://www.cafepress.com/socialworker -- you won't find these ANYWHERE else!


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JOB CORNER

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CURRENT JOB OPENINGS:


SOCIAL WORKERS

Harris Methodist Springwood Hospital, a member of Texas Health Resources, is a psychiatric hospital on the campus of Harris Methodist HEB Hospital. We are now recruiting dynamic behavioral health professionals to be part of our Mobile Assessment Screening and Referral Team. As part of this multidisciplinary team you will have the opportunity to perform behavioral health assessments at various Tarrant County, Texas Health Resource owned hospital emergency rooms, responding within an hour.

To be considered for this position you must be a RN, LMSW, LCSW, LPC or Clinical Psychologist. Candidates must have experience with behavioral health assessments and must be competent with DSM criteria. Psychiatric and substance abuse knowledge is required. The preferred candidates will have hospital-based experience, knowledge of community resources, levels of care, diagnosis, and must be able to communicate and collaborate effectively with the multidisciplinary team members. These positions will be PRN. To apply, please e-mail your resume to recruiter@texashealth.org and reference The New Social Worker in the subject line. You may also apply online at http://www.JobsTHR.com. For more information call 800-749-6877. Texas Health Resources is an equal opportunity employer that values and celebrates diversity at all levels of our organization.

Family Therapist, The Family Center, Somerville, MA-
http://jobs.socialworkjobbank.com/c/job.cfm?site_id=122&jb=618807 Click on this link (or copy and paste it into your browser, if it does not show up as a link in your e-mail) to see the full detailed listing for this job at SocialWorkJobBank.com.

Find more jobs 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.

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.

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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NEWSLETTER NECESSITIES

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To change the address for your subscription, please unsubscribe your old e-mail address and then subscribe your new one.

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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 2004 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

THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER is a registered trademark of White Hat Communications.