Social Work E-News
  Issue #124, March 8, 2011
HAPPY SOCIAL WORK MONTH!
REMINDER: Download The New Social Worker magazine FREE at our Web site.
Find or post social work jobs at http://www.socialworkjobbank.com.
Employers receive 25% discount on single job posting this month only: Coupon Code SWMONTH25
Receive 15% off books and gifts at our online store with Coupon Code SWMONTH11
 
 
Editor's Eye
 
Dear Social Work Colleagues,
 
Hello! Welcome to Issue #124 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.
 
HAPPY SOCIAL WORK MONTH! March is designated as National Professional Social Work Month. This is a time to take a few moments and pat ourselves, and each other, on the backs. Social workers work in a wide variety of settings and roles every day, helping individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities of all kinds to reach their optimal level of functioning. Just think of all you and your colleagues do! What a contribution social workers make in the world! As the National Association of Social Workers motto for this Social Work Month says, “Social Workers Change Futures.” (See NASW's Social Work Month Toolkit at: http://francesperkinscenter.org/index.php.) And don't forget...World Social Work Day is March 15 (http://www.ifsw.org/p38002232.html), and this week is National Social Work Week in Canada!
 
March also marks the observance of Red Cross Month (http://www.redcross.org/museum/history/marchis.asp), Women's History Month, National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (March 10), and National Native American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (March 20), among others!
 
In the last Social Work E-News, I mentioned that I was interviewed for Dorlee M.'s blog, Social Work Career Development. The second part of the interview, which focuses on social work career advice, is now available. You can read it at: http://www.dorleem.com/2011/02/career-advice-from-editor-of-new-social.html.
 
The Winter 2011 issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER is available NOW! The Spring issue will be available soon! Highlights of the Winter issue include ethics of adopting from one's own caseload, supervision availability, making the transition from student to professional social worker, bullying, the It Gets Better project, and more!
 
You can download this issue (and others) of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine in PDF format FREE at http://www.socialworker.com/home/menu/Downloads/. This download page simplifies the download process, so you can download an issue in just one click. Please allow time for the download to complete.
 
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!
 
IT'S ALSO IN PRINT! THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER is now available in a limited print edition. The Winter 2011 issue, as well as all back issues from 2010 and some from 2009, is available now at http://newsocialworker.magcloud.com. You can purchase them individually, or purchase all four 2010 issues in one perfect-bound volume. MagCloud also has an iPad app that allows you to view magazines on your iPad and then purchase them directly from the app, if you choose to do so.
 
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! Subscribe to both to get the most advantage.
 
The Social Work E-News has 28,000+ 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! 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 10,000+ fans on Facebook, participate in discussions, and lots more.
 
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.)
http://www.linkedin.com (search for “The New Social Worker Magazine” under Groups)
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. We even have a couple of humor books, including a new cartoon book on the process of getting one's Ph.D. Our books are available in our online store.
 
MARCH IS SOCIAL WORK MONTH! Let a social worker know you care with 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, or wish someone a happy holiday or special occasion. Available in packages of 10 cards (including envelopes) for $10.
 
All of our books and products are available through our secure online store at:
 
Now through March 31, 2011--receive a 15% Social Work Month discount on all books and gift/novelty products at http://shop.whitehatcommunications.com when you use coupon code SWMONTH11
 
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.  Follow this link to Amazon.com for all your textbook and supply needs.  Join Amazon Student and get free shipping.
Job Corner

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.  Also, please note that SocialWorkJobBank.com is now 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 1,079 jobs currently posted on SocialWorkJobBank.com. Check it out today.
Features
Article Excerpt: I Could Never Do What You Do
by Gary Weinstein
 
Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from an article from a past issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER. I am including this article in honor of Social Work Month, as it addresses the various roles of social workers. Read the full article at:
 
Social workers often hear this: “They couldn’t pay me enough to do what you do!” Or, more flattering, “Thank goodness you’re here!” Or, “I don’t know how you do what you do.” And even, “I thought about social work, but I could never do what you do.”
Our colleagues in nursing and throughout the medical community have some idea what social workers do—enough of an idea to know it is difficult, mysterious, taxing, and sometimes risky work. Some have no concept of what it is we do and are only further mystified when we try explaining.
Oddly, social workers know well what nurses and physicians do. We feel similarly: we could never do what they do! I’ve often called social work the invisible profession. We do little, if any, self-promotion. Our greatest skills, our greatest assets, are unseen. The ability to occupy a room with grieving or enraged clients and remain clear-minded and helpful, strategic, and professional—this is a lifelong skill developed over years of training and experience. The management of complex family, community, and professional systems is an acquired expertise. The management and counseling of difficult emotions, mental health crises, and social catastrophe is a fine art, honed in the heat of countless client encounters. Skilled listening, systems thinking, advocacy, alignment, and decisive interventions are all designed to unlock obstacles and resolve patient difficulties.
They are non-transferable, and they are invisible to colleagues, cohorts, and clients. Yet we use them all day long, hone them, and offer them—in how we enter a room, the precise words we choose, the manner in which we carry ourselves, the thinking and sensitivity we bring to bear when most other professionals may be at a loss.
As an Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit social worker at University Hospital in Syracuse, New York, I rotate hats and work many roles. Upstate Medical University’s 360-bed hospital is a Level One Trauma Center. It is a crossroads for treatment, trauma, research, and teaching for a vast swath of upstate New York. Here, these skills are brought to bear daily by our staff.

Diplomat
Ralph wants to leave against medical advice, because he is terrified about the expense of his hospital stay. He needs to get home to his pets, and he’s angry. Nursing has called social work to speak with him. Ralph’s physicians want him to stay through the weekend, but he refuses. I ask him whether our patient financial office has had a chance to meet with him, given he has no health insurance.
No! And I don’t care, and you can’t make me stay!” He’d been in surgery and unable on other occasions to receive counsel on his financial options.
Ralph, I understand; it’s Sunday, and no one is here. But first thing tomorrow, I promise to have someone here to review your options. You have several. Leaving against medical advice is your worst option. You haven’t gotten to hear all your options, because you were in treatment. You might well be Medicaid eligible. There is hospital financial assistance. There may be worker’s comp or Federal disability. But if you leave without working it out, you’ll actually be in far worse shape.”
We problem-solve who will feed his animals. I make some calls and locate a trusted neighbor. After napping and his pain subsides, he decides to stay.

Family Therapist

Don’s wife has received a definitive diagnosis of terminal liver cancer. “I can’t tell my daughters. I’ve always tried to shelter them.”

“So, Don, your strong wish is to protect them from this and not tell them. They are how old?”

“19 and 21. The older one, she may already know, or sense something.”

“So, they’re both young adults. Given Gwen’s limited time, how do you think this will go—if you told them both, and, alternatively, if you did not?”

“Well, I could tell my oldest, but my younger one, she could never take it.”

Her mom’s news is coming one way or another, no? Can I help you find a way, or find the words, or some way through this?”

That would be good....”

How might you start, Don? Can you picture it? What words would work?”

Don begins to tremble and cry again. We spend an hour together, down the hall from his critically ill wife, examining his family’s crisis. We carefully select words, and imagine his daughters’ grief. I help him reason through his options. He’d been stuck; he feels he’s reached new ground.
 
Read the rest of this article at:
 
 
Articles from the Winter 2011 issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER include:
 
and more!
 
News & Resources
ASU and Community Partnership of Southern Arizona Establish Social Work Scholarship in Tucson to Honor Gabe Zimmerman
 
Community Partnership of Southern Arizona (CPSA) has donated $100,000 to the Arizona State University (ASU) School of Social Work in the College of Public Programs to establish an endowed scholarship honoring Gabe Zimmerman, who graduated in 2006 with a Master’s in Social Work. The donation will be combined with a contribution from ASU to provide scholarships benefitting students enrolled in the School of Social Work’s Tucson Component. Zimmerman was one of six people killed in the Tucson shootings on January 8, 2011.
 
"Gabe was a good friend to CPSA and a dedicated champion of the public behavioral health system. We think the best way to honor Gabe's impact in this community is to help make sure his work continues, through the new social workers trained under this scholarship,” says Neal Cash, president and chief executive officer of CPSA.

ASU is an institution mandated to serve the public, and its College of Public Programs aims to produce graduates committed to improving their communities through leadership and public service. Gabe Zimmerman embodied this ideal, and we want to encourage others to follow his example by making scholarship resources available, in perpetuity, for students who choose to pursue training in social work. ASU is contributing additional support to the CPSA gift to pay tribute to Gabe’s extraordinary life and work and to enhance the positive impact our graduates make on Arizona’s communities,” says ASU President Michael M. Crow.
 
Zimmerman was a 2006 graduate of the ASU Master of Social Work program in Tucson. He also served as a field instructor for the Tucson program, helping others in their social work training. He then began working as a community outreach director for Representative Gabrielle Giffords.
 
We at the School of Social Work are extremely grateful to Community Partnership of Southern Arizona for this generous gift. I could not think of a more fitting tribute to Gabe Zimmerman, who not only graduated from our Tucson Program Component but continued to mentor our social work students in Tucson as his career progressed. We are very proud of his work in the community and service to our School, and know that this gift will allow others interested in community-based social work to follow his path,” says Steven Anderson, Director of the School of Social Work.
 
A scholarship committee will choose the first recipients, who will begin receiving the scholarship for fall 2011. The School of Social Work’s Tucson component has had a presence in Tucson since the mid-1960’s, and now enrolls approximately 150 Masters level students and 50 undergraduate students.
 
 
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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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ASWB Advanced Generalist Exam Pilot Project
Advanced generalist exam to be administered free of charge through June 30, 2011
 
The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) is redesigning its Advanced Generalist examination to provide a stronger base for advanced non-clinical social work practice across the U.S. and Canada. The new version of the ASWB Advanced Generalist licensure examination will be more directly targeted to advanced generalist practice than it has been in the past.

To accomplish this goal, ASWB will administer an expanded examination of up to 255 questions, with a longer time limit to complete the exam. Test-takers will have the $260 examination fee waived and will only be scored on 150 questions. The additional questions will be “pretest” items to help ASWB develop a new 170-question Advanced Generalist exam to go into effect as of January 1, 2012.
 
The expanded Advanced Generalist examination will be the primary examination offered for all Advanced Generalist tests administered between January 1, 2011 and June 30, 2011. First time candidates for this exam, as well as re-test candidates who failed the Advanced Generalist examination before January 1, 2011, will be assigned to the free expanded examination during this time frame. Candidates who register to retest after taking the free expanded Advanced Generalist examination will be administered a 170-question test at the full registration fee of $260.
 
For further information, please see: http://www.aswb.org/SWLE/AdvancedGeneralistPilot.asp


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SAMHSA Announces New Discussion Guide for Primary Health Care Providers
 
Talking With Your Adult Patients About Alcohol, Drug, and/or Mental Health Problems: A Discussion Guide for Primary Health Care Providers will equip primary health care providers with questions to begin discussions with their patients about alcohol, illicit drug, and mental health problems, as well as co-occurring disorders. This brief guide also includes resources for patients who need an evaluation based on positive screening results.

Download or order your free copy today!

The guide is available for download at http://www.kap.samhsa.gov or through the link below:

To order your free copy of Talking With Your Adult Patients About Alcohol, Drug, and/or Mental Health Problems, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) at http://store.samhsa.gov or 1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727) (English and Español). Ask for publication order number (SMA) 10-4584.
 
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Coming of Age


Coming of Age is an organization that helps people 50+ explore their future; connect and contribute through opportunities, both paid and unpaid, in their communities; and provides training to nonprofits about how to build their capacity to capture the energy and expertise of this population. For information, visit: http://www.comingofage.org
 
 
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Living Proof” Podcast Reaches Milestone


Earlier this year, the University at Buffalo's School of Social Work recorded its 100,000th download to its "Living Proof" podcast series, a milestone the school's dean calls "a sign UB's School of Social Work's entrance into cyberspace is here to stay."

The podcast series was the first of its kind developed by a graduate school of social work in the U.S. Launched in 2008, the series is aimed at social work professionals, but available to anyone with basic download capabilities.

"Because so many people are now on the Internet and using social media -- especially young adults -- it's more important than ever for our profession to be present there," says Nancy J. Smyth, dean of the UB School of Social Work. "This is both to inform people about key social issues and to increase awareness about the social work profession."

"Living Proof" emphasizes lifelong learning, promotes the use of the latest research in practice settings, and encourages the generation of new knowledge as practice informs research, which is when researchers learn from the practical experience of professionals.

The podcast has been downloaded by users from all 50 states in the U.S. and more than 150 countries. Past podcast topics have addressed pressing issues like the best approaches for parents and children affected by domestic violence, decision-making for those at the end of their lives, treating compulsive hoarding, and cyberbullying.

Go to http://www.socialwork.buffalo.edu/podcast to download the podcasts.

"Social work addresses the full range of critical social problems confronting modern society, and yet few people are fully aware of all we can bring to the table," says Smyth. "Our podcasts cover the full range of contemporary social issues, from cyberbullying to human rights, and would be of interest to anyone wanting to better understand complex social problems and what can be done to ameliorate them."

The name "Living Proof" comes from the UB School of Social Work motto, which states the school's intention of making a real difference in people's lives. The podcast is a bi-weekly series.


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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 selected issues of 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 selected 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/menu/Downloads/
 
Go to http://www.socialworker.com/home/menu/Continuing_Education_Program/ for complete details on THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER’s Continuing Education Program.
On Our Web Site
Winter 2011 ISSUE OF THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER IS NOW AVAILABLE!
 
The Winter 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 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” in the 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 Winter 2011 issue now online include:
 
 
and more!
 
 
In addition to the free PDF and Web versions of the magazine, seven issues are now available in PRINT at http://newsocialworker.magcloud.com! Order them today!
 
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).
 
 
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JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK VALUES AND ETHICS FALL 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, in full text, online at: http://www.socialworker.com/jswve
 
The Fall 2010 edition is available online now at:
 
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.
 
CE credits for the Journal of Social Work Values & Ethics are offered in cooperation with CE-Credit.com. New pricing! The basic price per credit hour is $6.97. Buying course credits in multiple-credit packages can give you a significant savings. To see a complete listing of the 800+ courses that CE-Credit.com offers, go to: http://www.socialworker.com/cecredit.html
 
 
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SHOP ON OUR WEB SITE
 
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* Browse our hand-picked selection of social issues posters at THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER’s Poster Store at http://www.socialworker.com/home/menu/Poster_Store/ or search for your own. (In association with AllPosters.com.)
 
* Social work specialty items: Visit http://www.cafepress.com/socialworker for our unique social work teddy bears, mugs, calendars, custom postage stamps, and other items.
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 (2nd Edition), 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 SITES

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
 
 
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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 2011 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.
White Hat Communications, P.O. Box 5390, Harrisburg, PA 17110-0390 http://www.whitehatcommunications.com