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Dear Social Work Colleagues,
Hello! Welcome to Issue #135 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.
February marks the observance of American Heart Month, Black History Month, Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, Eating Disorder Awareness Month, National Wear Red Day (February 3), National Donor Day (February 14), and more.
Coming in March: National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Save Your Vision Month, National Nutrition Month, and others.
And…Social Work Month (March) is just around the corner! Please let me know how you are celebrating social work during the month of March.
The Winter 2012 issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER is available NOW! Highlights of the Winter issue include duty to warn and protect, delivering unwelcome news, sexualization of young girls, surrender in substance abuse treatment of veterans, social work and reproductive justice/sexual health, Facebook and suicide prevention, New Year’s resolutions, letter to the editor about the Jerry Sandusky case, poetry, 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!
IT'S ALSO IN PRINT! Don't forget--THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER is available in a limited print edition. Most issues from 2009 to the present are available now at http://newsocialworker.magcloud.com. You can purchase them individually, or purchase all four issues from 2010 or 2011 in one perfect-bound volume.
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 28,700+ 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! You can use 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 13,300+ 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.)
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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 or our other social work and nonprofit management titles.
Available now—4 th edition of Days in the Lives of Social Workers. This collection of 58 first-person accounts of “typical” days in the lives of professional social workers will give you increased insight into the wide variety of career paths available in this diverse field! Includes 4 new chapters, as well as a new appendix on social media, apps, and blogs. Get your copy today! “Everyone who reads this book, whether you've spent a lifetime as a proud social worker, you have received social work services, or you are just curious about the profession, will gain a new perspective and appreciation for the work of these tireless individuals.” --Elizabeth J. Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH, Executive Director, National Association of Social Workers, from the Foreword to the 4 th edition.
Get ready for 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, or send a gift to your favorite social worker.. Available in packages of 10 cards (including envelopes) for $10. We also have social work buttons that say "I Am a Social Worker!" Red with yellow lettering.
All of our books and products are available through our secure online store at:
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 other supply needs.
Are you or someone you know applying to social work graduate school? The Social Work Graduate School Applicant’s Handbook is now available in Kindle format! Order it from Amazon at: http://amzn.to/qq8B9ohttp://amzn.to/qq8B9o
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DIRECTOR—BRIGHTER BEGINNINGS
Brighter Beginnings is seeking a Director for our Antioch First 5 Funded Center for parent-child development. Duties include general oversight of all Center operations, promotion of the Center, personnel and contracted service supervision, assisting in preparation of policies and procedures; and planning, development and evaluation of the overall First 5 program.
QUALIFICATIONS: EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE
Masters degree required; Minimum of 7 years related experience providing supervision to direct service staff; minimum of four years experience in program development in the area of child development / family services.
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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 480,000 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 1,134 jobs currently posted on SocialWorkJobBank.com. Check it out today.
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I Am Not Sure How To Tell You This: Delivering Unwelcome News
by Misty L. Wall, Ph.D., MSSW, LCSW
Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from an article from the current (Winter 2012) issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER. Read the full article at:
Many times, social workers are called upon to deliver unpleasant news to clients and families. Some of the most difficult discussions have to do with death, dying, long-term care placement of a loved one, loss of custody or removal of children, and placement in foster care. There are a few simple steps you can take to facilitate the conversations that no one really wants to have.
Let’s look at an all-too-common experience for social workers specializing in child protection. Consider this: As a social worker, you have been working with a family for several months to alleviate risk of injury to their child while living in a home that is full of safety and sanitation hazards. To date, the family has been unable, or unwilling, to make the necessary changes that will allow their child to safely remain in the home. No suitable family members have been located who can provide care for the child while the family makes the necessary changes, so the child will be removed from her biological parents and placed into a foster home.
PREPing for the Conversation
If you are entering the field of social work, you can safely assume that at some point you will have to deliver news that is not going to be easily received, like the situation mentioned above, when you must tell a family that their child will be placed in foster care. A great deal of work happens before you actually meet with the client to deliver the bad news, and you can use four simple steps (pause, react, evaluate, plan—or PREP) to prepare to deliver challenging news.
Pause. It is important to pause before the delivery of unwelcome news, because the focus of the delivery should be the client(s) rather than the social worker. New social workers may feel overwhelmed with feelings surrounding self-doubt, including mistrusting their ability to convey the unwanted news, being unsure of their ability to stay in the moment, fear of the client’s reaction, or alarm about their personal safety. Pausing allows you, the social worker, to take a personal inventory of your fears, emotional triggers, and physical reactions before you meet with the client.
React. Taking inventory of your fear, emotional triggers, and physical reactions is not enough to ensure you are able to stay present and focused on the client during the delivery of unwelcome news. After taking a breath, social workers should give themselves permission to react emotionally or physically, consciously allowing whatever physical and emotional reaction simmers to the surface to happen. Stuffing or refusing to acknowledge emotional and physical reactions can lead to burnout, compassion fatigue, or somatic complaints. Everyone’s reactions will be different—it may mean crying, screaming, venting to a trusted peer, or any number of things. Only after you allow this initial reaction can you refocus yourself on your goals.
Read the rest of this article at:
Articles from the Winter 2012 issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER include:
Infusing Social Work and Reproductive Justice To Advocate for Women’s Sexual Health, by Nicole Clark
Facebook and Suicide Prevention, by Linda May Grobman
Duty To Warn, Duty To Protect, by Steven Granich
How My Field Placement Showed Me Why I Wanted To Be a Social Worker, by Katie Ullman
I Am Not Sure How To Tell You This: Delivering Unwelcome News, by Misty Wall
3 Components of Turning Passion Into a Successful Social Work Career, by Sonya Hunte
Sexualization on Young Girls in Entertainment, by Heather Dawley-McClendon
When to Surrender: A New Definition for Veterans in Substance Abuse Treatment, by Heidi Peck
A Social Worker’s Resolutions, by Kryss Shane
…and more!
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RAISING AWARENESS
National Heart Month
Black History Month
Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
Eating Disorder Awareness Month
Eating Disorder Awareness Month Facebook Page--http://www.facebook.com/eatingdisorder
National Eating Disorders Association--http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
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Secretary Sebelius Statement on American Heart Month
February is American Heart Month, a month to spread awareness about the importance of heart health. Each year, countless American families are affected by heart disease and stroke. Although its risk factors can be prevented or controlled, it is still the leading cause of death for all Americans, and accounts for $1 out of every $6 spent on health care. Fortunately, there are many simple steps we can take to prevent heart disease, such as eating healthy foods, exercising regularly, and not smoking.
The Department of Health and Human Services is working with both public and private partners to raise awareness of heart disease through vital research investments and public health programs. The Million Hearts Initiative takes aim at this disease, with a goal of preventing 1 million heart attacks and strokes over the next 5 years. Other efforts, like the HeartTruth, which addresses women’s heart health, and the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative, which confronts childhood obesity by helping children choose healthy foods and stay active, work to provide people with resources and ways to make heart healthy changes in their everyday lives.
And thanks to the new health care law, the Affordable Care Act, new health plans must now cover recommended preventive services, including blood pressure screening for all adults and cholesterol screening for adults of certain ages or at higher risk, cost-free.
This month, as we take time to educate ourselves about the risks of heart disease, and recognize the efforts of medical researchers and healthcare professionals dedicated to prevention, early detection, and effective treatment, consider what steps you and your family can take to promote and adopt a heart healthy lifestyle.
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Write for THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER
I am seeking articles for upcoming issues of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine. I am especially interested in articles in the following categories:
- social work ethics
- field placement
- practice specialties
- news of innovative social work practice
- technology
- what every new social worker needs to know about…
- other topics of interest to social work students, new graduates, and seasoned professionals
Our style is conversational and educational, and articles typically run 1,500-2,000 for feature articles (considerably shorter for news items).
I also welcome submissions of poetry, photographs, illustrations, artwork, and other creative work depicting social work and related topics.
Please contact Linda Grobman, editor/publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER, at: lindagrobman@socialworker.com
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New Congressional Fellowship Announced Through NASW’s Social Work Policy Institute
Help shape Federal child welfare policy. Apply for the new Social Work Child Welfare Congressional Fellowship.
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Social Work-Related News
I have been following several news stories that may be of interest to social workers:
1) Is it illegal to hire social workers in New York State? An article in the New York Daily News ( http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/social-work-a-felony-article-1.1013166) reports that some nonprofits in New York state are committing a felony by hiring licensed social workers, unless they have a waiver. I did some checking around and found that this is an issue in which the NY State chapter of NASW has been very involved. Indeed, when social work licensure was implemented in NY, an unintended consequence was that in some cases, hiring a licensed social worker was a violation of NY’s corporate practice law. More information can be found at: http://www.op.nysed.gov/waiver-corporate-practice.htm
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8QKH-SJwDM
These two resources are very helpful and the video explains the issue as an unintended consequence of the implementation of social work licensing in NY state. More than 1,000 nonprofits in NY state have applied for the waiver.
2) The Josh Powell murder-suicide case. Josh Powell’s wife Susan disappeared in 2009, and he had been considered a “person of interest” in her disappearance. On February 5, during a supervised visit with his two sons, he locked the visit supervisor out of the house, and then killed himself and his two sons in what seems to have been a well-thought-out plan. The supervisor, Elizabeth Griffin-Hall, has been identified in news reports as a social worker or case worker. Although it is not clear whether she is a professional social worker, this case brings up many questions about child protection, supervised visits, and worker safety. See ABC’s interview with Griffin-Hall at http://abcnews.go.com/US/josh-powell-told-sons-surprise/story?id=15549745#.Tzl2PuRnDLI. Also, see CNN video at http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2012/02/09/exp-erin-social-workers.cnn.
4) The death of singer Whitney Houston. I would be remiss if I did not mention the untimely death of Whitney Houston this past weekend. The investigation is still underway to determine the exact cause of death. However, it is well-documented that she struggled with addictions, having been in treatment at least three times. The untimely deaths of Houston and other celebrities in recent years (and throughout time) make me wonder if this is an area that social workers need to research further. What unique issues exist for people who are stars, even superstars, and especially those who enter show business at a very young age? What preventive measures might be taken with this special population? Read about Houston, addiction, and overdosing at http://healthland.time.com/2012/02/13/whitney-houstons-death-hallmarks-of-a-battle-against-addiction-and-overdose/?xid=gonewsedit. |
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Winter 2012 ISSUE OF THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER IS NOW AVAILABLE!
The Winter 2012 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 2012 issue now online include:
Infusing Social Work and Reproductive Justice To Advocate for Women’s Sexual Health, by Nicole Clark
Facebook and Suicide Prevention, by Linda May Grobman
Duty To Warn, Duty To Protect, by Steven Granich
How My Field Placement Showed Me Why I Wanted To Be a Social Worker, by Katie Ullman
I Am Not Sure How To Tell You This: Delivering Unwelcome News, by Misty Wall
3 Components of Turning Passion Into a Successful Social Work Career, by Sonya Hunte
Sexualization of Young Girls in Entertainment, by Heather Dawley-McClendon
When to Surrender: A New Definition for Veterans in Substance Abuse Treatment, by Heidi Peck
A Social Worker’s Resolutions, by Kryss Shane
…and more!
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 2011 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.
CE credits for the Journal of Social Work Values & Ethics are offered in cooperation with CE-Credit.com. Low 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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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: 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.
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
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 (6th Edition), by Gary M. Grobman.
HOW TO ORDER
All of our books are available through our secure online store at:
You can also download our catalog in PDF format at:
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IN THIS ISSUE
Words from Our Sponsors
Job Corner/Current Job Openings
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
lindagrobman@socialworker.com
http://www.socialworker.com
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© 2012 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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