National Social Work Month 2019
Every year in the month of March, social workers (and those who appreciate them) celebrate National Social Work Month! See what makes 2019 different!
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03, 2019
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03, 2019
Career Spotlight: Pediatric Social Worker
The field of health and medicine offers many opportunities for social workers to positively impact clients and their families by working in inpatient and outpatient medical settings. While physicians and nurses focus on the physical health of a patient, social workers attend to the patient’s socio-emotional health needs. Thus, bringing social workers and physicians together [...]
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03, 2019
March is Social Work Month
Recognizing The Field ...AND Sacred Heart University for Waiving MSW Application Fees In Recognition of Social Work Month. It is a time when the nation’s 650,000 social workers are recognized for their efforts as community leaders, champions and advocates for social justice, welfare and During social work month, many of the nation's social work [...]
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03, 2019
Social Work Challenge Series: Food Deserts
A major challenge social workers are currently facing is the phenomenon called 'food deserts'. Click here to see what you need to know.
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02, 2019
5 Nationally Renowned Medical Social Workers
Click here to learn about 5 nationally renowned medical social workers who serve as inspiration to anyone interested in a career in healthcare.
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02, 2019
Social Work Challenges Series: Personal Bias
There is a variety of internal challenges social workers tackle to ensure they are practicing ethically. Personal Bias is one challege. Read more here.
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02, 2019
Typical Roles for Social Workers in Mental Health
A wide variety of career opportunities are available to social workers who are interested in working in the field of mental health. Click here details.
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02, 2019
What Does a Mental Health Social Worker Do?
A Mental Health Social worker focuses on advocating and helping individuals. Click here to learn about their settings, role, who they benefit and more.
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01, 2019
Restorative Approaches: Facilitating a Community Building Circle
The goal of a community building circle is to help build trust, positive feelings, and a sense of belonging within a particular community or group of people. What is a Community Building Circle? A community building circle is a restorative approach to working with groups of people to build and strengthen relationships. Circles may be [...]
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01, 2019
Advanced Clinical Training Opportunities for MSWs
Advanced clinical trainings allow social workers to strengthen their skills and enhance their knowledge across a number of different areas. Click for more.
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01, 2019
Fellowships for MSWs Part 2: Specialized Opportunities
Many social work fellowships are offered to students and graduates interested in working with particular populations or within certain practice arenas. Currently, several fellowships focus on aging, due to the great need for social service workers in this area. A number of other fellowships focus on public policy and and leadership development in the social [...]
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01, 2019
Fellowships for MSWs Part 1: Social Justice Opportunities
Numerous fellowship programs actively recruit Master of Social Work students and recent graduates. Fellowships offer social work students and graduates an opportunity to advance their skills during or after graduate school, usually with a focus on mentorship and learning in action, with financial support. These opportunities allow students and recent graduates to gain invaluable work [...]
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01, 2019
Restorative Approaches to Social Work Practice
Restorative approaches to social work practice are gaining traction amongst social work practitioners, researchers, and educators. The underlying values of the social work discipline are strongly aligned with the guiding principles of Restorative Justice. And although restorative approaches were developed specifically to foster transformation within the criminal justice system, they have been fruitfully applied to [...]
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01, 2019
What is a Psychiatric Social Worker?
A psychiatric social worker is an advocate that helps patients with mental illness experiencing a crisis. See what you need to know here.
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01, 2019
Choosing the Right Online MSW Program for You
Many Council of Social Work Education (CSWE)-accredited schools of social work now offer online MSW programs that provide aspiring social workers with greater flexibility and affordability in pursuing graduate education. While all of these programs lead to the MSW degree, they differ in a number of ways, from field experiences to employer connections to cost [...]
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01, 2019
Immigration: The Social Work Profession’s Stance
Recently, the issue of immigration has made news headlines over and over. Click to see the thoughts of social workers as it relates to immigration.
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01, 2019
Special Populations of Interest Social Work: 2019 Outlook
<< BACK TO Top 3 Areas to Focus Your MSW in 2019 Social workers who are interested in working with a particular segment of the general population, a focus on a special population of interest will provide the skills and knowledge needed to engage those individuals and groups throughout your social work career. In this [...]
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01, 2019
Community Practice Social Work: 2019 Outlook
<< BACK TO Top 3 Areas to Focus Your MSW in 2019 A focus on community practice will provide MSW graduates with the opportunity to have a direct, broad-level impact on today's most urgent issues, mobilizing communities and contributing to policy development to enact needed social changes. In this section: Why Focus Your MSW in [...]
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01, 2019
Clinical Social Work: 2019 Outlook
<< BACK TO Top 3 Areas to Focus Your MSW in 2019 For those interested in direct practice with a diverse range of clients, clinical practice is a growing area in social work with promising job prospects in coming years. In this section: Why Focus Your MSW in Clinical Practice in 2019 Career Options and [...]
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01, 2019
Top 3 Areas to Focus Your MSW in 2019
Top 3 Areas to Focus Your MSW in 2019 For those pursuing an MSW in 2019, consider these three focus areas that will help maximize your education -- and ability -- to create change as a social worker. In 2019, three focus areas are particularly significant to the social work profession and society as a [...]
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12, 2018
Top 5 MSW Programs for Working with Traumatized Populations
From interpersonal violence to natural disasters, traumatic experiences are wide ranging. Trauma can impact any member of society and even be passed down through generations. While trauma is universal, some groups of people are more vulnerable to trauma’s effects than others. Traumatic experiences can have a serious impact on a person’s mental health, social functioning, [...]
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12, 2018
Top 5 MSW Programs for Working with Latinx Populations
The Latinx population is currently the fastest growing ethnic group in the U.S. Latinx families generally have a migratory history, bicultural experiences, and are often made of mixed-status family members - all factors that give Latinx families unique strengths and vulnerabilities. For prospective MSW students interested in working with Latinx families in their social work [...]
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12, 2018
Career Spotlight: School Social Worker
Schools are community institutions where students, teachers, administrators, and parents come together to provide education for young people. Social workers can play a vital role in the school setting by attending to the needs of students and their families, as well as the staff responsible for providing youth education. According to the School Social Work [...]
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12, 2018
The Importance of Building Self-Esteem in Children
How important is building self-esteem in our children? Click here to learn why and ways to help build it!
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12, 2018
Social Workers Respond to Homelessness in America
Social Workers play a vital role in assisting the homeless as well as preventing homelessness. See what you need to know here.
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12, 2018
5 Powerful Tools for Parents and Those Who Work with Children
Want to know how best to work with children or where to focus your energy with parents for the biggest impact on children's wellbeing? Click to learn!
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12, 2018
Top 5 MSW Programs for Working with Aging Populations
As the Baby Boomers generation enters retirement and the later stages of life, there is a critical need for social service providers with specialized experience in working with aging populations. Elderly individuals often have complex needs related to healthcare, mental health, social connection, living independently, and navigating end of life processes. Prospective MSW students seeking [...]
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12, 2018
Career Spotlight: Gerontological Social Worker
Social workers are often driven by a commitment to provide support and care to those who need it most - the aging are one such population. Medical advancements of the last fifty years have prolonged human life, but are unable to alleviate many of the complications that come along with the natural process of aging. [...]
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12, 2018
Social Work as Immigration Justice
"I have been forever changed by my work with undocumented clients..." Click to hear more from a Social Work and how she upholds Immigration Justice.
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12, 2018
The Necessity of Community in Private Practice
Click here to learn why community in Private Practice is a necessity from someone who truly knows what they are talking about!
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12, 2018
Social Workers Needed in 2019
Why Get a Social Work Degree in 2019 Unlike many other professions, social work job openings are on the rise. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall employment of social workers is expected to increase by 15% for the period of 2016-2026, more than double the average rate for all occupations. 682,100 social workers [...]
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12, 2018
The Grand Challenges for Social Work
What is the Grand Challenge Initiative? Social workers are needed now more than ever to tackle the world’s complex, global, and inter-related problems. Research has shown that social workers have positively transformed society during the profession’s last century of history. Now, social work practitioners and scholars are looking toward the future impact of social work [...]
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11, 2018
Composing a Case Presentation
Case presentations are often used in the social work profession as a means of professional development and much more. See what you need to know here.
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11, 2018
How to Find a Licensed Social Worker Near You
Social workers assist organizations, communities, groups, families, and individuals in a variety of ways. Whether you’ve experienced a traumatic crisis or are just in need of additional family support, social workers are able to help by providing counseling and psychotherapy services, connecting clients to resources, and advocating for clients’ needs. The first step to seeking [...]
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11, 2018
5 Annual Social Work Conferences You Should Attend
For social work professionals, there are many reasons to attend an annual conference hosted by a social work professional association. Social work conferences offer many opportunities to connect with colleagues in the field through networking and social events, keep up to date with cutting edge research by attending paper and poster presentations, engage in [...]
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11, 2018
Top 5 MSW Programs for Community Practice
A degree in social work leads to a diverse array of career options, spanning from individual practice to community-based work and policy development. Social workers who have the appropriate training and skills in macro-level practice are being hired to lead organizations, analyze and develop policy, conduct cutting-edge research, and design effective programs. For prospective social [...]
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11, 2018
5 Social Work Hashtags You Should Follow
If you’re looking for social work related content on the vast world wide web, hashtags are a great way to find sources from various social media platforms and blog posts. Following a social work hashtag is an easy way to seamlessly integrate social work content into your existing Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds. You can [...]
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11, 2018
The Florida Project: A Must Watch Film for Social Workers
The Florida Project, one of 2018’s Oscar & Golden Globe frontrunners for best picture, is more than just a cinematic story centering on a motel in Florida. This emotional storytelling masterpiece invites viewers to contemplate some of the complex ethical dilemmas social workers confront every day. While social workers don’t appear in the film until [...]
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11, 2018
The Potentially Devastating Long-Term Effects of Today’s Short-Term Immigration Debacle
I fear What the past will do to me In the future - Yehuda Amichai, Concrete Poem Part 1 Through the Eyes of a Trauma-Informed Social Worker Last year, 20 years after receiving my Master’s Degree in Social Work I completed an 18 month certification in Child and Parent Psychotherapy with an emphasis on treating [...]
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11, 2018
How to Be an Advocate for Immigrants and Refugees
Natural disaster, civil war, ethnic conflict, economic depravity, and gang violence are just a few of the reasons that people in today’s globalized society are left with little choice but to flee their home countries in search of safety and prosperity elsewhere. As more and more individuals and families are impacted by these and other [...]
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11, 2018
5 Inspiring TED Talks for Social Workers
For those looking to gain some new perspective on a certain topic, learn about innovative practices in a variety of fields, or hear fresh ideas on pressing social issues, TED Talks are a great place to start! With TED speakers from a variety of disciplines, TED offers a diverse array of voices and viewpoints [...]
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11, 2018
Family Separation at the Border: What Social Workers Should Know
What is Family Separation? Since April of this year, thousands of children have been separated from their parents at the Southern U.S. border. Horrifying images showed children being held in cages, while their parents detained without any information about their child’s whereabouts. This traumatic process of family separation was enacted due to a “zero-tolerance” immigration [...]
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10, 2018
5 Social Workers Improving Life for the Aging
Aging populations face unique challenges, as their biopsychosocial needs change over time. The aging often have complex medical needs and care requirements, and face the risk of increasing social isolation and diminishing independence as they enter the end of the life course. In the United States, the aging population is growing due to a combination [...]
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10, 2018
5 Social Workers Featured in the Media
As the social work profession has grown and gained recognition for the valuable work of its practitioners, social workers have recently become the subjects of documentaries, magazine articles, and other media pieces. These five social workers have been prominently featured in the media, bringing further recognition to the profession as a whole and to the [...]
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10, 2018
5 Social Work Leaders to Follow on Twitter
The internet age has provided social workers a variety of social media platforms to share their viewpoints, practice experiences, research findings, and more. Leading social workers are taking to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to connect with followers interested in social work topics - from clients to colleagues and everyone in between. If you’re interested in [...]
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10, 2018
8 Simple Steps to Keep your Social Work Knowledge Up to Date
One of the mandates for social workers (especially those who have received licensure) is to stay up to date in the field. This ensures that social workers are always learning the most current and effective ways to engage with individuals, families, and communities based on the constantly-evolving evidence base for social work practice. To align [...]
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10, 2018
10 Actions Social Workers can Take to Stand with Dreamers
In 2012, former President Barack Obama took executive action to protect the lives of immigrant young people who came to the United States as children. These young people are known as Dreamers, based on proposed legislation called the Development, Education, and Relief for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act “that would have granted legal status to certain [...]
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10, 2018
Substance Abuser to Social Worker: My Journey to Find Me
On August 4th 2003, four months after my daughter was born, I was arrested for possession of cocaine with the intent to sell. This was the end of a period of time in my life when I had struggled severely with Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and the negative consequences of the street lifestyle that I [...]
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10, 2018
How Social Workers Can Serve the Latino Population
For social workers serving Latino clients, understanding the diverse range of nationalities, countries and cultures that make up this community is critical. Developing this cultural competence and cultural humility will help them to improve the way they serve and communicate with their Latino clients. As one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in the U.S., Latinos accounted for more than half of [...]
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09, 2018
Social Work as a Second Career
Social work is proving a popular second career for many professionals. What does the path to social work as a second career look like, and what is the career outlook for social workers? More professionals are choosing social work as a second career – one that offers them greater satisfaction than they found in their former careers, along with the [...]
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09, 2018
Support and Networking Tips for Social Workers
Savvy social workers often seek out peer support, mentoring and networking opportunities. Who can you turn to for guidance and connections? Social workers do their best to meet the needs of others – every day, year after year. While this can be highly rewarding, it also puts you at significant risk of burnout if you don't feel supported [...]
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09, 2018
Recent Studies Prove Impact of Social Workers around the World
In the last several years, researchers from social work and related fields have set out to determine what measurable impact social workers make in a variety of settings by collecting and analyzing data that evaluates the difference their work makes. From North America all the way to Tokyo, recent studies have found qualitative and quantitative [...]
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09, 2018
Design Thinking for Social Work? Is there a Connection?
What is Design Thinking? Design thinking “is a methodology for creative problem solving.” It emerged in the last 20 years from a long history of innovators working to solve “wicked problems” in a variety of fields through highly creative approaches and methods most commonly used in design firms. The basic idea is that design [...]
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09, 2018
Social Workers Recruited for New Positions Across the Nation
Across the nation, social workers are being recruited to apply their skills to the diverse human population at accelerated rates. The overwhelming mental and socio-emotional health needs of individuals in modern society create significant demand for the professional skills that social workers possess. In some cases, the amount of available social work positions has expanded [...]
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09, 2018
Remembering the Dead
Remember me For I will soon be gone Remember me And let the love we have live on And know that I'm with you the only way that I can be So, until you're in my arms again Remember me Those No Longer Physically Present Still Play a Significant Role These are some of the [...]
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08, 2018
Introduction to Genograms: A Social Work Assessment and Intervention Tool
What is an Genogram? A genogram is a visual family mapping tool. Genograms allow clinicians and clients to diagram a client’s family history through at least three generations. Genograms illustrate family relationships to show parentage and birth order across the generations, similar to a family tree. Genograms, however, go beyond this type of surface-level information [...]
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08, 2018
How Social Workers Can Better Serve LGBTQ Clients
The quest to ensure social work practices are LGBTQ-inclusive occurs on a number of levels. It requires the development of knowledge around LGBTQ issues, rethinking individual interactions with clients and colleagues, and advocating for change on a policy level. Why Inclusivity of LGBTQ Individuals Is Critical To not be discriminated against based on sexual orientation or gender identity is a basic human right. Yet [...]
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08, 2018
Reducing Recidivism: How Social Work Helps Ex-offenders
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, around two-thirds of the more than 650,000 ex-offenders released from prison every year are likely to be re-arrested within three years. Social workers can play an important role in helping to reduce recidivism rates through their involvement in social programs that help ex-offenders transition back into the community and by [...]
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08, 2018
Top 10 Things Every Social Worker Should Know about U.S. Immigration Law
U.S. immigration law is incredibly complicated and nuanced. It requires years of careful study to master, and still, the ins and outs of it can be baffling even to an attorney not specialized in immigration. Basics of Immigration Law That Every Social Worker Should Know Social workers cannot be expected to thoroughly comprehend immigration law, [...]
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07, 2018
Fighting Against Poverty: The Social Worker’s Battle
With around 43 million Americans living in poverty today, the role social workers play in mitigating the effects of poverty and advocating for the poor is critical. The U.S. Census Bureau’s latest report on income and poverty found that, despite showing the first statistically significant increase since 2007, the median household income is still lower than it was before America’s Great [...]
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06, 2018
5 Leading Social Workers Influencing the Industry
How five leading social workers are influencing the industry today – shaping the nature of modern social work research, theory and service delivery. The social worker environment is full of inspiring individuals working at all levels of the field. The nature of the industry and the role social work plays in society means it attracts people who are passionate about doing [...]
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06, 2018
What Can You Do with a Social Work Degree?
A Master’s in Social Work (MSW) enhances a social worker’s career in countless ways, opening doors to new professional pathways, opportunities, and specializations. Your Career Outlook with a Social Work Degree An MSW is an important long-term career investment that will greatly improve your career outlook as a social worker. It can help you practice at a higher level, command a [...]
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05, 2018
5 Initiatives Changing Communities Around the World
Social workers around the world are playing a key role in important initiatives that seek to create local and global change. Across the U.S. and around the world, social workers and social service workers play an active part in community initiatives that make a difference. From local art projects that raise awareness of social issues to global programs [...]
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05, 2018
A Guide to the Best MSW Programs in the U.S.
Looking to apply for a Master’s of Social Work (MSW), but not sure where to start? Here's a guide to the best MSW programs. When you start your search for the right MSW program (SEE INFOGRAPHIC "CHOOSING AN MSW PROGRAM"), the number of options can be daunting. As well as location and costs, you'll also want to consider [...]
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05, 2018
A Short History of Social Work: The Roots of Your Profession
The History of Social Work The earliest origins of social work (dating back to the Middle Ages) were in church-based ministering to the poor, which evolved into the philanthropic and social justice movements of the 19th century. Today, social workers are still connected to these originating tenets of compassion, fairness and community progress. The modern social work profession grew from [...]
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04, 2018
5 Common Traits and Habits of Social Workers
Social workers and social service workers are known to be inherently caring people who devote their working lives to helping others. But what kinds of traits and habits make them so good at empowering others to solve life's big problems? Here are five common traits of social workers – and how these traits help shape a successful social work [...]
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04, 2018
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Illustrating the need for sexual violence awareness and considerations for social workers (and other mental health providers) to become involved in offering support and solutions to alleviating the pain experienced by victims and survivors. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month Incidences of sexual violence is increasingly prevalent and does not discriminate affecting people regardless [...]
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04, 2018
The Heart of Social Work: Why Social Justice is So Important
A concern for social justice has always been an essential part of social services and social work. What are the historical origins of these values and how have they shaped the modern profession? The social work profession is built on the concern for social justice. Social workers and social service workers play a pivotal role in opening [...]
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04, 2018
Technology and the Future of Social Work
Technology is reshaping how every industry operates and social work is no exception. The rise and prevalence of new technologies are changing the way services are offered, and hence how social workers interact and communicate with their clients. Social workers need to keep up to date with these changes now and into the future. The [...]
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04, 2018
Working With Men Affected By Trauma
Men are more likely to be severely affected by traumatic events such as war, disaster, and violence than women, and there are significant differences among genders in processing trauma. More than 60 percent of men have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. Though many people link trauma with war and natural disaster, traumatic events are [...]
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03, 2018
A Social Worker’s Take on America’s Gun Violence Problem
Compromise and Action: A Possible Solution To America’s Gun Violence Problem. Thoughts, Reflection and Editorial on Gun Violence Provided By Mom & Social Worker Amy Chong, LCSW Amy Chong, LCSW I’ve come to the conclusion that one of the single biggest problems in our country is Either/Or thinking and by that I mean [...]
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03, 2018
Title IV-E Stipend Could Help Pay For Your MSW
For prospective social work students with an interest in working in the field of child welfare and child protection, the Title IV-E stipend program is able to provide financial and educational support through participating universities in the United States. What is the Title IV-E Stipend Program? In the late 1970’s, government officials and child welfare [...]
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03, 2018
Meeting the Needs of Multiracial Children
Multiracial children are the fastest-growing youth group in the U.S. What do social workers need to know about serving and helping this diverse cohort? Social workers help a range of clients from different ethnicities and backgrounds, and their most vulnerable charges are often the children they serve, with multiracial children being no exception. Research suggests that [...]
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03, 2018
Social Work Month 2018 – Recognizing Social Workers
About Social Work Month: Leaders Advocates Champions Social Work Month is a time when the nation’s 650,000+ social workers are recognized for their efforts as advocates, community leaders, and human rights champions. As defined by the NASW, the Social Work Month 2018 theme is Leaders Advocates Champions. This theme seeks to illuminate what social workers [...]
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02, 2018
Universities Waiving MSW Application Fees in Celebration of Social Work Month
March is Social Work Month in the United States. It is a time when the nation’s 650,000 social workers are recognized for their efforts. During social work month, many of the institutions offering social work programs also acknowledge the profession they help educate. For example, Illinois University schedules a series of weekly events that focus [...]
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02, 2018
Referral Specialist
What do Referral Specialists do? Referral specialists typically work in an office setting within the medical field. They are in charge of insurance approval for patients to see a specialist and also they handle the pre-authorization for certain procedures. They are in charge of gathering financial information on patients and making sure they are aware [...]
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02, 2018
Patient Advocate
What does a Patient Advocate do? A Patient Advocate is employed and paid by the hospital to help patients. They take complaints of patients or help with communication between staff and patients. The medical world is confusing so they step in to break down the pieces or steps for the patient. Patient advocates can work [...]