Rebecca started smoking at age 16. When she was 33, she was diagnosed with depression. She says she turned to cigarettes to help her cope. When she tried to quit and couldn’t, she felt even more depressed and started smoking again. “That was just a vicious, vicious cycle,” says Rebecca, who volunteered to be part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s smoking education campaign called “Tips from Former Smokers.” Rebecca, pictured above, is a volunteer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s smoking education campaign, called “Tips from Former Smokers.” Rebe...

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Transgender university and college students are at a significantly higher risk for suicide attempts when their campus experience includes being denied access to bathrooms and gender-appropriate campus housing, according to a Georgia State University study authored by NASW member Kristie Seelman. “An alarmingly high proportion of the transgender individuals participating in this study – 46.5 percent – had a history of attempted suicide,” said Seelman, an assistant professor of social work in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. Seelman was quoted in a San Diego LGBT Weekly article a...

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Social isolation can occur during any stage of life, experts say, and is seen as a critical social issue and one of the 12 Grand Challenges for Social Work. A child claims to feel sick to avoid going to school. A man with a chronic illness is not taking his medications because there is no one to take him to the pharmacy. An older woman living alone becomes depressed because she has no one to talk to. These scenarios illustrate some of the effects of social isolation, and also show it is not just older people who experience it. In fact, social isolation can take a toll at any stage of life, said James Lubben, MSW, who also has a Ph.D. in s...

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It was my intent to address one of our colleagues’ astute observations following my last column that not all social workers are liberals but my “editorials have a definite liberal slant.” I was asked to “write with a more balanced approach.” However, given that this column will be published in June, I decided to use the opportunity instead to address three time sensitive matters. I will explore the other topic in a future News column and welcome your feedback. The three items I think merit immediate attention this month include: the future of our association and social work; NASW’s efforts to stay current...

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— Paul R. Pace and Laetitia Clayton, News staff An estimated 400 social work students from more than 45 schools across the nation gathered at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center in March to learn about the power of social work. NASW CEO Angelo McClain told the students that their help was needed in urging Congress to support the Improving Access to Mental Health Act (H.R. 3712, S. 2173). The act includes a provision to raise the rate for clinical social workers who provide Medicare services from 75 percent to 85 percent of the rate reimbursed to psychiatrists and psychologists, which is in line with reimbursement rates for other non-ph...

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NASW chapters across the U.S. recognized Social Work Month in their communities. Highlights include: Louisiana secured a Social Work Month proclamation from Gov. John Bel Edwards and held a successful statewide conference with nearly 800 people attending a three-day event. Edwards gave the opening welcome remarks, and the keynote speaker was NASW President Darrell Wheeler. “This is the first time we had a governor appear at our conference,” said Chapter Executive Director Carmen D. Weisner. “He left saying that he wanted an invitation next year. His comments were well-received and in line with social work values.” ...

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Rafael López, commissioner of the Administration on Children, Youth and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, attended a meeting of the National Foster Care Coalition at the NASW national office in March. NASW, a member of the coalition, hosted space for the meeting. Members discussed the Children’s Bureau priorities and President Obama’s new budget plan. Visit socialworkblog.org/advocacy to read about the social work opportunities created in Obama’s budget. NASW is encouraging members to participate in awareness activities highlighted this month: NASW has long promoted Older Americans ...

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The United Nations recently adopted a sweeping global plan for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It aspires to do many things, including eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve gender equality, reduce inequalities within and between countries, address climate change, and promote peace and good governance, says Lynne Healy, professor emerita for the board of trustees at the University of Connecticut School of Social Work in West Hartford, Conn. “This agenda is intended to be universal in applicability — meaning that the United States needs to be part of the process,” Healy said. “Social workers can b...

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The recipients of the 2015 NASW National Awards and the NASW Foundation Awards have been announced. The awardees will be honored during “A Night at the Awards” ceremony on June 24 during NASW’s national conference, “Leading Change, Transforming Lives.” The conference will be held June 22-25 in Washington, D.C. (See related story in this issue for more information.) The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Jill Manske Social Work Pioneer Award also will be presented during the awards ceremony. The National Social Work Program Office, Care Management and Social Work Services in the Department of Veterans Affair...

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Death isn’t often an easy topic to discuss, but Frances Nedjat-Haiem, a New Mexico State University social work associate professor, is working to change that, according to an article at KRWG.org in New Mexico. Nedjat-Haiem, an NASW member, saw many people in her 12 years of medical social work, especially Latinos not able to speak up for themselves when faced with a life-threatening medical condition, the article explains. That inspired Nedjat-Haiem to start community conversations about topics such as the need for advance directives. “For the last 12 years I’ve been looking at aspects of culture, community, family issu...

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