Happy Social Work Month!   Angelo McClain, Ph.D., LICSW I hope March 2018 gives you many moments of peaceful self-reflection filled with personal acknowledgement that your professional social work endeavors are making a critical difference in people’s lives and improving our society.   The NASW Social Work Month theme, “Social Workers: Leaders. Advocates. Champions,” calls for actions that align with social work’s values.  The theme underscores that 2018, with the pending midterm election, is a time for social workers to mobilize for social and political action that galvan...

Read More

More member-only content in this month's edition, including: CNN’s Van Jones will deliver opening presentation at NASW’s National Conference in June Social Work Month 2018: New study shows strong chapter involvement in ‘Advocacy Days.’ Workforce report reveals social work title issues Palliative care a growing specialty for social workers And more NASW members, read the full digital edition of the February 2018 NASW News.

Read More

"Goodbye to all my dear friends and family that I love. Today is the day I have chosen to pass away with dignity in the face of my terminal illness, this terrible brain cancer that has taken so much from me... but would have taken so much more.” Brittany Maynard posted that message to friends and family on Facebook before she died on Nov. 1, 2014. Diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, the 29-year-old Californian moved to Oregon so she could become a resident and use its Death With Dignity Act. Physician-assisted death (PAD), which has long been a controversial topic, is legal by state law in California, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont...

Read More

From the President As we move into the new year, I want to extend an invitation to NASW members to consider taking on a leadership role within the association. Kathryn Conley Wehrmann, PhD, MSW, LCSW As I write this column, I am thinking about the elections coming up for Delegate Assembly, an important part of our governance structure that involves delegate members who are charged with reviewing and voting on the policies NASW adopts and uses to shape its public responses to social issues and proposed legislation. Delegate Assembly is the means through which members exercise their ultimate responsibility for prof...

Read More

Students at the nine schools of social work in Massachusetts will learn about preventing and treating substance misuse under an agreement worked out by Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration, according to an article published by the Telegram in Worcester, Mass. Marylou Sudders The social work schools have agreed on nine principles to incorporate into education so that workers in the field can head off addiction and respond when someone is addicted to a dangerous drug, the story explained. Marylou Sudders, the state’s Health and Human Services Secretary and an NASW member, said the schools “will infuse addi...

Read More

More member-only content in this month's edition: When disaster strikes, social workers step up Ambassador Wendy Sherman predicts need for social work skills Maryland HEALS scholars create unique projects Social work programs receive workforce grants And more NASW members, read the full digital edition of the January 2018 NASW News.

Read More

Kate McMullin Children with autism and those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and anxiety can suffer from sensory issues, says Kate McMullin, NASW member and registered play therapist. McMullin was quoted in the Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, N.J., in a story about stores making clothing for children with sensory issues. “Companies who are making clothing that is more sensory-friendly for this population are helping more children than they realize,” McMullin, a certified autism specialist at Inspira Medical Center Woodbury Children’s Behavioral Health, says in the article. McMullin explained that many c...

Read More

When J. David Hawkins was a probation officer in the 1980s, he thought, “Isn’t there something we should have done to prevent these kids from getting to this place?” Programs from that period, like “Just Say No” and “Scared Straight,” just didn’t work, he said, for one reason: There was no evidence behind them.  Now Hawkins is part of a large interdisciplinary group of experts who envision a future where all youths can grow up free from emotional and behavioral problems, and they are backing up that vision with more than 30 years of tested and proven research to get us there as they addre...

Read More

From the CEO Angelo McClain, Ph.D., LICSW Several months ago, I had the privilege of presenting a keynote address at the International Federation of Social Work’s 24th Asia Pacific Regional Conference in Shenzhen, China. As we approached the conference center, I noticed many colorful billboards that read, “Social Workers: Spreading Love and Hope.” The China Social Work Association’s “Spreading Love & Hope” slogan prompted me to think about the dire need for more compassionate concern in all aspects of American life — from the eradication of racism, poverty, hunger and...

Read More