NASW News

The general public overwhelmingly favors immigration reform. Poll after poll shows that Americans want well-enforced, sensible and sustainable immigration laws. Congress must weigh competing economic, security and humanitarian concerns and pass legislation that addresses demand for high-skilled and low-skilled labor; the legal status of undocumented immigrants living in the country; border security; and interior enforcement. Since the election of Donald J. Trump, the immigration debate has once again moved into the forefront of political consciousness. Trump's executive orders on border security, interior enforcement and refugees, whi...

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The huge auditorium was filled with people from all over the country who had come to hear about one of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare’s grand challenges. They came from varied backgrounds — from social workers to lobbyists, said Melissa D. Grady, associate professor at Catholic University’s National School of Social Services. The challenge co-leaders came out and asked “How many of you know someone—not from a professional standpoint — who is incarcerated?” Grady said. “It seemed like 90 percent of the room raised their hands,” she said. “It was a visual repres...

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Slate.com interviewed NASW member Shane’a Thomas, a licensed clinical social worker who works as a psychotherapist at Whitman-Walker Health, a Washington, D.C., community health center specializing in HIV/AIDS care and LGBT care. Thomas’ primary focus is with young people who identify along the LGBTQ spectrum, and who have experienced a trauma of some kind. The story says Thomas connects her work with those patients to her own process of self-discovery. “They don’t have another place to talk about their bodies and being queer,” she told Slate.com. Thomas sees between 16 and 18 patients usually on a we...

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More members only content in this month's edition: Aging Through the Social Work Lens: Conference will focus on aging issues Social Workers Stand Up: Summit engages students in policy Social work students part of policy exchange in Sweden Webinars focus on cultural competence standards Vermont Chapter strengthens social justice activities New Mexico Chapter works on basic-needs legislation NASW Virtual Career Fair grows Members Extra: Upcoming Webinars, Chats, Private Practice Q&A Social Work in Action NASW members, read the full digital edition of the April 2017 NASW News.

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Latina magazine sought self and relationship advice from NASW member Cynthia Santiago-Borbón in its February issue. Santiago-Borbón is a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in Latina wellness, the article noted. She said “relationships, like every other aspect of our lives, take work. It’s about what you put into them—consistent, steady effort.” Tips were divided into “issues.” For example, the issue: All you do is bicker. The fix: Practice saying “thank you” to each other—every single night—and sharing one thing you appreciated about the other that day, S...

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Even though there are more than 200,000 Americans living with a kidney transplant, the National Kidney Foundation says on average, 3,000 new patients are added to the kidney waiting list every month. And 13 people a day—or 4,745 people a year—die while waiting for a kidney. Dean Wolf has spent his entire working life as a social worker in the field helping others. Now he is asking others to help him, and said it is not an easy thing to do. “As much as I have empathy for people, I need a kidney,” he said it is not an easy thing to do. Wolf, 67, was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 1997. He was diagnosed as having...

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In my last column, I wrote that social workers should be working across political and ideological differences to shore up services and produce outcomes for our clients, and to advance the social work profession. Two months later, I remain wholly committed to this position. In recent weeks, opportunities for social workers to highlight their strengths and demonstrate our profession’s added value in key areas of human rights, social justice and health care have been plentiful. Some of our colleagues on the forefront of these issues are showcased in this issue while others have been featured in mainstream media outlets. Shane’a...

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More members only content in this month's edition: NASW joins million in march Social Workers Stand Up: Social work PSA videos are among activities NASW helps secure approval for National Academies study NASW Board takes action — January 2017 NASW Election 2017 Interest in Campaign School grows, organizer says New Hampshire Chapter expands education offerings Conservative viewpoints deserve social work recognition Members Extra: Upcoming Webinars, Chats, Private Practice Q&A Social Work in Action NASW members, read the full digital edition of the March 2017 NASW News.

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“I think it is important for teachers, parents and counselors to educate teens about the risks of social media and expose them to the issue,” NASW member Nityda Coleman, a clinical social worker and therapist at Teen Therapy Austin was quoted saying in a story posted at NBCNews.com. “It’s important to go into detail around why social media can be harmful as well as helpful,” Coleman said. A report, “Social Media Use and Children’s Wellbeing,” published by IZA Institute of Labor Economics, states that children between ages 10 and 15 who spend as little as one hour a day chatting on social netwo...

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Jane Addams, known as “The Mother of Social Work,” founded the U.S. Settlement House Movement in Chicago in the late 1800s. Addams and other social workers after her have led the way in developing social safety net programs. Today, social workers are part of the fabric of our nation, leading the march toward social justice, bringing our nation’s social problems to the public’s attention and serving in nearly every sector. Yet it was not long ago that many of the freedoms and rights Americans have today did not exist—and they would not exist—without the help of social workers advocating for them. Civi...

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