In the Public Eye — Winter 2025

North Carolina Chapter Offers Advice in Response to Hurricane Helene

There was a flurry of activity across North Carolina after Hurricane Helene caused widespread destruction and numerous fatalities across the Southeastern United States in 2024. Donation and volunteer lists filled up in response to Helene. Everyone wants to do what they can, including mental health providers who are signing up to offer free counseling, said a story posted at northcarolinahealthnews.org.

“We’re a helping profession, so everybody wants to hurry up and help,” Valerie Arendt (pictured at left), executive director of the NASW North Carolina Chapter, said in the article.

“There’s still search and rescue going on, and it’s important for folks not to self-deploy,” Arendt said. “Then try to go through the appropriate channels, because if people just show up and they don’t have that crisis response and disaster response training, they sometimes do more harm than good.”

Food, water and supplies are limited, and without a plan, people who show up wanting to help could unintentionally end up taking resources from those in need, Arendt explained in the story.

For mental health providers who want to go in person to help in western North Carolina, Arendt said they should go through the American Red Cross’s health care volunteer portal or the governor’s office, which has set up a form, to be appropriately deployed.

Karen Goodenough, PhD, MSW, LGSW

NASW-Minnesota Executive Director Karen Goodenough, PhD, MSW, LGSW, ran for a seat on the Cass County Commission for District 3 in the general election. In a KAXE.org story, Goodenough explained why she was qualified for the position.

“I’ve built my career around a life of service—helping others and championing thoughtful, fiscally responsible policies—and I would be honored to bring those values to serve our community,” Goodenough said. “I am a social worker, nonprofit executive director, registered lobbyist, and adjunct professor. I lead the development and implementation of an extensive legislative agenda, write and edit position statements, analyze and advise on agency policy and legislative language and strategy, and represent social workers in national interstate compact development. I’m also deeply invested in the well-being of Cass County.” Goodenough was edged out of the race by her opponent—2,148-2,063 votes.

Lequita Brooks, LCSW

NASW-Florida member Lequita Brooks, LCSW, wrote an editorial column for the Jacksonville Free Press urging lawmakers to increase access to mental health services by licensed clinical social workers.

Brooks noted that more than 20% of American adults (more than 50 million) experience some sort of mental illness every year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. “The Interstate Social Work Licensure Compact is desperately needed in combination with a federal system of regulation for the practice of social work and social work licensure to protect the public,” Brooks said. “It is time for federal intervention from the United States House of Representatives, and the United States Senate to ensure the LCSWs that will be serving Americans across state lines to address the mental health crises are competent, credible, and credentialed,” she wrote.

Jana Wu, LCSW

NASW-Connecticut member Jana Wu wrote a blog post for Psychology Today about ways to leverage a natural positivity response in the brain.

“Through our choices, practices, and actions, we can stimulate the production of the neural hormone oxytocin, which shifts our outlook and brings a sense of calm and connection,” said Wu, LCSW, a licensed alcohol and drug counselor.

Beyond its calming and physical effects, oxytocin is a cornerstone of social connection. “It plays a central role in social cognition, boosting self-awareness and confidence,” Wu wrote. “It fosters feelings of empathy, making it easier to connect with others. Interestingly, the ways we perceive ourselves and others seem to be intertwined, sharing some of the same brain pathways that oxytocin influences.” Wu also suggested ways to naturally boost oxytocin and regulate emotions.

Crystal N. Hutchinson, MSW, LCSW

NASW-Florida member Crystal N. Hutchinson, MSW, LCSW, a therapist who practices in Vero Beach, was quoted in a Veronews.com story about the ways negativity bias impacts people.

“Unfortunately, we tend to dwell more on what we see as our negatives rather than our positives,” she says. The good news is that there are ways to learn to like yourself better despite this pernicious negativity bias.

Hutchinson says it is important to learn to appreciate what you bring to the table. And when people compliment you for that, it’s OK to accept the compliment. “You may not think that what you have to offer is a big deal, but others don’t necessarily see it that way.”

It’s OK to treat yourself with kindness. “You don’t always need validation from outside sources,” she said. “Take the time to learn to like yourself and make yourself feel good. The way you treat yourself signals to others how they should treat you.”

Danika Mills, LCSW

NASW-North Carolina member Danika Mills, LCSW, a member of the chapter’s board of directors, wrote a column about caregivers for Medcitynews.com.

The U.S. workforce does not need to be in a position where they must choose between their careers and caring for their families, she said in the column. If sufficient balance between work and caregiving is not achieved, caregivers face the risk of becoming patients themselves.

If we are serious about addressing the urgent and varied needs of caregivers, we must advocate for paid family leave; accessible childcare and eldercare; tax credits; and in-home support services, said Mills, who is head of Care Operations at Grayce, a global technology-enabled platform supporting caregivers.