Top Stories
NASW Calls for Creation of Congressional Commission on AI and Social Work
Issue No. 12
Association urges members to contact their representatives
By Laetitia Clayton
As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly transforms the way most of us do our work, NASW is calling for the creation of a congressional commission to help ensure that social work is not left behind.
An NASW action alert was sent out on Feb. 18, urging members to contact their representatives to demand support for a Congressional AI Commission for Social Workers.
Ja’Bree Harris, public policy and advocacy manager at NASW, said the policy team has already met with Rep. Jay Obernolte, Calif.-23, chair of the bipartisan Task Force on Artificial Intelligence, and Rep. Haley Stevens, Mich.-11, a task force member.
Congress established the task force last year “to explore how Congress can ensure America continues to lead the world in AI innovation while considering guardrails that may be appropriate to safeguard the nation against current and emerging threats.”
Harris said AI is a tool and not a replacement for social workers, so “a big piece of this is safeguarding our workforce.”Another piece is preventing systematic bias, he said, because AI learns from humans.
Read the full article.
NASW’s California Chapter Aids Communities Affected by Wildfires
Issue No. 11
By Paul R. Pace
NASW-California hosted a space at the Marriott Long Beach during the wildfires and organized donations for people in need.
In January, a series of destructive wildfires hit California’s Los Angeles area, killing at least 29 people, forcing more than 200,000 to evacuate, and destroying or damaging more than 18,000 homes and structures.
“People have lived in these communities for 30 or 45 years and are now displaced and having their whole family and their generational wealth completely gone,” said Kimberly Warmsley, MSW, LCSW, executive director of NASW’s California Chapter. “The impact is so disturbing.”
Warmsley said she was particularly concerned to learn that many evacuees represented communities of color or those who are economically disadvantaged. When the fires began, she started thinking of ways NASW could offer support. She reached out to Gwen Bouie-Haynes, PhD, LMSW, executive director of the NASW Mississippi and Alabama chapters, who volunteered to travel to California to share her expertise in disaster response efforts.
Read the full article.
A Second Trump Term: Coping Strategies for Social Workers
Issue No. 10
By Laetitia Clayton
Since Donald J. Trump won the general election in November, many Americans have experienced a range of negative emotions, and social workers are no exception. These feelings include anxiety, depression, fear, helplessness and hopelessness.
Much like during the COVID-19 pandemic, social workers are in the position of helping others cope while also managing their own emotions. In response to this, NASW’s Massachusetts Chapter on Nov. 6 posted a resource on its website called “Coping With Election Stress: An NASW-MA Toolkit.”
“We knew that it was going to be a close election and we knew that our members would be looking for some resources, said Rebekah Gewirtz, MPA, executive director of NASW’s
Massachusetts and Rhode Island chapters. “And we wanted something to share with other chapters and national, so we’re all kind of rowing in the same direction.”
The resource offers tips for discussing the election with clients, practicing self-care and building community, working with marginalized populations to cope with an uncertain future, understanding the relationship between mental health and reproductive rights, and ideas for delving into other forms of political action and advocacy.
Read the full article.
New Trends Revealed in Cannabis and Alcohol Use Disorders
Issue No. 9
By Paul R. Pace
Marijuana can be addictive, altering the brain's natural chemical balance and impacting various physiological functions across the body, says Lawrence R. Fishel PhD, LCSW-C, a clinical social work specialist in Towson, Md.
The risk of developing cannabis use disorders increases with higher rates of marijuana consumption.
"Although less physically harmful than some substances, marijuana use can impair cognitive abilities and motivation, leading to decreased memory, performance and interest in healthy pursuits," he states.
Marijuana use can interfere with the diagnosis and treatment of a range of psychiatric conditions, he adds.
Cannabis use disorder is a pattern of cannabis use that leads to clinically significant impairment or distress. For some with this disorder there is a persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control cannabis use. In addition, a great deal of time is spent on activities necessary to obtain cannabis, use cannabis, or recover from its effects.
Fishel shared these details in an NASW Specialty Practice Sections webinar, New Trends in Substance Use Focusing on Alcohol and Cannabis.
Read the full article.
Reducing Recidivism: Social Worker Helps Create Jail Bridge Program in California
Issue No. 8
By Paul R. Pace
In the 1970s and 1980s, the U.S. war on drugs spiked the number of mass incarcerations by increasing convictions for nonviolent drug offenses.
In fact, the incarceration rate rose by 1,216%.
“That spearheaded our mass incarceration rate, which continues to plague our country,” says Heather Dunn, DSW, LCSW.
This issue inspired Dunn to examine ways to break the high recidivism rate for incarcerated people who are suffering from mental health issues and other life challenges. She leads the NASW Specialty Practice Sections webinar “Social Work with the Incarcerated Population—A Jail Bridge Program.” It is available here.
Dunn, a behavioral health manager at Kaiser Permanente, works in collaboration with the Sonoma County Jail in Santa Rosa, Calif., to help build a bridge in mental health treatment programs in post incarceration.
Read the full article.
NASW Presents Call to Action in New White House Administration
Issue No. 7
By Paul R. Pace
NASW hosted a Facebook Live panel discussion to share concerns and a plan of action after Donald J. Trump was declared the winner of the Nov. 5 presidential election.
An NASW public statement in response to the election results said the association is deeply troubled by comments Trump has made regarding immigrants, women, people who are LGBTQIA2S+, and people of color—and it will challenge any of his policies that harm the nation’s most vulnerable populations.
NASW CEO Anthony Estreet, PhD, MBA, LCSW-C, moderated the “The NASW Post Election Call to Action” discussion. “This is not new for us,” he said. “Social work has its history in civil rights, gender equality, the LGBTQ community, immigration and refugee movements. We are all about this space, advocating for change.” Read the full article.
NASW-PACE Announces Federal Endorsements for General Election
Issue No. 6
By Paul R. Pace
The NASW Political Action for Candidate Election (PACE) board of trustees has made 165 federal endorsements for the Nov. 5 general election.
Thirty-four of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate are up for regular election. All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for election.
According to NASW-PACE, the goal of any endorsement is to elect candidates who support NASW policy positions and increase visibility for NASW in the process. NASW also gains candidates’ recognition, improves connections with elected officials, advances NASW’s policy agenda, and builds respect for the association as a powerful and committed activist organization.
Read the full article.
Vote 2024: Chapter Field Organizers Help Make a Difference in Battleground States
Issue No. 5
By Paul R. Pace
Encouraging social workers and their clients to vote is part of the NASW Code of Ethics, say NASW chapter leaders.
“Voting is a key part of how our democracy functions,” says NASW Ohio Chapter Executive Director Danielle Smith. “It’s essential to social justice. Social justice is a core value of social work practice. It’s a moral and ethical duty for social workers that people have access to voting in a fair way. Helping clients access that is important.”
Ohio is one of five states where NASW has hired PACE (Political Action for Candidate Election) field organizers for this year’s general election. The other states are Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
“The field organizer program allows NASW-PACE to reach NASW members in key states to help them register, get involved in campaigns, and vote,” says Dina Kastner, public policy and advocacy manager at NASW national. “It is critical that social workers are active in elections that will determine the fate of our profession and the clients that we serve.”
Read the full story.
Learn How to Respond to Client Requests for Emotional Support Animal Letters
Issue No. 4
By Paul R. Pace
Social work practitioners are increasingly being asked by their
clients to write “Emotional Support Animal (ESA) letters” to verify
eligibility for ESAs as accommodation in rental housing.
Uncertainty on how to respond to such requests creates barriers to
housing access for people facing housing instability who are eligible
for ESA support as a housing accommodation under the U.S. Fair Housing
Act or FHA.
Janet Hoy-Gerlach, PhD, LCSW, LISW-S, director of Veterinary Social
Work Open Door Veterinary Collective, hosted an NASW Specialty Practice
Sections webinar discussing the topic in a presentation called
“Responding Ethically and Competently to ‘Emotional Support Animal’
(ESA) Letter Requests.”
About 66 percent of U.S. households report having at least one
animal. “A majority of those further report that their animal is
family,” Hoy-Gerlach said.
Determining an ESA request is not about being an “animal person,” it’s about being a competent professional, she noted. Read the
full story.
Social Worker of the Year Juggles Work as Clinician and Maine State Representative
Issue No. 3
By Laetitia Clayton
Growing up, Lydia Crafts says the farthest thing from her mind was
becoming a social worker—even though her mother and aunts were social
workers. Or perhaps because of that.
“As an adolescent, I swore I would never become a social worker,” Crafts says, admitting to a bit of a rebellious streak.
Today, Crafts, LCSW, has left that rebelliousness behind and is a
part-time clinical social worker and a Maine state
representative—combining the micro and macro aspects of the profession.
NASW chose her as its 2024 Social Worker of the Year for her
behavioral health care work with children and also as a state legislator
focusing on “strengthening Maine’s behavioral health infrastructure,
increasing access to services, and promoting a strong workforce.”
Crafts says her mother, Careyleah MacLeod, also an LCSW, inspired her
to choose the social work profession, adding that she deeply admired
the compassion her mother showed on her own social work path. Read the
full story.
Congressional Briefing Outlines Need for Social Workers and Youth Behavioral Health Programs
Issue No. 2
By Paul R. Pace
Graciela Chavez of North Carolina is a single mom to her son,
Angel, whom she had at age 15. After graduating from high school, Chavez said
she had little to no support. Compounding this problem was her son’s struggle
with behavioral and mental health issues.
Angel was eventually referred to the Youth Villages Intercept
program, an intensive in-home services program that helped Chavez and her son.
Once Chavez met Angel’s intercept specialist, she said she realized she was
there to help.
“She gave us the tools we needed to overcome some pretty tough
obstacles,” Chavez said. “Through this program, my son was able to learn to
identify triggers and come up with strategies on how to properly manage those
triggers. He learned how to express his emotions. He learned how to work with
challenging cognitive distortions.”
Chavez offered her comments at a congressional briefing on
Capitol Hill called “Rooted in Change: Cultivating Youth Behavioral Wellness at
Home and in Communities.” Read the
full story.
Social Work is Political
Issue No. 1
By Paul R. Pace
“At the end of the day, politics is not a spectator sport,” NASW CEO Anthony Estreet, PhD, MBA, LCSW-C, said during a presentation at NASW’s national conference in June.
Panelists for the preconference workshop—“Social Work is a Political Profession”— outlined why it’s important for social workers to be involved in the political arena.
Sherron Wilkes, DSW, MSW, program director and clinical assistant professor at the University of Alabama, pointed out the NASW Code of Ethics lays the groundwork for what social workers do, including engaging in social and political action that seeks to ensure all people have equal access to the resources and opportunities that meet their basic needs and to develop fully.
“Politics is social work with power,” she said.