Social Work in the Public Eye
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| Lori
Weinstein |
U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., announced that Lori
Weinstein has been selected as a 2009 Angel in Adoption for her outstanding
advocacy of adoption issues. The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute
honored Weinstein and 190 other Angels at an awards ceremony in Washington.
Weinstein was noted for her 21 years of service to Montgomery
County Child Welfare Services, during which time she assisted more than 160 children
in finding permanent and loving homes. Angela English, administrator for
Montgomery County Child Welfare Services, said in a statement that Weinstein
"has dedicated her professional career in child welfare to adoption with a
great deal of enthusiasm for the work."
According to the Department of Health and Human Services for
Montgomery County, Weinstein, as a senior leader in adoption work, has provided
direction for many colleagues and student interns from the various area
colleges and universities. "She is dedicated to finding children permanent
homes and she works tirelessly to ensure that the clinical needs of the
children on her caseload are met," the nomination letter stated. "She
is quick in decision-making, with sensible reactions in difficult circumstances.
She is capable of handling difficult situations with thoughtfulness and
maturity."
The Angels in Adoption program is CCAI's signature public
awareness campaign and provides an opportunity for all members of the U.S.
Congress to honor the good work of their constituents who have enriched the
lives of foster children and orphans in the U.S. and abroad.
The St. Petersburg, Fla., City Council will welcome Steve
Kornell, a school social worker in Pinellas County, after he earned enough
votes to beat fellow newcomer Angela Rouson in a District 5 race, the St.
Petersburg Times reported.
When he takes office this month, Kornell will become the first
openly gay person elected to office in St. Petersburg. It's a significant
milestone in a city with a large gay community that has faced opposition to
pride displays under conservative leadership, the story stated.
"The thing about making history is fine," Kornell
said in the article. "But this campaign was really about the future of St.
Petersburg and that's what I plan to focus on for the next four years."
The story noted that Kornell has an extensive background
working with city recreation centers, running both Childs Park and Shore Acres.
He wrote a grant that still brings in millions of dollars for teen programs. He
hopes to help prevent crime and increase youth activities and jobs. He also
advocates using Penny for Pinellas money to put solar panels on city buildings.
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| Brian
Anderson |
Brian Anderson, Mississippi College social work program
director, was recently selected as the Mississippi Social Work Educator of the
Year. According to Mississippi College, the honor came at the 38th annual
Alabama/Mississippi Social Work Education Conference.
"I was definitely honored to receive the award and proud
to be part of the social work profession,'' Anderson said in a statement
released by the school. "I will use this as an
opportunity to continue to do the work in the community. This is definitely a
great accomplishment.''
More than 200 conference participants got the opportunity to
hear Anderson make a presentation about social work at the meeting on the
Jackson State University campus in October.
A graduate of Mississippi's Tougaloo College, where he played
on the basketball team, Anderson also received a master's in social work at
Louisiana State University and a doctorate at Jackson State. He served as a
volunteer coach of the Callaway Chargers boys' basketball team that won the
state 4-A championship at the Mississippi Coliseum in 2009. The professor's
latest award is based on active involvement with the Alabama/Mississippi Social
Work Education Conference, scholarly activity, community service and leadership
and his involvement as a model of professionalism for social work students.
The school also noted that, earlier this year, Anderson
received the "Invisible Giants'' award from the Mary S. Nelums Scholarship
Foundation. Nelums retired in 2007 as a social work professor at Jackson State,
the year the foundation began. The award celebrates the accomplishments of young
men who quietly work to improve life in their communities.
Economic abuse between couples was the focus of a story
produced by the Public News Service. The article referenced a study by the
Allstate Foundation on ways couples can sometimes abuse each other through
economic means, which is a form of domestic abuse.
The article also quoted Katherine Campbell, who operates a
private practice. She said arguing about money sometimes is normal for couples.
What is wrong is when one partner tries to use the pocketbook to control the
other.
"It's not always about the punch in the face; domestic
violence is also about the way the abuser controls the person being abused, and
finances are a big way abusers control their victims," Campbell was quoted
as saying.
The story referenced an unnamed poll in which nearly half of
respondents said one of the biggest barriers to leaving an abusive relationship
is lack of financial security. Most people believe these tough economic times
have made it more difficult for victims, and Campbell said economic downturns
can increase the severity and the frequency of all kinds of abuse.
Campbell said calls to shelters are up, and moving into an
apartment requires more money than many women have.
"To leave an abusive relationship you have to have the
tools to do so, and that's a lot of money they may not be able to get together,
especially if their abuser is controlling the money," she said.
Campbell said if you are in an abusive relationship where your
partner is controlling you financially, you should seek help. She said there is
a way out, and social workers can help.
"Domestic violence is not something anybody
deserves," she said. "Social workers can help women see when a
situation moves from arguing to abusive, then assist them in developing ways
they can stay safe."
Joelle McCormick was quoted in the Newberg (Ore.) Graphic in a
story about treatment for victims of sex abuse.
One of the consequences of child sexual abuse is that victims
can grow to be adults suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, the
article stated.
In the same way that military personnel returning from combat
have been documented to relive traumatic experiences, or be set off by
apparently harmless gestures, so can people who've been sexually abused as
children, the story explained.
McCormick, a licensed clinical social worker for her county
and in private practice, said there are telltale signs of abuse but treatment
exists and can be effective.
A common sign that a teenager is or has been abused is extreme
sexual behavior, McCormick said in the story. While the stereotype is that
victims of child sexual abuse turn into promiscuous adults, it's also possible
for them to completely forgo any sexual contact. While teenagers normally
discover sex with others their own age and at their own pace, for victims of
sex abuse "that normal experience is robbed of them," she said in the
article.
Lower grades, fears of going places alone and difficulty
sleeping are other signs, McCormick said. "That can look like ADHD when
really it's trauma, because the symptoms are the same."
Through therapy, the victim is encouraged to take "their
power back and (be) able to fully place the blame on the offender,"
McCormick said.
Those who suffer from PTSD will be taught how to detect
triggers, the precursor signs of a crisis. "It's not that the triggers are
going to stop," McCormick said, but the client will be given skills to
cope with the triggers so that they are better equipped to shorten the effects
and diminish the intensity.
Victims are at their weakest when they feel they don't have
control. "They want things to be predictable, they don't want to be
surprised again," McCormick said, because "(the abuse) wasn't about pleasure, it was about power and control."
While McCormick practices a form of talk therapy, she said
there are multiple tools available to therapists.
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| Elizabeth
Talbot |
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| Deborah
Aden |
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Two members will help lead the first-ever master of social
work program offered in South Dakota, which is the only state in the nation
that does not offer master's level training in social work education. But
grassroots efforts by the NASW South Dakota Chapter and other supporters helped
convince lawmakers last March of the need to offer an MSW program in the state.
Before, social workers who wanted to advance their education had to cross the
state line, said Chapter Executive Director Joan McMillin. Students who
received MSWs usually did not return to South Dakota to work, she noted.
To help offset this trend, lawmakers agreed to fund the state
university program. The advanced degree is expected to be offered to students
for the first time this fall.
It was recently announced that Elizabeth Talbot will serve as
director for the newly established master of social work program at the School
of Health Sciences of the University of South Dakota. Talbot served as the
director of the MSW program at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota for the
past three years. Before that, she was assistant professor with the Graduate
School of Social Work at Dominican University in River Forest, Ill. She
received a Ph.D. from Loyola University in Chicago.
Deborah Aden will serve as director of field placement. Aden
previously was director of field placement for the BSW program at University of
Sioux Falls. She has also worked in the community as director of a nonprofit
agency primarily serving victims of domestic violence. She received her MSW
from University of Nebraska-Omaha.
McMillin said there are already more than 300 inquiries about
the new MSW program from potential students.
From January 2010 NASW News. © 2010 National
Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved. NASW News
articles may be copied for personal use, but proper notice of
copyright and credit to the NASW News must appear on all copies
made. This permission does not apply to reproduction for advertising,
promotion, resale, or other commercial purposes.
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