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From all sectors of the profession, social workers have stepped up big time during the pandemic. At the forefront of social justice and facilitators of human compassion, these everyday heroes have overcome numerous hurdles to elevate the lives of others during this unprecedented time.
In celebration of Social Work Month, this month’s E-Newsletter spotlights several of the contributions made by social workers, including adapting to telehealth on the fly and making a difference in oncology care.
We welcome your comments at SWTeditor@gvpub.com. Visit our website at www.SocialWorkToday.com, like our Facebook page, and follow us on Twitter.
— Lee DeOrio, editorial director |
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How Social Workers Can Adapt to Teletherapy
By Sarah Gaffey, LCSW
By nature, social workers are facilitators of change and transformation. Not only do they have the overall goal to positively transform patients’ well-being, but they do so by continually leveraging and adapting to their evolving and complex social systems. This past year, the pandemic spotlighted social workers’ adaptability, creativity, and flexibility as the world went under lockdown and behavioral health concerns rose. Social workers were forced to change and shift perspective practically overnight as they navigated how to best support the growing need for mental health services, while living and learning alongside patients in this novel, unknown environment.
Telehealth quickly became a crucial part of almost every health care provider’s operations, whether everyone in the industry was ready for it or not. Prior to COVID-19, there was some resistance around the idea that virtual appointments could provide the same quality of care as an in-person visit. In addition, some social workers faced difficulty finding proper telehealth training or solving other logistical issues, like ensuring the technology and devices they used were HIPAA compliant. However, even those who had previously been resistant to teletherapy pivoted to embrace this new skill set and format in order to reach the needs of their patients. Many clinicians had to quickly adapt and operate remotely, while ensuring they continued to deliver effective quality care.
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Self-Care: Essential PPE for Essential Social Workers
By Veronica Molina, DSW, LMSW, ACSW, and Nicole Willis, PhD, LMSW
Social workers are essential! This is the central theme of Social Work Month in 2021. It’s a fitting description for social workers this year. During the pandemic, social workers have fought through the unique stresses of being frontline workers, managing blurred boundaries at home, balancing work and family, working through the drought of isolation, caring for loved ones who were infected with COVID-19, and even witnessing close family, friends, and community members lose their battle with the virus. And yet, as we experience this ourselves, we find the strength and creativity to deliver essential services to our clients and client systems.
Social workers have not just been in the trenches during the pandemic—they have also gained national attention through the presidential appointments made by the new Administration. The essential contributions social workers make in the lives of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities has been acknowledged at the national level through the appointments of several social workers, such as Meg Kabat (transition team for the VA), Jared Bernstein (Council of Economic Advisors), and Wendy Sherman (Deputy Secretary of State).
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Study Sheds Light on Vaccine Acceptance Among Sexual and Gender Minorities
Equitable implementation of COVID‐19 vaccine delivery is a national and global priority, with a strong focus on reducing existing disparities and not creating new disparities. But while a framework has been recognized for equitable allocation of COVID‐19 vaccine that acknowledges the rights and interests of sexual and gender minorities (SGM), it fails to identify strategies or data to achieve that goal.
A new study with support from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) examined the prevalence of COVID testing and diagnosis and assessed COVID‐19 vaccine acceptance among a large national sample of SGM. It showed that medical mistrust, social concern, and race were significantly associated with decreased COVID‐19 vaccine acceptance by SGM participants. Results have been published in the article “COVID‐19 Vaccine Acceptance Among an Online Sample of Sexual and Gender Minority Men and Transgender Women” in the journal Vaccines.
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| Social workers care about their clients, but rarely do they have time to care about themselves. Show yourself a little appreciation with field-inspired gear from our Gift Shop. We've got the perfect item for every situation from busy days in the office to at-home visits. Check out our secure online shop today or call toll-free 877-809-1659 for easy and fast ordering. |
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Caught in the Middle: The Plight of Crossover Youth
The long-entrenched lack of communication and coordination between the child welfare and juvenile justice systems makes it difficult to address the needs of this unique population. Read more »
Financial Independence for Older Adults
There’s a difference between being financially independent and being able to meet financial obligations. Read more » |
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Failed Assignments — Rethinking Sex Designations on Birth Certificates
An article in The New England Journal of Medicine suggests making a change to traditional sex designations on birth certificates, which often can be harmful for intersex and transgender people.
Privacy Warning: Do Mental Health Apps Share Your Data?
Telehealth is on the rise and apps can provide an easier way to access mental health resources, but users may want to be aware of what personal data an app is collecting, according to Komando.com. |
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Program Addresses Stress Among First Responders
The Wayne State University (WSU) Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Sciences has teamed with the State of Michigan to develop a comprehensive behavioral and mental health training and support program for the state’s first responders and their families to address the stress they face in their duties protecting residents.
The program, Frontline Strong Together, will be available electronically and in-person to first responders and their families in nearly all of Michigan’s 83 counties this year. The program is being developed and implemented with representatives of the Michigan Professional Firefighters Union, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Department of Corrections, paramedics, and dispatchers.
Read more » |
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