2014 Article Archive

November/December 2014 Issue

features

Fathers in Adoption — Are They Forgotten?
The many different routes to adoptive fatherhood, which bring different clinical and practical issues that birth and adoptive fathers must grapple with, are often overlooked.

Mindfulness-Based Approaches to Traumatic Brain Injuries
Research suggests that social workers can make a significant difference by referring patients with TBI to mindfulness-based stress reduction programs (most of which involve some form of meditation) or by incorporating these techniques into their own practices.

Children With Intellectual Disabilities in Foster Care
Foster care is a challenge for any child, but those with intellectual disabilities face additional hardships navigating the educational, medical, and psychosocial issues associated with their special needs.

The Affordable Care Act and Social Services — The Technological and Business Impact
Social workers must become increasingly adept at utilizing technology and implementing software as there is no doubt that the ACA will foster changes to the way that social workers provide service.

departments

Editor's Note
Forgotten Fathers

Addictions Advisor
When Help Harms Rather Than Heals

Mental Health Monitor
Trauma-Sensitive Yoga

Evolving Education
Schools, Agencies Come Together for Multidisciplinary Partnerships

2014 Annual Social Services Directory

Datebook

September/October 2014 Issue

features

Managing the Cost of Your Education — Beyond Loan Forgiveness
Social work education costs are rising as is the demand for social workers. What strategies beyond loan forgiveness are being formulated to recruit and retain staff hesitant to embark on a professional journey that may not offer salaries sufficient to pay off student debt?

Nephrology Social Work — Caring for the Emotional Needs of Dialysis Patients
End-stage renal disease is a roller coaster requiring the support of a team of professionals in which the social worker is often providing key emotional support for depression and anxiety.

Medication-Assisted Treatment — A Tool to Support Addiction Recovery
Changes in addiction trends, most notably in opiate dependence, have necessitated an evolution in traditional treatment protocols, despite some resistance. Learn why these changes are occurring and how social workers are involved in advocacy.

Mindfulness and Disordered Eating — Food Is Not the Enemy
By modeling the very tasks therapists ask their clients to do, they teach them to step toward freedom from the tyranny of mindless eating and unconscious living.

departments

Editor’s Note
Dollars and Sense for Social Work Education

Conference Currents
NASW 2014 National Conference

Social Services Software
A Push for Patient Portals

Children and Families Forum
The Power of Lifebooks

Aging Advocate
The Geriatric Social Worker

Datebook

July/August 2014 Issue

features

Natural Mentoring of Older Foster Care Youths — Behavioral Health Benefits
Nonparental, caring adults whom vulnerable youths select as mentors from their existing social networks may help reverse some negative outcomes for which these youths are at risk.

Caregiving in Multigenerational Homes
Children, parents, and grandparents in one household can complicate caregiving and pose unique challenges and benefits to all generations.

Grieving Chronic Illness and Injury — Infinite Losses
Serious chronic illness and injury must be grieved like other losses but with special attention to the lack of resolution they involve.

Youth Athletes Off the Field — School Social Workers Offer Support
Youth sports participation can be a positive experience, but athletes’ behavioral health challenges may be neglected in a “winning is everything” philosophy.

departments

Editor’s Note
Meaningful Mentoring

Technology Trends
Texting for Help

Addictions Advisor
LGBT Substance Use — Beyond Statistics

Aging Advocate
Older Adult HIV Risk Prevention

Mental Health Monitor

Datebook

May/June 2014 Issue

features

DSM-5 — Debate, Soul Searching, Changes
Certain DSM-5 revisions are controversial, and some social workers question whether the manual conflicts with social work values and why social workers were not involved in the updates.

Social Worker Self-Care — The Overlooked Core Competency
Social workers focused only on caring for their clients miss an important element of sound practice: self-care.

Intergenerational Trauma — Legacies of Loss
Trauma can affect generations of families, and astute social workers are mindful that its effects can trickle down throughout the years.

Neuroscience and Social Work — Toward a Brain-Based Practice
Two decades of technology have yielded new knowledge about the brain and its connection to mental illness, addiction, and other psychosocial conditions. Social work education must integrate these findings into curricula to teach students how neuroscience can inform their practice.

departments

Editor’s Note
Controversy of ‘Biblical’ Proportions

Mental Health Monitor
Social Media Campaign Targets Science, Stigma

Addictions Advisor
Reaching Rural Veterans

Evolving Education
Community Connectors — White House Recognizes Value of Social Workers

Technology Trends

Aging Advocate
Placing a Loved One in Assisted Living

Children and Families Forum

Datebook

March/April 2014 Issue

features

Mindfulness, Women, and Childhood Abuse — Turning Toward What’s Difficult
Though change is not the goal of this practice, by leaning into acceptance of what is here right now, individuals become aware that choice exists.

Ethics Education in Social Work — Transformation of a Profession
Social work is a different profession than it was decades ago, and education has adjusted to and reflected the major cultural and technological changes that have affected the profession’s ethics.

Treatments for Veterans With PTSD — Outside the Traditional Toolbox
Complementary and alternative therapies may be useful adjuncts in working with veterans for whom standard treatments have been inadequate and for those who wish to enhance overall wellness.

Immigration and Sexual Abuse — Protecting Undocumented Children
Social workers can assist noncitizen children and families who fear being discovered as undocumented if sexual abuse is detected and reported.

departments

Editor’s Note
History Lesson

Addictions Advisor
Pregnant/Postpartum Women and Treatment

Children and Families Forum
Project Aims to End LGBT Youths’ Homelessness

Social Services Software
Big Data’s Impact on Social Services

Annual Education Guide

Mental Health Monitor

Datebook

January/February 2014 Issue

features

Expressive Therapies for People With Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias
Even when memory, language, and cognition are impaired, creative therapies can help people with dementia communicate and express emotions.

10 Dedicated and Deserving Social Workers
Enjoy the professional and personal stories of 10 social workers who were nominated by their peers to be recognized by Social Work Today for their outstanding services to individuals, families, and communities.

Ethics of Genetics Testing — A Social Work Perspective
Read about the challenges confronting social workers and their clients who choose testing for genetic diseases that often have no treatment or cure.

Adult Day Centers — Options for Elder Home Care Support
Caregivers of elders at home may resist considering adult day centers for their loved ones, but these facilities can offer respite, social stimulation for loved ones, and/or management of some medical conditions.

departments

Editor’s Note
What Is, Not What Isn’t

Aging Advocate
A Supporting Role in Elder Care

Technology Trends
Social Media and Suicide Prevention

Mental Health Monitor
Equine Therapy Develops Personal Growth, Learning; Seizures and Epilepsy Burden Veterans

Datebook