I'm watching twitter, google+ and the web so you don't have to...
This
post is part of a weekly series, Best in Mental Health,
featuring the best posts of the week, in social work, psychology,
evidence-based practice/healthcare, non-profit and private practice
concerns on Social Work Career Development.
To get a quick idea of the topics covered in this week's round-up, please see the above word cloud :)
Evidence Based Practice/Healthcare:
Achieving race equality in mental health: a new briefing from the NHS Confederation
The Mental Elf (Andre Tomlin)
"report suggests that focusing on tackling inequalities in access and
experience will ensure that more people have good mental health and
more people recover. Some black and minority ethnic groups... have historically experienced
poorer outcomes than the rest of the population..."
Looking at what’s to come: Accountable care organizations
Occupy Healthcare (Dr. Ben Miller)
"Accountable Care Organizations are partnerships between healthcare providers designed to be accountable for the quality and cost of the healthcare they provide in return for financial incentives... hospitals and other healthcare professionals like physician groups are partnering with insurers to form these entities..."
Social Work:
Aging out of foster care
Child Protection Lessons (Peter Choate)
"The
age of leaving home appears to be going up as the challenges of moving
to adulthood is increasingly complex. Yet, if you are aging out of the
foster care system, you are most often expected to handle that
transition sooner, with fewer supports and often with significant
emotional challenges..."
Cyberbullying: A Challenging Issue for the 21st Century
@SWSCMedia (Professor Ian Rivers)
"Cyberbullying’... has existed as long as people
have been able to communicate through electronic devices... Guidance issued to children... and to the victims of
so-called internet “trolls” is to keep examples of correspondence and
then to report them. Block the individual...or... do not respond..."
Forensic Assertive Community Treatment: Preliminary Outcomes and the Role of Environmental Influences
Living Proof Podcast (UB School of Social Work, Dr. Amy Watson and Brian Kelly)
"In episode 96, Dr. Watson and Mr. Kelly discuss their research
into Forensic Assertive Community Treatment, an adaptation of
traditional ACT that attempts to explore the unique challenges faced by
previously incarcerated persons with mental illness as they re-enter
communities..."
Gay Marriage is a Mental Health Issue
Cathy Hanville, LCSW
"Politics is something that generally doesn't get talked about in session. But gay marriage is an exception... gay teens have a five times higher rate for suicide and to live in an
environment where a very basic right is denied gives a strong message
that being gay is not acceptable..."
Harriet At Forty-Eight
Gamer Therapist (Mike Langlois, LICSW)
"Every day, on Facebook or Twitter or other social media, people young
and old post, and “drop their notebook” to be read by hundreds or
thousands of people, who can amplify the notebook even further by
liking, pasting, sharing or tweeting it... the chatter can be deafening, impulsive, hurtful and
confusing..."
The Invisible Wounds of Trauma
From Where I Stand (Andrea B. Goldberg, LCSW)
"over 25% of American youth have experienced at least
one serious traumatic event by the age of 16 and over 25% of teens who have suffered
traumatic events develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)... when left untreated, traumatic stress can impede child development and cause
prolonged problems..."
Is social work an anachronistic profession?
Classroom to Capitol (Melinda K Lewis)
"... if societies grow progressively (no pun intended) less egalitarian as
they develop, and if social work’s collective beliefs about the
distribution of resources more closely mirror those of the past than
today, then what's the future for our profession?..."
Life of Balance
Social Worker - That Is So Messed Up (violinfelon)
"... it's been almost exactly a year since I started this new position working with commercially, sexually, exploited children... I'm almost glad that I didn't realize how challenging it would be because I'm not sure I would of taken the job had I known. I'm very glad I did though and my heart feels full because of it..."
My Story-Our Story
NASW-NYC (Christiana Best-Cummings, LMSW, Ph.D)
"We grew up knowing that being an immigrant meant having to work hard and make sacrifices... Historically, whenever the United States is experiencing economic
difficulties, it has responded with restrictive, oppressive legislation
and policies that are punitive to immigrants, especially people of
color..."
NIHR School for Social Care Research: From Interview to Impact
Martin Webber's Blog (@mgoat73)
"Social care research is only of value if it has an impact on policy or practice... Research grant applications expect researchers to define what the
‘outputs’ of their research will be, in addition to the ‘outcomes’ of
their study... you may download presentation..."
The People Who Inspire Series: Kayla Mason
N.A.H. (Relando Thompkins, MSW)
"My passion is youth development, specifically college access for
students of color. I think life can be a dissatisfying experience
without a higher education... We spend a lot of time planning and exchanging ideas, but not enough time doing. Sometimes it's better to step out in the world and see what you can do with what you have..."
The Role of Mindful Self-Compassion in Trauma Care for Adults
Trauma and Children (Cherie Spehar, LCSW, CTS, CTC)
"When creating a sense of self as a survivor, a traumatized person often
struggles with feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt and uncertainty in the
process of recreating feelings of worth. It is important for a person
to be able to hold these feelings in a way that is loving to themselves..."
Talking about Death
The Not So Big Society (Ermintrude2)
"Children should not be shielded from discussions about death, dying,
loss and bereavement although obviously there are age appropriate
materials and ways of conducting discussions. The most important thing... is honesty..."
Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy — Hope for Abused Children
Social Work Today (Lindsey Getz)
"Central to trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) is the importance of walking through the trauma
via gradual exposure as a means for the child to come to terms with
what happened—and move on... TF-CBT is most effective with some sort of caretaker involved..."
Useful Mnemonics on Suicidality
Practice Wisdom (Natalie L. Hill, LICSW)
"for assessing suicidality, remember SLAP: S - Suicidal ideation, L - Lethality, A - Accessibility, P - Plan... The second mnemonic has to do with people's motivation for attempting/committing suicide..."
You Gotta Give ‘Em Hope, Jr.
SocialJerk
... getting pregnant and raising a child is not
typically the thing forcing young women into poverty... This girl does not want to be a mother, teen or otherwise... Getting her to have that [hope] for herself is much more difficult. That is the hardest part, for me, about working with teen pregnancy..."
Psychology:
Add Meditation to Your Life
HeartMath (Jeddah Mali and Howard Martin)
Free webinar: May 21st: 5PM PDT | "Rather than a retreat from the world, Jeddah will share how meditation is actually a practice session to allow us to build greater steadiness, willingness, trust and enjoyment into our lives."
Anonymous Client Identity: Should Therapists Treat Clients Anonymously Online?
Online Therapy Institute (DeeAnna Merz Nagel)
"The OTI Ethical Framework states the following about client identity: The client must not be anonymous, offering at a minimum: first and
last name, home address, and phone number for emergency contact. Minors
must be identified through parental consent. If client identity is not
required...
limitations of the service are stated clearly..."
Blogging For Mental Health: My Time in the Dark
Dr. Ann Becker Schutte
"I had the joyful surprise of a positive pregnancy test. I thought that I
had dodged the odds and that maybe I could take away the power of that
earlier diagnosis. I got to hear a heartbeat and see a beautiful little person moving about on the sonogram..."
Did you knock on my door?
Teenage Whisperer (Sam Ross, BSc, MSc, Cert EP (YJ))
"You'll learn more about me and connect with me (and with my parents and
carers) more in one home visit than you could in ten times as many
conversations in your cozy world... Just knock on my door..."
Empathy for the Psychopath
After Psychotherapy (Joseph Burgo, PhD)
"Although I’ve never worked with a socipath — adult or child — I have
treated other people who mostly lacked the ability to empathize... only by truly empathizing with Michael and the way he feels now will you be able to find a way into his extreme loneliness..."
Gratitude v. Entitlement - Podcast
(Raising Happiness, Rona Renner, RN)
"My #1 strategy for raising happy children is the conscious practice of gratitude. Learn how and why to raise kids who are more grateful than entitled."
Modifying CBT for Shorter Sessions
Beck Institute Blog
"Brief CBT interventions have been shown to be effective in the treatment
of a variety of disorders. Dr. Beck stresses the importance of
maintaining the structural components of CBT in shortened sessions..."
Mother Load
What a Shrink Thinks (Martha Crawford, LCSW)
"Therapists spend an extraordinary
amount of time each day talking to
clients about motherhood, their mothers and their own motherhood... They
confess their darkest mommy moments... They are fearful that they have
already failed, or soon will fail at their chosen calling..."
The Psychology of Regret
The Mindful Self-Express (Melanie Greenberg, Ph.D)
"Regret can have damaging effects on mind and body when it turns into
fruitless rumination and self-blame that keeps people from re-engaging
with life... Regret, like all emotions, has a function for survival. It is our brain's way of telling us to take another look at our choices..."
Raising a Child with Autism: Parental Feelings of Loss
The Trauma and Attachment Report (Fareena Shabbir)
"Upon discovery of their child’s diagnosis, parents undergo a grieving
process over the loss of their “typical” child. The stages... may consist of feelings of sadness, depression and
hopelessness... those who use active coping strategies are more likely to get to the acceptance stage of grief..."
Slipping Into Myself
Matrignosis: A Blog About Inner Wisdom (Dr. Jean Raffa)
"In dreams, houses usually represent the psychological condition in which
we’re living. So right away I’m being told that my inner life is
cramped and primitive. Moreover, it is a mess. But instead of trying to
fix it up, what am I doing? Hiding in terror behind a classroom!..."
Survivor Poetry
Heal My PTSD (Michele Rosenthal)
"We end our series of survivor poetry with one of my poems. It’s actually the title poem of my PTSD recovery memoir, Before the World Intruded: Conquering the Past and Creating the Future."
The Truth About Anorexia
HealthyPlace (Angela Gambrel)
"Anorexia is not a choice. Anorexia is not a lifestyle. Anorexia is not about vanity. Or being thin. Or seeking attention... Anorexia is a serious, potentially life-threatening mental illness that affects millions of people—women and men, young and old, rich and poor, black or white..."
Yoga as therapy: follow the breath
American Counseling Association (Deb Del Vecchio-Scully)
"When under stress, most of us tend to hold our breath or breathe
shallowly which intensifies anxiety and physical tension... the Relaxation Response
can be evoked at will through the practice of simple techniques
including yoga and basic breathing technique instruction..."
Nonprofit:
How to Resign Gracefully From Your Nonprofit Job
Rosetta Thurman
"Give your employer at least two weeks to find your replacement... Write a formal resignation letter. Keep it short and to the point. Leave emotions OUT of it. Make sure you give the effective date of your resignation..."
Private Practice:
20 Ways Shrinks Stay Sane
Private Practice Toolbox (Julie Hanks, LCSW)
".... a lot of
therapists... tend to be caretakers, people-pleasers, and
self-sacrificers, making us particularly vulnerable to neglecting our
own mental health... Live in the present... Surround yourself with positive people... Go to your own therapy..."
Your Digital Footprint Is Behind You
Private Practice from the Inside Out (Tamara Suttle, M.Ed., LPC)
"every time you write a new post on your blog . . . even if you later decide to take it down,
it’s most likely that someone has... read it, written
something in reference to it, linked to it... Don’t impulsively hit the “send” button without considering the
implications – personal, clinical, and professional..."
Please share any thoughts or comments you have below. I'd love to hear which were your favorite posts out of this week's bunch!
Also, please feel free to mention any great posts that I may have missed.
You May Also Enjoy:
Best in Mental Health (wk of 5/7/2012)
Best in Mental Health (wk of 4/30/2012)
Best in Mental Health (wk of 4/23/2012)
The Box in Art Therapy: Inside and Outside of Self
Technology Tools for Clinical Practice
Fat Oppression: Stigma Comes in Large Sizes
