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Message from NASW-DE Executive Director John Shuford

NASW DE is a member-driven chapter. Our Board meetings are open and all members are encouraged to attend. Reminders of upcoming Board meetings will be in newSWire. Our next Board meeting will be in Dover on October 14th at DSU in Room XXX of the Price Building. All Board meetings are from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Future Board meeting will be December 14 [Wilmington], February 8 [Dover], March 22 [Dover], April 12 [Wilmington] and June 14 [Georgetown]. If you have any concerns, questions, or want to give input to the Board, please contact me or any member or simply attend our meetings.

NASW and the Vet Center at the VA are collaborating on a unique opportunity for clinicians to learn about three different approaches to treating trauma from three very experienced therapists on November 5. Dr. Patrick Litle [clinical psychologist specializing in PTSD with combat vets] has worked with the VA for 30 years and will present on “Mindfulness from a scientific basis, utilizing concepts related to the zero point field and the body as a transceiver.” Dr. Steven DiJulio [past President of the Delaware Psychological Association and Clinical Director of SOAR [Survivors of Abuse in Recovery], will present on Gestalt Therapy [the “newer” gentler versions] focusing on trauma work [especially Kepler’s work] and will show a video demonstrating trauma processing. Dave Raymond, LCSW of the Delaware Family Center will present on Emotional Transformation Therapy™, an evidence based form of therapy characterized by extremely rapid outcomes and a proficiency in accessing related buried memory. It uses interpersonal processes based on attachment research and precise visual brain stimulation to accelerate long-term results. This conference will be held in the Claymont Community Services building in Claymont [near I-95 north exit for Harvey Road]. [click here for flier]. Register by contacting the NASW office. Our capacity for this conference is 35, so register early.

The Delaware Psychological Association’s annual conference on "Strategies of Grief Therapy: A Meaning Reconstruction Approach",presented by Robert A. Neimeyer, Ph.D., will be October 15 and 16 at the Atlantic Sands Hotel & Conference Center, Rehoboth Beach, DE. 8.75 CEUs have been approved. [see complete ad in Classified below].

Hospice is also offering a training on grief, on “Expressions of Grief; exploring grief styles by: Culture, Faith and Gender" on October 29 from 8:00 am to 4:15 pm in Milford. There are four hour and a half sessions titled: Cultural Expressions of Grief by Dr. Judith Ramirez; How Your Faith Affects Your Grief by Rev. David Oppold; The Secrets of the Masculine Side of Healing by Tom Golden, LCSW; and Major Gender Differences in Healing by Tom Golden, LCSW. 6.0 CEUs have been approved. For more information contact Vicki Costa at vcosta@delawarehospice.org or 302-478-5707.

                                                                                                                 John

Hispanic Heritage Month

October also marks National Hispanic Heritage Month. Actually, the observance began on September 15 but it continues until October 15.

During this period, we honor the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

Here are some NASW profiles of Hispanic social workers that you might like to read.

NASW Advocacy: Action Alert

[click here] Ask your senators to extend the TANF Emergency Contingency Fund

Action Requested
Low-income families across the country need your help in winning an extension of the TANF Emergency Contingency Fund, which expires on September 30. The TANF Emergency Contingency Fund has provided states with crucial federal funding so they can provide assistance to struggling families during the Great Recession, and to create jobs for more than 250,000 low-income parents and youth nationwide.

Background
When Congress passed the economic stimulus bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, it included the TANF Emergency Contingency Fund (TANF ECF), to help states fund their safety net programs and provide assistance to families who are struggling in this recession.

Click here to learn more.

New "Be a Social Worker" website

There's a new website in town, called Be A Social Worker. The site covers an array of information about a choosing a career in social work, and provides inspiring stories and ways to connect with real social workers.

Developed by NASW in collaboration with the nation’s schools of social work, this website was created to educate prospective social workers about the scope and vitality of the profession. By highlighting real stories accomplished social workers, the site provides an up close and personal look at the profession’s diverse people, opportunities and contributions. In addition to the social worker profiles, there is a range of helpful information and resources for making an informed career choice.

You can find the new site at: http://www.beasocialworker.org.

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

This is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

October 1987 marked the first Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and that same year we saw the initiation of the first national domestic violence toll-free hotline. In 1989, the U.S. Congress passed Public Law 101-112 designating October of that year as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

In 1995, the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) convened several national domestic violence organizations - the Family Violence Prevention Fund, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline and later the National Network to End Domestic Violence - to launch a new effort to support domestic violence programs' awareness and education efforts for Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM), observed annually in October. The collaborative effort became the Domestic Violence Awareness Project (DVAP). You can read more about the DVAM at this Web site.

National Breast Cancer
Awareness Month

October is also National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM), a time to help promote awareness of breast cancer issues and increase the national dialogue on breast cancer.

Today, NBCAM, which was created more than 25 years ago, remains dedicated to educating and empowering women to take charge of their own breast health by practicing regular self-breast exams to identify any changes, scheduling regular visits and annual mammograms with their healthcare provider, adhering to prescribed treatment, and knowing the facts about recurrence.

The www.NBCAM.org Web site is a year-round resource for breast cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and the general public.

Protecting America's Children

Click here for NEW Report: Second edition of “We Can Do Better–Child Abuse Deaths in America (9/17/2010)
Join the petition campaign requesting that Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Harry Reid sponsor Congressional hearings on child abuse fatalities. Click here to add your signature.

Press Release 9/21/2010: [Click here] The National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths Endorses Second Edition of We Can Do Better: Child Abuse and Neglect Deaths in America.

NASW is part of the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths (www.endchildabusedeaths.org) which is made up of five national organizations that came together following the release of the report "We Can Do Better: Child Abuse and Neglect Deaths in America" at the Summit to End Child Abuse and Neglect Deaths in October 2009. The report recognizes the growing number of American children who die each year as a result of child abuse and neglect -- nearly 2,000 -- and several studies suggest that this is a low estimate of the actual number of deaths. Among rich democracies, this rate is 3 times higher than that of Canada and 11 times higher than that of Italy.

Skills Training Improves Mental Health of Foster Children

Foster children who took part in a mentoring and relationship skills program done by social work graduate students had improved mental health, according to a study done by the University of Colorado.

The study tracked 156 children aged 9 to 11 who were maltreated and placed in foster care. Seventy-seven of the children received the usual care while 79 were enrolled in the Fostering Healthy Futures intervention group with the graduate students.

“Six months after the intervention, the children in the treatment group had fewer mental health problems, fewer symptoms of dissociation, better quality of life, and appeared less likely to report symptoms of post-traumatic stress than those in the control group,” according to this Bloomberg/Businessweek article.

News from DE and Beyond...

Click on an article's heading for the link

Things You Should Consider Before Having A Baby
hitched
By Irina Firstein, LCSW

There is no doubt that a new baby is the most joyous, wonderful and probably most incredible event in a married couple's life.

Cornered: Therapists on Airplanes
New York Times

“I often say, ‘I run a nonprofit association in Washington,' ” said Betsy Clark, a social worker who serves as executive director of the National Association of Social Workers.

Tips for dealing with unnecessary worries
Herald Times Reporter

Diane M. Berry, MSW, LCSW, JD, is the clinic director and clinical social worker with Blue Waters Family Counseling in Manitowoc.

Oberlin: Psychiatric service dogs to help veterans
WKYC-TV

Jane Miller is a clinical social worker and dog trainer who is using her skills to not only help the mentally ill, but also help returning veterans dealing with the scars of war.

The biography Jane Addams deserves
Salon

Louise W. Knight's riveting new biography, "Jane Addams: Spirit in Action," rescues this fascinating figure from the twilight of textbooks and polemics to bring her complex career into view.

Facing the climate change challenge
University of Texas at Austin News

“The issue is not about utilities, but social norms,” Hamburg said at a School of Social Work lecture. “How can we realign our values to make a difference in climate change and its impact? What kinds of things can we do to reduce energy and why don’t we do them?"

Classified

The Delaware Psychological Association proudly presents "Strategies of Grief Therapy: A Meaning Reconstruction Approach", presented by Robert A. Neimeyer, Ph.D. October 15 and 16, 2010, at the Atlantic Sands Hotel & Conference Center, Rehoboth Beach, DE.

For details and registration on this continuing education program, please visit the Annual Convention section on our website at www.depsych.org. The Delaware Psychological Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education.