Provides information on all things social work, including direct practice (both clinical and community organizing), research, policy, education... and everything in between.
[Episode 150] In today’s episode I’m talking with Carrie Pettus, chair of the
executive board for the Grand Challenges for Social Work. Today’s episode explores the 10-year journey of the Grand Challenges for Social Work, reflecting on its evolution, its measurable impacts, and the critical lessons learned along the way. Carrie talks about successes, including creating a vast social and professional network dedicated to solving some of the most persistent social problems, and some of the challenges, including the difficulty defining and measuring impact, which she acknowledges is ironic given that the initiatives are lead by some of the leading scholars in the world. She also acknowledges some of the misses, such as uneven involvement of frontline social workers and not including an initiative explicitly focusing on eliminating racism until a few years ago. We end the conversation with Carrie discussing the importance of sustainability and resources if the Grand Challenges for Social Work initiative is to continue for another 10 years.
Thank you to Elizabeth Gillette for coordinating and being part of the interview.
We spoke about the arc of the social work career. Jennifer shared tips for getting a job. Then Michelle talked about how to prepare for and negotiate after getting a job offer. And Cindy told stories about once you’ve been in a job for a while how to find a new job or change your focus, say from micro to macro social work. We ended with Jennifer talking about branding in social work.
And now, without further ado, on to Episode 149 of the Social Work Podcast: Getting the Social Work Job You Want: Interview with Jennifer Luna, Michelle Woods, and Cindy Snell.
[Episode 145] Today’s episode is the third of a three-part series on research design (and the second of a two-part series on Experimental Research Design) with Dr. Bruce Thyer, Distinguished Research Professor and former Dean with the College of Social Work at Florida State University.
Dr. Thyer is a Distinguished Research Professor and former Dean with the College of Social Work at Florida State University. He is also an Extra-Ordinary Professor with North-West University in the Republic of South Africa and an adjunct faculty member with the Tulane University School of Social Work. Previously he held the position of Distinguished Research Professor at the University of Georgia. Dr. Thyer received his MSW from the University of Georgia and his Ph.D. in Social Work and Psychology from the University of Michigan. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Florida and Georgia and he is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Dr. Thyer has been a long-term promoter of the evidence-based practice model within social work. His work is largely informed by social learning theory and has taken a recent turn in the direction of exposing and discouraging pseudoscientific theories, interventions and assessment methods within social work practice.
[Episode 144] Today’s episode is the second of a three-part series on research design (and the first of a two-part series on Experimental Research Design) with Dr. Bruce Thyer, Distinguished Research Professor and former Dean with the College of Social Work at Florida State University. Today's episode is all about experimental research
Dr. Thyer is a Distinguished Research Professor and former Dean with the College of Social Work at Florida State University. He is also an Extra-Ordinary Professor with North-West University in the Republic of South Africa and an adjunct faculty member with the Tulane University School of Social Work. Previously he held the position of Distinguished Research Professor at the University of Georgia. Dr. Thyer received his MSW from the University of Georgia and his Ph.D. in Social Work and Psychology from the University of Michigan. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Florida and Georgia and he is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Dr. Thyer has been a long-term promoter of the evidence-based practice model within social work. His work is largely informed by social learning theory and has taken a recent turn in the direction of exposing and discouraging pseudoscientific theories, interventions and assessment methods within social work practice.
[Episode 142] Today's episode is an interview with sociologist, Anna S. Mueller, PhD. Luther Dana Waterman Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and the Senior Research Program Leader of the Mental Illness, Suicide, and Addiction Section of the Irsay Institute at Indiana University. Anna and I spoke about why Anna and her colleague, Seth Abrutyn, looked at the social roots of youth suicide at Poplar Grove, the social factors that they found contributed to youth suicide contagion and clusters (including the rigid cultural expectations, mental health stigma, and high level of connectedness); the role of social workers in school-based multidisciplinary practice; and practical steps that schools and communities can take to address youth suicide.
[Episode 138] Today's episode is an interview with Dr. Patricia Gianotti, Academic Director of The Institute for Advanced Psychotherapy at Loyola University Chicago. Patricia and I speak about the neurobiology of shame, why depth work is
important, and how to think about human complexity in a therapeutic
context. She emphasizes the impact of attachment failures on a person's
sense of self and the role of shame in therapy. She explains the concept
of loyalty contracts and how they shape individuals' beliefs and
behaviors. She underscores the power of psychodynamic techniques in
uncovering and addressing these dynamics. Throughout the conversation,
she highlights the hope and resilience that can be found in therapy.
The Institute for Advanced Psychotherapy at Loyola University Chicago offers a yearlong certificate program for licensed professionals, aimed at enhancing clinical skills through an integrative training method. The program incorporates advances in trauma and neuropsychological research within a framework rooted in attachment theory. Participants engage in onsite residencies that last three full days each, featuring hands-on training by nationally acclaimed faculty. In between residencies, distance learning continues through monthly 90-minute case consultation meetings and bimonthly live webinars. The program is approved for CEU Credit by the APA and NASW, and awards a total of 72 credit hours. To learn more, please visit https://www.luc-iap.com/
[Episode 137] In today's Social Work Podcast, I speak with ChatGPT-4o about the role of AI in child welfare and community organizing and how we can use Bronfenbrenner's ecosystems framework and an antiracist perspective. That's right. I'm interviewing OpenAI's LLM, ChatGPT-4o.
On May 13th, 2024, OpenAI released the Omni version of ChatGPT4. This was a big step forward in processing speed. You could input video audio sort of visuals data all sorts of things and it could analyze it almost in real time. I've been playing around with ChatGpt-4, the earlier version, and you know talking to it on the app and there was always a significant delay as it was thinking through things and kind of coming up with a response. But the Omni version, the response is basically in real time, and I thought what better moment than now to interview ChatGPT, because you'll hear a little bit of the thinking, right? It’ll be a slight delay but no more than you would for any live human guests on the social work podcast.
Unlike a human guest, I didn't have to coordinate schedules. All I did was I took my phone, I clicked on the app, I hit the little headset icon which activated the voice input, and I held up my phone to my microphone so that I was recording my voice like I am now, and then ChatGPT just coming right out of my phone into the speaker. So, it's good audio. it's not rich deep audio like I like to have, but you know when you record over Zoom or Skype or any of the other things that I've done in the past again it's not pristine audio either, but it's pretty good
This is the first time I've interviewed a chatbot. I'd love to hear your thoughts about the interview. Please text me or leave a voicemail for me at (215) 948-2456. If you leave a voicemail, please let me know if you're ok with me including your message as part of a follow-up podcast episode.
[Episode 136] In today's Social Work Podcast, we speak with Allan Cole about his experiences with Young-Onset Parkinson's Disease.
Parkinson's Disease affects nearly 1 million people in the United States and more than 6 million people worldwide. It is a a progressive neurological disorder that primarily affects movement. I’m releasing this episode in April because April is Parkinson's Disease Awareness Month, chosen because it is the birth month of James Parkinson, who first identified the symptoms of Parkinson's disease more than 200 years ago.
Full disclosure – before this episode I knew that my childhood hero Muhammad Ali and the actor Michael J. Fox had Parkinson’s, but I didn’t know they had Young Onset Parkison’s Disease. I also assumed that it was a terminal illness that significantly decreased your lifespan like Multiple Sclerosis (MS) (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/multiple-sclerosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350269) and ALS (aka Lou Gehrig’s Disease). I was wrong.
And that’s why I spoke with Allan Cole, a person who lives with Young-Onset Parkinson's Disease. He also serves as the Dean of the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin. And, as you’ll hear in today’s episode, Allan's personal and professional journey is one of vulnerability and profound empathy, qualities that resonate deeply within the social work community.
In today’s episode, Allan shares his personal journey with Young-Onset Parkinson’s Disease, acknowledging diversity of experiences people have with Parkinson’s. We explore the emotional landscape of receiving a Parkinson's diagnosis, the misconceptions surrounding the disease, the difference between disease and illness, living well with Parkinson’s, the need for more research and awareness, what social workers should know about working with people with Parkinson’s Disease, and the importance of empathy and support in navigating its challenges. I appreciated how Allan spoke about his journey in the context of his many privileges, acknowledging that his ability to be vulnerable was a manifestation of his privilege.
In the years since his diagnosis, much of Allan’s scholarship and advocacy has centered around caring for people living with Parkinson’s disease. He has written or edited several texts on Parkinson’s disease, including the 2021 Oxford University Press book, Counseling Persons with Parkinson’s Disease, and two books on lessons learned from Parkison’s Disease: Discerning the Way (Cascade, 2021), and Jumping to the Skies (Cascade, 2023). He also has two books of poetry, Riding the Wave (Resource Publications, 2023) and In the Care of Plenty (Resource Publications, 2021). He moderates a website called PDWise.com, a hub he created for sharing personal stories, experiences, and wisdom gained from living with Parkinson’s, which encourages personal connections and opportunities for learning.
[Episode 134] Today’s episode is the first of a two-part series with Lisa Damour about her 2023 book, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents. In today’s episode we talk about the difference between adolescent distress and adolescent mental illness, how the COVID-19 pandemic made it more difficult for parents to distinguish between normative adolescent distress or pandemic-related mental health concerns. She talks about the most destructive myth that is out there about adolescent mental health and what we as parents, professional and a society can do about that. Along the way Lisa shared some practical tips about to manage a teenage meltdown, a story about swimming pools, and she encourages us to think critically about the research that is being done on adolescent mental health and how the news media is portraying adolescent distress.
In Part 2, we’ll talk about how decades of research on the gender binary can provide insight into the emotional lives of adolescents across the gender spectrum. We’ll talk about intersection of race and gender. We’ll end our conversation talking about how it is important to help teens express their emotions, but perhaps more important to help them regain control.
[Episode 131] In today's episode, I speak with Scott Miller, Ph.D. about how we can use feedback to improve client outcomes. Scott is one of the developers of Feedback Informed Treatment, or FIT - an "empirically supported, pantheoretical approach for evaluating and improving the quality and effectiveness of behavioral health services. It involves routinely and formally soliciting feedback from clients regarding the therapeutic alliance," client outcomes, and using that information to improve services (https://centerforclinicalexcellence.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/FIT-what-is-it-2020.pdf).
[Episode 130] Today’s episode is about the 2021 revision of the NASW Code of Ethics to include self-care and cultural humility. To unpack these two new additions, I spoke with Allan Barsky, Professor of Social Work at Florida Atlantic University and former Chair of the National Ethics Committee of the National Association of Social Workers.
Allan Barsky received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto Faculty of Social Work, his MSW from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University, and his Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. His teaching and research interests include social work practice theory and skill development, pedagogy, conflict resolution, professional ethics, and substance abuse. His book credits include Ethics and Values in Social Work (Oxford University Press), Clinicians in Court (Guilford Press), Conflict Resolution for the Helping Professions (Oxford University Press), Interprofessional Practice with Diverse Populations (Greenwood), Successful Social Work Education: A Student’s Guide (Cengage), and Alcohol, Other Drugs and Addictions (Cengage). Dr. Barsky was awarded the “Distinguished Teacher of the Year” by CDSI students in 2005 and 2020, the “Researcher of the Year – Scholarly and Creative Works” by FAU in 2007, and FAU Scholar of the Year in 2020. Dr. Barsky chaired the National Association of Social Workers “Code of Ethics Review Committee” (2016-2017) and was awarded NASW’s “Excellence in Ethics Award” (2015).
[Episode 128] Today's episode of the Social Work Podcast is a conversation with Dr. Holly Oxhandler (https://hollyoxhandler.com/).
I speak with Holly about the definitions of religion and spirituality, similarities and differences in religious and spiritual affiliation between social work professionals and their clients, how to address religion and spirituality in practice, and her experience as the co-host of the CXMH podcast (www.CXMHpodcast.com).
[Episode 127]. Today’s episode is the audio recording of a Facebook Live discussion that happened on Tuesday, July 14, 2020 called Both/And or Either/Or: Social Work and Policing. Following the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020 and countless other Black people by police over the past 200 plus years, two perspectives have emerged about social work's role with law enforcement. To be sure, these perspectives have been articulated for years. But in the midst of the largest and most sustained period of protests against systemic racism and support for Black Lives, these two perspectives gained particular traction after social work leaders published opinion pieces on Medium.com. The either/or perspective, articulated by UCLA social work chair Laura Abrams and University of Houston social work Dean Alan Dettlaff in a June 18, 2020 open letter to NASW and Allied Organizations, argued that "social work can either continue to invest in and collaborate with police OR affirm that #BlackLivesMatter." This letter was signed by over 1,400 social workers (full transparency, I was one of the signatories) and delivered to NASW. The Both/And perspective was articulated in a Medium.com post on June 30, 2020 by Darlyne Bailey, Charles E. Lewis, Steve Burghardt, and Terry Mizrahi. They argued that "we need to break from binary slogans of 'defunding' and replace them with a transformative platform tied to reinvesting in social services, training guardians not warriors, and ending all forms of racial injustice in law enforcement, sentencing, incarceration, parole and probation."
[Episode 125] In today's social work podcast, I speak with three men on a mission to prevent suicide. Matt Runnalls, Kevin Hines, and Greg Van Borssum shared their stories of managing suicidal thoughts, self-care, caring for others, and building a global network of support for suicide prevention.
I spoke with Matt, Kevin and Greg at the American Association of Suicidology annual conference in April 2018. Kevin's movie, Suicide: The Ripple Effect premiered the evening of our interview. These three guys were so pumped up about suicide prevention, so full of inspirational quotes and stories, that by the end of the interview I found myself speaking with the cadence and phrasing of a motivational speaker. Published on World Suicide Prevention Day 2019 as part of National Suicide Prevention Week 2019 and Suicide Prevention Month 2019.
#WSPD19 #NSPW19 #SPM19
[Episode 124] Today's episode of the Social Work Podcast is an interview with Lori Gottlieb - NY Times best-selling author, advice columnist for The Atlantic, and therapist. We talked about how her experience as a writer influences her work as a therapist, and how her therapy informs her writing. We talked about how she takes a client’s story out of the therapy room and turns it into something that therapists can appreciate, and non-therapists can get excited about. Lori reads from her 2019 New York Times bestseller and Amazon Best Book of April 2019, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone. We ended our conversation talking about how difficult and necessary it is for therapists to be the client.
[Episode 123] Today's episode of the Social Work Podcast is the second of a two part-series about Dr. Lisa Damour’s 2019 text Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls. In today’s episode we talk about rape culture; the problem with the word "consent"; and how society's criticisms of the way girls speak is really just another way of criticizing girls. In Part 1, Lisa and I talk about the difference between stress, anxiety and trauma; what “good” and “bad” pressure look like; and how schools, parents, and providers can think about pressure.
[Episode 122] Today's episode of the Social Work Podcast is the first of a two part-series about Dr. Lisa Damour’s 2019 text Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls. In today’s episode we talk about the difference between stress, anxiety and trauma; what “good” and “bad” pressure look like; and how schools, parents, and providers can think about pressure. In part two we move the conversation into issues of rape culture and how society criticizes the way girls speak as a cover for criticizing girls.
[Episode 121] In today's episode of the Social Work Podcast, I speak with Dr. Darlyne Bailey and Dr. Terry Mizrahi about the Special Commission on Macro Practice. We talk about how their social work experiences led them to co-chairing the Special Commission, the relationship between case and cause, moment and movement, and process and product. We talked about the false dichotomy between micro and macro practice, and that there is nothing wrong with focusing your energies on one or the other. We ended the episode with a call for the social work profession to focus energies on increasing the percentage of macro-concentration social work students to 20% by 2020.
Today's interview focuses on how simulation can be used to teach holistic competence. They talked about how in the late 2000s, they recognized that there were several problems with the existing model of teaching students practice skills. Their solution was to simulate real-world problems so that students could practice specific skills, get feedback, and improve their practice. In today's episode, Marion and Toula detail the steps necessary for creating simulations, how they involved field supervisors in the development of client simulations, the iterative nature of improving the simulations over time, and an innovative approach to help students learn knowledge and skills through practice and feedback they call "Practice Friday".
[Episode 118] In today’s episode, I talk to Erlene Grise-Owens, Justin “Jay” Miller, and Mindy Eaves, the editors of the TThe A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals, published by The New Social Worker Press. My guests debunk some self-care myths and they share some of the guidelines about making self-care a practice. My guests not only talk about what self-care is and is not, but they also model it. We talk about SMART self-care plans, about how being active is not the same as being athletic, about how personal self-care requires professional self-care and that professional self-care affects organizational wellness and that organizational wellness affects professional self-care.
[Episode 130] Today’s episode is about the 2021 revision of the NASW Code of Ethics to include self-care and cultural humility. To unpack these two new additions, I spoke with 
