Victor Cabral, a licensed social worker trained in psychedelic-assisted therapy who served as deputy director in Gov. Tom Wolf’s Office of Advocacy and Reform, believes that while decriminalization is unlikely to pass in Pa., more conservative policies are within reach. Above: A vendor bags psilocybin mushrooms at a cannabis marketplace in Los Angeles.
After Affirmative Action
Can education fix inequality?
Finland wants to halve the number of people on basic social assistance
Social Security Minister Sanni Grahn-Laasonen (above) says she is particularly concerned about young people’s reliance on social assistance…. The right-wing cabinet wants to reduce long-term dependency on social assistance, cutting the number of recipients in half.
I had no idea how inaccessible urban Britain is – until I faced it in a wheelchair
‘In London, only one third of London Underground stations are wheelchair friendly.’
COVID-19 Greatly Increases Mortality Risk for Schizophrenia Patients, Research Shows
Researchers in the United States and Israel strongly urge that patients with schizophrenia be prioritized for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, as studies show these patients are at significantly higher risk for hospitalization and death.
Chatbots remind us that natural conversation is artificial too
People fret about the authenticity of AI chatbots but precisely the same issues confront everyday exchanges between humans
Corporate Cash Derails Train Safety Bill
The oil company whose vinyl chloride poisoned East Palestine gave $2 million to the Senate GOP as lawmakers watered down and stalled proposed reforms.
Preble Street launches ‘No Veterans Homeless’ campaign in Maine
Housing 100 homeless veterans in 100 days.
That’s the goal that was set out at a gathering of about 70 people at the University of Southern Maine Friday for the launch of the “No Veterans Homeless” campaign. In addition to housing 100 veterans by Veteran’s Day on Nov. 11, the group led by social work nonprofit Preble Street aims to end veteran homelessness in the state by June 2025.
Scenes From a City That Only Hands Out Tickets for Using Fentanyl
Oregon’s experiment to curb overdoses by decriminalizing small amounts of illicit drugs is in its third year, and life has changed for most everyone in the city of Portland. Above: Twice a week, SS. Peter and Paul Episcopal Church hosts a county needle exchange program in its parking lot.
Social work’s public image ‘pushing people out of frontline roles and making families distrustful’
Staff reluctant to work in a ‘negative and critical environment’, while NQSWs say their families have expressed concern about their career choice, finds survey of social workers in London and the South East
Social Work Stands Against Poverty
BASW UK has launched a campaign against poverty, which includes three asks of the UK Government to provide greater financial security for people being hardest hit by the cost-of-living crisis.
Lessons From The U.K.’s Transformative Social Housing System
Historian John Boughton explains how the U.K.’s council housing system changed millions of low- and middle-income people’s lives – and how privatization has crippled its power.
A Utah Therapist Built a Reputation for Helping Gay Latter-day Saints. These Men Say He Sexually Abused Them.
Owen co-founded Canyon Counseling in Provo, Utah, in 1998.
Vertex non-opioid therapy reduced pain in mid-stage trials, study shows
The drug, VX-548, blocks signals from pain-sensitive neurons before those electrical messages reach the brain.
College students with loans more likely to report bad health and skip medicine and care, study finds
State can act to place more mental health care workers in the field
The Social Work Uplifting Practices and Exam Removal Act, or SUPER Act, is pending before the Massachusetts Legislature. If passed, it would remove the racially biased licensing exam requirement — itself an unproven tool to measure competency — for all master’s-level social workers. Above: A patient waiting for a session
Myth-making and the police
Mental health professionals are caught in a dilemma. They worry that the NHS will not get the necessary resources to deal with what amounts to a mental health crisis but, like many sectors in British society, are highly ambivalent about the role of the police and are deeply disturbed by a gathering catalogue of incidents in which public trust in both individual police officers and the institution itself is deeply damaged.
Violet Pole obituary
Violet Pole on holiday in Yugoslavia in 1955
She escaped her husband’s physical violence – but economic ties kept them connected for years
Dialogue around ‘coercive control’ in relation to financial abuse is gaining steam in the US, with California passing laws to protect victims from collectors
What I have learnt after almost 30 years as a public servant
I never saw myself as a long-term public servant but working more in the not-for-profit space. Having an honours degree in social work, I really thought I’d have spent more time in activism, which fits more with my personality. In hindsight, I should maybe have worked for Greenpeace or World Vision, but I can’t turn back time.
I am dying of cancer. Black-market psilocybin gave me a new lease on life.
In 2011, at the age of 54, I was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer. It was traumatic at first. For a few months, radiation and intravenous chemotherapy took over my life. When my scans showed no more evidence of disease, I was only too willing to put the experience behind me.
33 Years After the ADA, Our Legal System Still Victimizes Disabled People
Demonstrators march for Daniel Prude on September 4, 2020, in Rochester, New York. Prude died after being arrested on March 23, by Rochester police officers who had placed a “spit hood” over his head and pinned him to the ground while restraining him.
Mental welfare body says steps ‘not taken’ to help ‘vulnerable’ person who died
The investigation was led by the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland (MWC), who published a report into AB’s treatment…. The investigation heard that AB’s family, social work, health services and others had previously raised concerns surrounding their wellbeing.
Bridgend puts the care in your career, supporting you to have healthy work-life balance
The image of a social worker’s role has long been associated with negative misconceptions around heavy workloads and exceptionally long hours. However Bridgend County Borough Council wants to challenge that image by offering full support, ongoing training and development opportunities, career progression and flexibility in the role.
One in five workers in ‘insecure’ jobs – and the extent of low pay ‘alarming’
“The extent of low pay and insecure work in health and social work is particularly alarming. The sector holds some of the most important jobs to our society yet they are also the most precarious and poorly paid jobs in the UK labour market. With one in five health and social care workers routinely experiencing low pay and insecure work, something needs to change.”
Children’s cries for help at ‘hell on earth’ school, centre ignored by Catholic Church, State for decades – Royal Commission
The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry’s report, ‘Stolen Lives, Marked Souls’, said cries for help from survivors of Marylands School and Hebron Trust were ignored for decades. Both facilities were run by the Order of the Brothers of St John of God…. Of the 537 boys who attended Marylands School, 118 reported abuse while in the school’s care. However, the Royal Commission believed the true number to likely be much higher since there are barriers to disclosure and reporting of abuse by disabled survivors.