RC bought a health insurance plan thinking it would deliver on its promise of access to mental health providers. But even after 21 phone calls and multiple hospitalizations, no one could find him a therapist.
Customers in the Classroom
Students increasingly treat college as a transaction. Who — or what — is to blame?
Meet the crisis liaison supporting mental health with Cedar Rapids police
“For about 10 years, I’ve been in social work in a mental health capacity, in some sense. So, it felt natural when I did transition over to being with the police department,” Shannon said. “When people don’t know what to do, or they’re at a loss, or don’t know where to turn, they call law enforcement for help and to figure it out. Really, I’m just a problem solver.”
The Left Needs a Real Strategy for a Harris Presidency
wWile many on the Left — myself included — miss the exciting vision of his 2020 campaign, Sanders’s new program has a compelling logic to it. If Trump is beaten, Harris will be president, and the Left and labor will need a set of winnable demands to organize around.
Cognitive behavioral therapy enhances brain circuits to relieve depression
The findings add to evidence that choosing treatments based on the neurological underpinnings of a patient’s depression — which vary among people — increases the odds of success.
Why fascists hate universities
Viktor Orbán, started a political campaign with an attack on Central European University in Budapest, with demagogic rhetoric directed against its supposed spreading of “gender ideology”…. The situation is structurally the same in the United States – would-be authoritarians and one-party states centrally target universities with the aim of restricting dissent.
‘My son’s death was part of a cull of the most vulnerable’
The Lampard Inquiry will examine the deaths of people who had received inpatient care for mental health in Essex between 2000 and 2023.
Hong Kong social worker code of conduct to include national security provisions: watchdog
Herman Hui Chung-shing, chairman of the Social Workers Registration Board, which oversees 27,000 professionals in the sector, said on Saturday that the code of conduct would include the provisions to bolster the mechanism for dealing with anyone involved in national security and other serious criminal cases…. Asked whether social workers convicted in a subversion trial over an unofficial Legislative Council election primary in 2020 would be struck off, Hui said they would be “disqualified from continuing to practise” but the details of each case would be handled individually.
What to know about getting addiction treatment for kids in Washington
Amanda Kerstetter, REACH Harm Reduction Specialist for South King County, holds a box of narcan in 2023. Narcan can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose.
Project 2025 Could Erase More Than 1.7 Million Jobs and Hike Electricity Prices By $32 Billion
The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 booth at the National Conservative Conference in Washington D.C., July 8, 2024.
Who’s to Blame for White Poverty?
Sixty years ago, Life photographer John Dominis traveled to eastern Kentucky, where he captured shocking and raw photographs of deprivation—the target of President Lyndon Johnson’s recently announced “unconditional war on poverty.” Published in a feature photo-essay, the images humanized those who stood to gain the most from new federal aid programs.
Chronic illness shattered this teen’s life. Her service dog helped get it back
Lilla, 14, and her service dog, Lopez, outside their family’s home in Michigan. This year’s middle school winner of the NPR Student Podcast Challenge tells how her golden retriever, Lopez, helped restore her independence.
Cyberboss: Here’s how AI is reorganising the lines of class struggle
There is a growing sense that the future of work might not unfold in our favour. People are expected to work longer, for less, with less security and fewer protections. Rather than making work easier or more rewarding, we expect the development and application of new technologies, particularly in the areas of automation, computation and artificial intelligence, to disempower us.
Legal advice puts a stop to religious orders’ co-operation with investigations
Several religious orders have been given “legal advice” to stop participating in reviews by the Irish Catholic Church’s child abuse watchdog, over concerns about “data protection”.
Make it awkward!
We often joke about awkwardness; it’s a staple of contemporary comedy. The exclamation ‘Awkward!’ functions as a light-hearted deflection, defusing social tension. The reality is heavier. Awkwardness can be funny, but it can also be serious – it inhibits our ability to act even when we know we should, and it can shut down or pre-empt conversations about important topics like menstruation, money, menopause, mortality. The desire to avoid awkwardness acts as a powerful social inhibition, preventing people from speaking up, and motivating compliance with problematic social and moral norms. So, which is it, then?
Trading liberty for security? ‘Milksop Nation’ by Jack Gordon
Benjamin Franklin once wrote, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” While the quote’s original context is complicated, its message is timeless.
President Biden Appoints Janie Simms Hipp to Community Development Advisory Board
President Joe Biden on Friday appointed Janie Hipp (Chickasaw) to be a member of the Community Development Advisory Board within the U.S. Department of Treasury…. Hipp holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in social work from the University of Oklahoma, a J.D. from Oklahoma City University’s School of Law and a LLM in agricultural law from the University of Arkansas School of Law.
Diverting Class Warfare Into Generational Warfare
In the last-half century, productivity has outpaced the growth of real compensation for the median worker by more than 40 percent. This means that if workers’ pay had kept pace with productivity, as it did in the three decades after World War II, it would be roughly 40 percent higher than it is today.
The Agitator
Twenty years ago, during a particularly soggy late-summer hurricane season along North America’s eastern seaboard, a 62-year-old Hofstra University professor named Silvia Federici published one of the most influential feminist texts of the 21st century.
The HM Children’s Social Work Foundation and the FC Barcelona Foundation team up for a good cause
Both organizations have signed a collaboration agreement to make it easier for these patients to access health services and to train professionals at the HM Niños Hospital so they can provide them with adapted and inclusive care.
Jigsaw Whanganui’s Tim Metcalfe steps down to fight terminal illness
After leading Jigsaw Whanganui – a social support service – for 20 years, Tim Metcalfe is stepping down from his role. It comes at a time when he is also facing a fight against a terminal illness, meaning he requires unfunded drugs to prolong his life. For Metcalfe, his approach to both situations is one of profound acceptance.
Our internal clocks could be key for preserving mental health
Circadian rhythms often seem ‘out of time’ in bipolar disorder. Scientists are exploring what goes wrong and how to help
Governor Appoints Social Work Associate Professor Jamie Jensen to California Commission on Aging
One of the key reasons for Jensen’s appointment is her ability to represent the rural communities of Northern California, which have historically been underrepresented on the Commission. Jensen currently serves as the board president for the Area One Agency on Aging, an entity that the Commission oversees. Her understanding of the unique challenges faced by older adults in rural areas, such as limited access to services and transportation barriers, will be invaluable in her new role.
The chance to make one ‘Big Idea’ a reality
Tess Abrahamson-Richards is a citizen of the Spokane Tribe and lives in Seattle. A mother of two, Abrahamson-Richards is pursuing a doctorate in social welfare at the University of Washington, where her research focuses on Indigenous reproductive justice, holistic family well-being, and access to parental leave.
‘Nobody knows where the line is’ – When cost-cutting universities hire consultants, who’s really making the decisions?
Following high-profile cuts that rpk advised on at West Virginia University, the firm has emerged as a particularly prominent player in the field. It has been hired by dozens of colleges, and its name has come to stir anxiety in the hearts of faculty members. Professors critical of this process see consultants as convenient shields for administrators, who use these firms to bolster their arguments for making unpopular cuts. Others view them as hatchet men, selling a flawed process that twists data to fit preconceived suggestions on which programs — typically in the humanities and, in particular, languages — need to be chopped.
Project 2025 Calls for Major Cuts to the US Nutrition Safety Net
The proposal to restructure the USDA builds on a previous Trump-era proposal to consolidate federal safety net programs. This included moving SNAP and WIC–which it rebranded as welfare programs, a term often used pejoratively–from the USDA to HSS. It’s a move that experts pointed out would likely make these programs easier to cut, including by designating them as welfare benefits, often deemed unnecessary by conservatives.
How to Make Your Teaching More Engaging
Principle No. 4: Stories Are Our ‘Most Natural Form of Thought’
Social work in the 2000s: New Labour’s focus on performance management
Professor Ray Jones reflects on Labour’s 13-year reign and the impact of its focus on performance and targets on outcomes for children and on the morale of the sector
Not the role of social work courses to train students in specialist practice areas, say academic leaders
The Joint Universities Social Work Association (JUSWA) issued the statement in response to a BBC investigation that found that 37% of courses in England did not deliver specific training for students on coercive and controlling behaviour, in the context of domestic abuse…. The BBC’s findings were described as “baffling” by sector watchdog the Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales, who called for such training to be made mandatory on pre-qualifying courses.
How to think about consciousness
What is it like to be you? Dive into the philosophical puzzle of consciousness and see yourself and the world in new ways
Hong Kong social worker body removes committee member accused of rioting in 2019
Social worker Jackie Chen appears at a court in Wan Chai to stand trial on rioting charges.
In This Rural Small Town, A Group Of Locals Steps Up To Support Senior Health
Berthold Awarded Fulbright Canada Distinguished Research Chair Award for This Academic Year
UConn School of Social Work Professor Dr. S. Megan Berthold
Targeted
For those who hear voices, the ‘broken brain’ explanation is harmful. Psychiatry must embrace new meaning-making frameworks.
New research has found prescribing nature can improve happiness and reduce anxiety
A £5.77 million cross-governmental funded project has shown that expanding access to Green Social Prescribing can promote wellbeing and improve mental health.
New Hong Kong immigration system barring ‘undesirables’ from boarding flights to city comes into effect
In recent years, a number of people have been barred from entering Hong Kong, including journalists who covered the 2019 protests and unrest. In June 2023, Japanese freelance journalist Yoshiaki Ogawa was denied entry after arriving in the city, while earlier this year, Aleksandra Bielakowska, a representative of international NGO Reporters Without Borders, was deported to Taiwan after being barred from entering the city.
How the buildings you occupy might be affecting your brain
Cutting-edge research in the field of neuroarchitecture is revealing the public health implications of building design Above: Nest by Max Hu and August Miller… reimagines the interior of the San Francisco public library.
‘So demeaning’: Melbourne woman denied service by 10 cabs in one booking over guide dog
It is illegal for taxi, ride-share and public transport services to reject a passenger because they have a guide dog or guide puppy. But Simons says it is so routine she needs to add a buffer of at least half an hour on to every taxi trip.
Chasing Drinks with Lies, and Lies with Drinks
I only remember waking up on a gurney in an emergency room that looked like every other one I’d ever found myself in. There had been a lot of them.
HEAL Trailblazers 2024
The HEAL Trailblazer Award recognizes HEAL-funded researchers in the early or middle stages of their careers who are expanding research into addressing the pain and opioid crises in new directions. The 2024 awardees… demonstrate the ability to develop or apply novel techniques, models, or methodologies to HEAL research.
Who are the key players named in the Grenfell Tower report?
From cladding firms to government, inquiry report on 2017 London fire outlines roles of those involved in ill-fated refit
This is 80: Psychotherapist and Poet Jane Seskin Responds to the Oldster Magazine Questionnaire
Jane Seskin is a psychotherapist and author. For 20 years she provided individual and group counseling to survivors of violent crimes at the Crime Victims Treatment Center. Her most recent book (#13) is the poetry collection, Older Wiser Shorter: The Truth and Humor of Life After 65. She’s been published in more than 40 publications and nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
France sees Channel migrant deaths as a problem of Britain’s making
The French rescue workers packed up their gear with well-practised efficiency. The medical tents. The stretchers. The security cordons. Shortly after the last bodies had been driven away from the quayside in Boulogne, the remaining ambulances and red emergency vehicles drove off too, leaving only a handful of officials standing in the fading light beside a few frayed fishing nets near the harbour wall.
Increased calls to helpline over school abuse allegations
Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, Ms Kenny said: “People are coming forward for the first time, disclosing their abuse, many of whom are “overwhelmed with emotion and a sense of grief and loss for their childhood”. The inquiry found that there were almost 2,400 allegations of sexual abuse at 308 schools and recommended that a commission of investigation be established.
Keep devices out of bed for better sleep
Despite what we’ve been led to believe, the timing of evening screen use, rather than the activity itself, negatively impacts youth sleep, a University of Otago study has found.
Current sleep guidelines recommend no screen use in the hour or two before bed. However, the researchers found screen time in the two hours before bed had little impact on youth sleep, it was screen time once in bed that caused problems.
AI makes racist decisions based on dialect
Just like humans, artificial intelligence (AI) is capable of saying it isn’t racist, but then acting as if it were. Large language models (LLMs) such as GPT4 output racist stereotypes about speakers of African American English (AAE), even when they have been trained not to connect overtly negative stereotypes with Black people, new research has found. According to the study—published today in Nature—LLMs also associate speakers of AAE with less prestigious jobs, and in imagined courtroom scenarios are more likely to convict these speakers of crimes or sentence them to death.
A decision on a major policy shift on marijuana won’t come until after the presidential election
That could put a new spotlight on the presidential candidates’ positions on marijuana. Vice President Kamala Harris has backed decriminalizing the drug and said it’s “absurd” to have it in the DEA’s Schedule I category alongside heroin and LSD. The Democratic nominee’s position has shifted over the years; she once oversaw the enforcement of cannabis laws and opposed legalized recreational use for adults in California while running for attorney general in 2010.
Ketamine clinics vary widely in pregnancy-related safeguards
A new study suggests that ketamine prescribers aren’t paying enough attention to this risk and should do more to make sure that patients receiving ketamine aren’t pregnant and are aware of the need to use contraception while undergoing a course of treatment over multiple months.
The Rich Want You to Fear Tax Fairness
The wealthy have all sorts of tools at their disposal to protect and grow their wealth at the expense of the rest of us, including the tax system. A few months ago, Canada’s Liberal government announced a modest change that would try to rebalance the scales a bit, raising the country’s capital gains inclusion rate from 50 percent to 67 percent. Predictably, the rich went nuts and warned it would tear the country apart.
Mapping Injury
In her new book, Disabled Ecologies, Sunaura Taylor finds both overlap and tension between disability studies and environmental justice. She grew up with the understanding that her own disability came from contaminated groundwater on the south side of Tucson, where her family had moved when her mother was pregnant with her. Military contractors—particularly Hughes Aircraft, which later merged with Raytheon, now called RTX—had dumped toxic waste into unlined lagoons; the area was eventually designated as a Superfund site. Above: Tucson International Airport Area Superfund Site, 1985