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I’ve appreciated the ideas you’ve sent my way by hitting reply on each issue and sliding into my DMs. But I still haven’t heard from many of you about what you’d like to see in the Social Work Newsletter.
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News
Libraries Hire Social Workers
Libraries are used for more than skipping classes - they are hubs of local resources. Besides offering access to books and other media, they enable people to have a sense of shelter and stability. More recently, some libraries have also begun to hire social workers.
We all know that libraries can attract people that are dealing with housing insecurity or other complex issues. In fact, research by Beth Whaler, the Director of the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, has found that:
10% of the people who use the library system need help finding a job
6% report that they need mental health assistance
4% need housing assistance.
This is where social workers come in. They will help clients navigate the labyrinth of services in their community, and help them find the resources that they need.
On the other hand, libraries do have difficulties with funding and are finding it hard to bring on extra personnel such as a social worker. Others question whether this should even be a role that the library takes on.
Settlement Over Removal of Indigenous Children
The Canadian government announced it had reached an agreement to provide $40 billion CAD ($31.5 billion USD) in compensation to First Nations children who were removed from their families and placed into the welfare system.
Starting in the 1800s, the Canadian government removed Indigenous children from their homes in order to conform them to the dominant Canadian culture. A settlement for $31.5 billion US Dollars was reached in compensation for part of this injustice.
The first $20 billion is being provided in compensation for the children who were removed from their homes between April 1, 1991, and March 31, 2022, and for their parents and caregivers. The second $20 billion in funding will be used to improve the First Nations Child and Family Services and to support First Nations adults who have aged out of the child welfare system.
Hundreds of unmarked graves have been discovered near former residential schools where First Nations children were placed.
Other social work-related news
Gov. Kathy Hochul promised that state officials will pay for dozens of new social workers charged with getting homeless New Yorkers off subway trains and into shelters.
Can Tetris support mental health? Previous research has found that playing Tetris can help with trauma symptoms.
Mental health businesses are all the rage. A platform that supports caregivers and another that helps children and families find mental health support each raised millions of dollars in funding. Along with increased funding in mental health startups, we will also see blood tests for mental illness, and the inclusion of virtual reality and artificial intelligence in the space.
Working at a mental health crisis hotline is difficult work. It involves a back-to-back flow of traumatic calls. And for the first time, mental health crisis hotline workers are unionizing in an attempt to obtain more support.
Policy
Comprehensive Behavioral Health Services
There are obvious gaps in mental health services. Emergency rooms, jails, and prisons have absorbed many people who struggle with mental health difficulties due to many reasons, including a lack of inpatient facilities, inadequate shelters, and lack of outpatient services. In fact:
Estimates suggest that 26% of people in jails and 14% of prison inmates have a serious mental illness
Close to two-thirds of people in prison or jail have substance use issues.
Fortunately, there has been a recent explosion of interest in mental and behavioral health. And many policies can help address these gaps in care, and create a better and more comprehensive system.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)’s 2020 guidelines for government outlined “a best practice toolkit” for crisis care. The “best practices” include regional crisis call centers, mobile crisis response teams, and crisis receiving and stabilization.
Some states have adopted parts of this toolkit. For example, California has designated $20 million in state general funds to support the new 988 crisis line.
To ensure the sustainability of these programs, continuous federal and state funding and using data to track program success and progress will be necessary.
Other Policy changes
The Washington State Legislature will come together on January 10, 2022 for a 60-day session to discuss issues including police reform and long-term care programs which seek to help those that are aging by providing benefits to support personal caregivers, home or nursing home health, and other forms of support.
Lawmakers in Massachusetts are proposing changes that would allow students to take two days off of school every 6 months for mental or behavioral health reasons
The California Department of Education is seeking to bring 10,000 more mental health counselors to schools by passing laws for loan forgiveness, deferrals, scholarships, and decreased length of time to licensure.
Research
Psychedelics and Mental Health
Were the hippies right all along? ☮✌
A recent study by King’s College London found that small doses of the psychedelic drug psilocybin, found in 'magic' mushrooms, showed that small doses of the substance could be given to healthy individuals without any side effects.
This is an important finding given that psilocybin is a promising treatment for treatment-resistant depression, major depressive disorder, terminal-cancer-related anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and substance dependence.
The New York Times also published an article recently on the subject. But besides the promise psychedelics show, the article outlines the “perils” that also come with psychedelics. These include horrifying hallucinations, feelings of peril and anxiety, heart damage by microdosing, disassociation, and lasting psychological trauma.
Other Research
A recent study found that people in online communities put themselves into environments where nobody disagrees with them. This, in turn, creates echo chambers where people “become more likely to develop a gut-level sense of moral duty to act upon their moral convictions”. This can also lead to radicalization. In other words, allow yourself to be a part of communities with people who hold opposing views.
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