Many single mothers find it difficult to even contemplate going to college because not only do they have one or more children to care for; many of them have jobs as well. Add to that equation the concept of having to pay for college out of their pockets and many single mothers give up the dream of going to college altogether. Thankfully, there are scholarships for single mothers as well as federal grants and loans that single mothers may qualify for. (more…)
January 24, 2010
Scholarships for Single Mothers: It’s Not Too Late to Go to School
January 18, 2010
January 11, 2010
Social Work and the Elderly: A Job That Makes a Difference
Social work and the elderly is a wonderful combination. I have worked at assisted living facilities part-time over the last several years and have learned so much from the wisdom of senior citizens. Also there is a lot of sadness in many of their situations and reasons why they’ve moved into a facility. There are a number of other settings for working with the elderly as well including outpatient counseling agencies, medical social workers at hospitals and doing home visits to seniors through a case management service. (more…)
January 7, 2010
Financial Aid for Going to School: Grants, Loans and Scholarships
If you are thinking about college, whether as an undergrad or returning for either grad school or to change your career entirely, you may feel stopped in your tracks due to the financial hardship issues. First of all, Obama is very aware and appreciative for the need for college education to better one’s own life and the life of society. This is something he spoke about in his talk to students that was publicized in the fall of 2009. (more…)
January 4, 2010
Social Work Forums: How Do They Work
A social work forum is basically an online social network of people involved in the social work field or those considering it as a career themselves. The message boards are monitored by employees who make sure that the communication stays within acceptable perimeters. These sites are a great way to stay abreast to new ideas in the area of social work as well as a way to remain social and get into issues with others with a bsw, msw or dsw degree. They are usually designed in order to connect like-minded people who want to share information. (more…)
December 22, 2009
Quotes on Addiction: Gaining Inspiration
Addiction is usually used in the context of drugs or alcohol but it applies as well to other situations including internet, overeating and more broadly to habits we have that we repeat and feel we can’t live without. It is a state of mind that needs to be uprooted. (more…)
December 15, 2009
Average Social Worker Salary: Part II
I’ve gotten some feedback from other friends in the field so wanted to add more info to my early post. The average social worker salary may be higher than you thought. There is a bad rap for the social work field of having a reputation as a low paying career. After all, many people in this profession work for non-profit or government organizations…not the best payers in the world in most cases. However, the appeal of the profession is high among those who want to make a real difference in the world. People who do this work help keep children safe, assist adults in creating better lives for themselves, and help families learn to live together and love one another more effectively. It can be very rewarding. But, can you live on the money you make? (more…)
December 10, 2009
What is a Criminal Justice Social Worker
Social work is a very rewarding career that is all about helping and guiding others toward better lives. There are many specializations in this field. You can work with children who are abused or neglected. You can choose to work with indigent adults in medical facilities, or you may choose to help the poor find services that can help them financially. Then, there is the criminal justice social worker. This is a highly specialized area of the field and requires a special sort of personality to perform the job adequately, as it has a lot of unique challenges. Here’s what one is and what you may have to do if you choose this interesting and in-demand career path. (more…)
December 6, 2009
Social Work Cover Letter
Social work is a very remarkable career. If you are aspiring to work in this field, a well written social work cover letter is important. It’s the first introduction to you that an employer will have. It can also have a personal quality to it since the resume that gets distributed is generally identical from job to job application and not customized. You can use the cover letter to highlight some of your unique characteristics.
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November 28, 2009
Social Work Salaries: How is the Pay
Social work is a profession that focuses on aiding the improvement of people’s lives. The focus lies in creating a better place for society. Social workers help others to deal with various situations that have landed them in dire straits as well as just daily coping issues. There is a wide range of people to work with including issues related to homelessness, veteran trauma, unemployment, child and spousal abuse, drug addiction, marital issues and more. The hope is that everyone is represented and receives fair treatment to enable personal growth.
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November 8, 2009
Teens and Anxiety: Navigating the Difficult Years
Katrina is 16 years old and has been caught in the middle of a divorce battle between her parents. After being on the honor roll for many years, her grades have started to slip. She doesn’t want to bother her mother about how she feels because she knows that her mother is sad from what has happened and has her own issues to deal with. (more…)
November 2, 2009
Social Work Jobs NYC: Working in New York
Social work in New York City can give you a very rewarding career. When you are searching for employment, it’s best to look in areas that have positions to fill. This article can help show you some areas to search the best positions for you in NYC. (more…)
October 30, 2009
October 26, 2009
Coping with Bipolar Disorder:A Difficult Condition
Bipolar disorder is a challenge to the patient, family and the therapist. In the past it was called manic-depressive disorder. It usually begins during the teen years or in one’s twenties and can be misdiagonsed for a number of years. This is unfortunate since it delays treatment. Because adolescence already has mood swings and periods of both mania and depression, it can be misunderstood as just a phase. (more…)
October 10, 2009
School Social Worker Role: Working with Kids
School social work is a specialized field in the broad category of social work. It brings the knowledge, experienced and expertise of general social work to the school setting to enhance the life of students. Sadly, due to the violence in schools and colleges today, many are involved in grief counseling after a crisis. School social workers are hired by school districts , colleges and work at alternative educational facilities. (more…)
September 22, 2009
Natural and Holistic Treatments for Anxiety, Panic and Insomnia
Anxiety is something everyone discusses and it varies in degrees. For some people it is incapacitating causing minimal sleep, shaking, panic attacks and inability to leave the home. For other people it manifests itself mostly under pressure situations such as exams, presentations or doctor’s appointments.
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September 10, 2009
Dealing With Difficult Patients
The movie “What about Bob” is a classic about a borderline patient in psychotherapy that cannot accept his therapist taking a vacation. Mr. Bean goes to the dentist is a comical look at this problem in the context of seeing a dentist.
In the Mr. Bean dentist visit video he sabotages his appointment in a number of ways. I won’t spoil it! In “What about Bob”, Bob is able to get the phone number of his therapist on vacation in New England. That wasn’t enough: He later went down to the answering service office to get the location of his vacation home. Of course, he shows up and we get to watch Richard Dreyfus lose his control numerous times while the rest of the family finds Bob endearing and child-like. Dreyfus knows he is passive-agressive and doesn’t understand why no one else sees the manipulations.
It is useful to look at our reactions to patients we find difficult. What are the aspects that are challenging? Can you draw lines with people. Is that what may be the underlying issue with a number of difficult patients? Do clients pick up the reactions from the professional and find ways to stop the distancing acts of the professionals?
In the dental video clip we see Mr. Bean playing with various dental instruments and ways he sabotages the authority of the dentist. Seinfeld has also made jokes about how the patient feels powerless in the waiting room of a doctor’s office. The patient-doctor relationship has a complexity to it and it’s good to be honest and see when you fall into a power trip or other forms of ego.
One of my first psychotherapy clients talked about how he’d see two different women at the same time. After a few months of therapy, he started seeing a second therapist. I was able to use this as a context for him to see his own mind. Why does he always need to have two set up in his life?
August 28, 2009
Nursing Home Abuse: Elderly Care Problems
Nursing home abuse is reported in the news and if you are placing your parent or loved one in a facility, it’s important to check out the home and ask good questions. I have been saddened hearing in my counseling sessions some very heartbreaking stories of neglect. (more…)
August 12, 2009
Fear of Letting Go: Personal Problems Can Paralyze You
Letting go of personal problems can create a LOT of fear. We are not sure if we can
survive them. This funny clip from Mr. Bean shows us a lot about fear:
I’ll discuss it on next page.
July 31, 2009
How Can You Listen to People All Day
I’m often asked by people the question, “How can you listen to people all day”? It can be frustrating when someone seems to not really want to change, but to really focus on blaming others. But I think that is the first impulse we have- to get validation for our own perceptions and see the other person as causing our situation. I find that gently questioning this can help someone to look themselves.
July 4, 2009
June 11, 2009
Family Therapy Techniques: Social Work Home Visit
I don’t often do home visits, but today I was asked to go to the home of someone who is 90 years old. I thought it was going to be about her own depression but it turned out that family therapy techniques were important for the session. Two of her kids live at home with her still and the client feels in the middle between them as they argue constantly. (more…)