The Social Work Podcast

Episode 69: Today's Social Work Podcast, Cultural Considerations in Military Social Work, is the second in a two-part series with Anthony Hassan on Military Social Work. In Part I, Anthony and I spoke about The Training and Education of Military Social Workers. Any discussion of culture and culturally relevant practice begins with the idea that we are all cultural beings. We see the world differently depending on which culturally-informed lenses we have on. In the United States, where military service is not a requirement, being in the military offers a unique set of lenses. I got a glimpse of the very practical, day-to-day implications of seeing the world through military lenses when I asked today's guest what I thought was a very straightforward question – a question I ask all my guests before the interview starts – "what do you want me to call you?" Jonathan Singer: I didn't actually ask you – what do you want me to call you? Do you want me to call you Anthony? Dr. Hassan?... Anthony Hassan: Oh, please, Anthony. Surely not Major Hassan. You know I'm still in my own transition. It is interesting. It has been a year and a half now. I still reach to put on my hat. If my hair is blowing in the wind, it is like, "why is that happening? Oh – you don't have your hat on." So I go to reach for a hat. Or, just the other day I was like, "my goodness my left arm is tired from carrying this brief case." But I wouldn't put it in my right hand. I'm thinking, "why aren't you putting it in your right hand, Anthony?" Well, because I've always had to keep my right hand free to salute. Jonathan Singer: Oh... Anthony Hassan: And you know, believe it or not, this morning I walked out of my house, it was a little breezy – I feel it in my hair, and I thought instantly, "where is your cover? where is your hat?" It is still a transition that we all have to make. And so when I jokingly said, "don't call me Major Hassan" it is because, you know, sometime I still talk as if I'm still in the service. And I talk about people I talk with every day as "civilians." It is a transition. And here I am, you know moving from one career to the next, pretty seamless, everything is going ok. Just imagine what it must be like to leave service, young, without a job, without any skills, having been to war twice, and maybe having a wife and a three year old daughter. You're all of the sudden in Los Angeles again where you grew up. What is that going to be like? That's all I want social workers to try to understand. How can we help this family, this individual, navigate this transition? So, how can we help? The Council on Social Work Education's Military Social Work task force, chaired by Anthony Hassan, provides some guidance on the knowledge, values and skills that all military social workers should have. Here's their statement on educational policy 2.1.4 - engaging diversity and difference in practice "Advanced practitioners in military social work understand there are many subgroups and subcultures in the military and veterans' communities. Interventions and personal reactions differ over time with changes in social policy and diversity among individuals. Advanced practitioners in military social work understand the power and authority structure within the military (as part of the culture) and the impact this structure can have on the lives of service members and their families. They recognize the impact of intersectionality of various diversity factors (e.g., in-rank structure [hierarchy]; military occupational specialty statuses; racial status; gender; service cultures and practices; "family" composition and definition; sexual orientation; age; disability; life stage; culture and ethnicity; spirituality; and citizenship status) on direct practice. They understand the differences in factors that motivate people to enter, serve, separate from, and transition into the VA system of care. CSWE identified the following practice behaviors: - Advanced practitioners in military social work manage potential conflicts between diverse identities within and among individuals and the military and veterans' organizations; - manage potential conflicts between personal feelings/expression and collective/ institutional responsibility; - recognize the potential risk and protective factors among diverse populations and communities that may be the result of military service; and - communicate with a culturally responsive approach that includes service members with varying statuses such as active duty/retired, guard/ reserves, and combat/garrison." (CSWE, 2010, pp. 7 -8). In today's interview, Anthony and I talked about the similarities and differences between military and non-military social work; is it necessary for social workers to have military experience in order to be effective doing military social work?; what are some mistakes that civilians make when working with people in the military?; What are the treatment needs of community dwelling veterans? How the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have advanced our understanding of and treatments for PTSD and other disorders. Anthony ended our conversation emphasizing that when we think of community dwelling veterans we should remember their strengths as well as their needs.

Episode 68: Today's Social Work Podcast, The Training and Education of Military Social Workers, is the first of a two-part series. Part II, is a discussion of Cultural considerations in military social work. I'm doing this two part series because whether you agree or disagree with America n's involvement in what has now become the longest continuous combat engagement in its 235 year history, "There is an urgent need to understand and engage with the military service members, veterans, their families, and their communities in effective [social work] practices" (CSWE, 2010, p. 2). I hear some of you right now; I'm reading your thoughts: you don't work for the Veterans Administration; you're not contracted by the military to provide services; you don't wear the uniform and serve in the armed forces. And yet, according to my guest, Anthony Hassan, you could still be a military social worker. According to a 2011 Rand report, "Since October 2001, approximately 2 million U.S. troops have deployed as part of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Many of these previously deployed individuals have since left the military or retired, and most previously deployed National Guard and reservists have returned to their home communities" (p. iii). These "community dwelling veterans" seek services where they live - in their communities. So, for all of you who work in communities - and that's everyone - chances are you're providing services to veterans and their families. And that's the main focus of today's military social work. And yet, most of us, unless we work directly with the military, have no idea what might be required for effective practice with this population. By all accounts, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have exacted a significant toll on community dwelling veterans and their families. In response to this need, in 2010, the Council on Social Work Education published guidelines for educational competencies for advanced social work practice in military social work. The authors of these guidelines explained, "with no end in sight and the ultimate results of these wars uncertain, we are now challenged with both a military that is exhibiting the stress-related consequences of these long and multiple combat deployments and a rapidly growing veteran population in need of a wide range of combat-related physical and mental health care services. Every community in the United States has been affected, and service delivery systems are trying to respond. Military social work, as a field of practice and research, is critical to our relevance as social workers, to the advancement of new career options, and in our leadership among the helping professions. This does not mean that we endorse war or aggression, but rather that we extend meaningful help to those who have been affected. This is a moment in history when we can reassert our central influence as a pivotal healing profession in the midst of wartime and in the aftermath by promoting a vigorous social work research agenda and appropriate training to effectively prepare military social workers" (CSWE, 2010, p. 2). In order to better understand both the training and education of military social workers, I spoke with a man who is on the forefront of the current reconceptualization of military social work. My guest, Anthony Hassan, is a retired Air Force officer with 25 years of experience in military social work. He served during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004 on the first-ever Air Force combat stress control and prevention team embedded with an Army unit. He led the largest military substance abuse and family advocacy programs in the Pacific which were recognized as benchmark programs and training sites for all other Pacific bases. He chaired the committee responsible for creating the Council on Social Work Education's model for advanced social work practice in military social work (CSWE, 2010) which I quoted a few minutes ago. And, if those bona fides aren't enough, he is currently the director of the Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans and Military Families at the University of Southern California's School of Social Work. In today's Social Work Podcast, Anthony and I talked about the how the definition of military social work has changed over time, how educators and practitioners can use the CSWE guidelines, opportunities for advanced training at the master's and doctoral level in military social work at USC's school of social work, and online certificate programs for non-USC students. We talked about the use of a "virtual patient" as part of the training program. We talked about the central role that the profession of social work could and should play addressing the issues faced by active duty military, community dwelling veterans, and their families. We talked about the kinds of jobs that military social workers do. We ended our conversation with some resources for listeners wanting to know more. A couple of notes about this interview. Anthony and I spoke for an hour and a half. Our conversation about education and training actually happened in the second half of our interview. Because I'm presenting it as "Part I" there are a couple of times when he makes reference to information that we discussed in the beginning of the conversation... which is now Part II. I hope that's not too confusing. Another thing that stands out about this interview is that, for the first time, I invited listeners of the social work podcast who are fans on the social work podcast Facebook page, to submit questions for Anthony. The response was fantastic. There were over 20 questions, most of which I couldn't ask. But those that were suggested on Facebook I identified as such. So, thank you to everyone who posted questions - you'll recognize your contribution to this interview. And I'll definitely be asking folks to submit questions for future podcasts. Finally, as with all my remote interviews, this one was done using Skype. Anthony was in Los Angeles and I was 3,000 miles away in Philadelphia. And now, without further ado, on to episode 68 of the Social Work Podcast, The Training and Education of Military Social Workers: An Interview with Dr. Anthony Hassan.

Episode 67: Today's episode of the Social Work Podcast is an interview with Maureen Blaha, the Executive Director of the National Runaway Switchboard (http://www.nrscrisisline.org/). So, if you're a social worker and you work in outpatient or inpatient or residential or you're in a school-based setting and you have a client who says I'm out of here. I am running away from home or maybe they don't even say I'm out of here. Maybe they're saying I don't know how I can live with my parents here. So, what do you do? What are some resources for you? If you're in a school setting and you're working with groups of kids, are there curricula that you can get a hold of, free curricula that you can use with your clients? Well, these are all setup questions because, of course, the answers are in today's episode of the Social Work Podcast. Maureen Blaha, the Executive Director, talks about the National Runaway Switchboard which was established in 1971 and serves as the federally-designated national communication system for homeless and runaway youth. Recognized as the oldest hotline of its kind in the world, NRS with the support of more than 150 volunteers handles an average of 100,000 calls annually. NRS provides crisis intervention, referrals to local resources and education and prevention services to youth, families and community members throughout the country 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Over 13,000 youth have been reunited with their families through the NRS home free program done in collaboration with Greyhound Lines, Inc. The NRS Crisis Hotline is 1-800-RUNAWAY and for more information, you can visit their website at http://www.1800runaway.org. In today's interview, Maureen and I talked a little bit about what's different for kids who are runaways and homeless compared to 1971 when the Switchboard was established. We also talked about why the end of the school year is an at-risk time for teens in crisis and talk about some signs the parents can look for, what things parents, teachers and adults can do to address this issue of teens in crisis. She talks a little bit about the use of social media including a new live chat service that has been implemented on the website and how that's a way to connect with teens who maybe don't feel comfortable calling but who feel very comfortable chatting. And finally, we talked a bit about how they got Chris "Ludacris" Bridges involved to do their most recent public service announcement. And now, on to Episode 67 of the Social Work Podcast: The National Runaway Switchboard: Interview with Maureen Blaha

Episode 66: Today's Social Work Podcast is about helping families adjust to a gay or lesbian child. According to the website, comingoutcominghome.com, "The discovery that a child is gay or lesbian can send shockwaves throughout a family. A mother will question how she's raised her son; a father will worry that his daughter will experience discrimination. From the child's perspective, gay and lesbian youth fear their families will reject them, and that they will lose financial and emotional support. All in all, learning a child is gay challenges long held views about sexuality and relationships, and the resulting uncertainty can produce, for all parties, anger, resentment, and concern for safety and acceptance." So, how can social workers help families adjust to a gay or lesbian child? To get some answers, I spoke with Dr. Michael LaSala author of the 2010 book, Coming Out, Coming Home: Helping Families Adjust to a Gay or Lesbian Child, published by Columbia University Press. Dr. LaSala is director of the MSW program and associate professor at the School of Social Work at Rutgers University. He has been in practice for more than twenty-five years and he currently treats LGBT individuals and families at the Institute for Personal Growth in Highland Park, NJ. (www.ipgcounseling.com). Dr. LaSala recently completed a Fulbright Fellowship in Estonia where he investigated the impacts of stigma on Estonian lesbians and gay men. In addition to his book and numerous scholarly publications, you can read his blog on Gay and Lesbian Well-Being on PsychologyToday.com I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. LaSala when he came to Temple University in March of 2011. He gave a talk sponsored by Temple's School of Social Work about his federally funded qualitative study of 65 families of gay and lesbian youth, which formed the basis for his book, Coming Out, Coming Home. One of the surprising findings in his study was that some of the young people he interviewed "wanted to disclose their sexual orientation to their mothers and fathers because they believed that their parents could provide the support they needed to cope with the challenges of being gay" (LaSala, 2010, p. 55). Ok, so what's surprising about kids wanting their parents support? Well, until recently, it was just kind of assumed that straight parents wouldn't be supportive if and when they found out their child was gay or lesbian. Gay and lesbian children often found themselves disowned, kicked out of the house, cut-off financially, and even abused. As a result individual therapists and programs for LGBT youth focused on finding support networks (peers, friends, gay and lesbian adults, straight supporters), people who became the youth's "chosen family" who could provide emotional, financial and emergency support when biological families turned their backs on their LGBT kids. For decades it was standard operating procedure for professionals to support youth to stay "in the closet" until college or into adulthood when they could be financially and emotionally independent of their parents. So, ignoring the family seemed to make sense in 1980. But, according to researchers like Michael LaSala, Cindy Conley (whom you might remember from episode 62 of the Social Work Podcast), Caitlin Ryan (whom you can hear on episode 33 of Living Proof, the podcast series of the School of Social Work at the University at Buffalo) and others, ignoring the family doesn't work so well for gay and lesbian youth in in 2011. And it wasn't what the kids in Dr. LaSala's study said they wanted from their parents. There's a very practical reason for this shift: youth are coming out much younger than in the past. According to a 2006 study by Caitlin Ryan and her colleagues, kids in the USA are, on average, 13 when they come out. For professionals this means that you're not dealing with kids about to graduate from high school, or in the middle of college. You're dealing with 8th graders. And there's a big difference between supporting a graduating senior to stay in the closet for three months so that her parents won't refuse to pay for college, and supporting an 8th grader to stay in the closet for five to six years. We've also learned that that parental support matters to adolescents. Even though peer influence increases during adolescence, it turns out that parents and families are more important peers. Pop quiz - what's more important in keeping high school students from trying to kill themselves – parental support or peer support? Ok. I know that was a bad pop quiz because I set you up for the answer. But, just to be clear, it is parental support (Kidd et al., 2006). This recent emphasis on families is creating a paradigm shift in work with gay and lesbian youth. The importance of families in the health and well-being of LGBT youth was highlighted by the Institute of Medicine's first-ever report on LGBT health, published in April 2011. In that report, families were identified as "an important social structure." Now the kids in Dr. LaSala's study didn't need to read an IOM report to know that. They knew that their families were an important source of support. They also knew that coming out wouldn't be easy, and that's why they wanted to come out to their parents - so their parents could provide that support. The IOM report also said that families were "a promising venue for interventions." Dr. LaSala's study, Coming Out, Coming Home, provides valuable insight into the types of interventions that might be useful with families of gay and lesbian youth. In today's interview, Michael and I talked about the five stages that families in his study described going through before, during, and after finding out their child was gay or lesbian. We talked about some of the challenges that social workers face when a child hasn't come out to his or her parents. Michael gave some examples of practical and useful indirect questions that therapists can use with young clients whom they suspect are questioning their sexual orientation, but are ambivalent about discussing it. We talked about how managing stigma was a family affair. We ended our conversation with a discussion about empirical support for family-based work with gay and lesbian youth, as well as resources for social workers interested in learning more. And now, on to Episode 66 of the Social Work Podcast: Coming Out, Coming Home: Interview with Michael C. LaSala, Ph.D.

Episode 65: [Corrected audio file] Today's episode of the Social Work Podcast looks at Evidence Based Practice. I wanted to do an episode on Evidence-Based Practice because it has been the subject of a lot of debate in Social Work. One of the controversies is over how to define evidence based practice. So, how do you define it? March 2, 2011 I created a poll on the Social Work Podcast website and asked people to vote on one of four possible definitions of evidence-based practice. I let people know about the poll through a brief podcast update, a tweet on the SWP twitter feed, and a message on the Facebook fan page. In seven days 183 people voted. One person said EBP was "a waste of time." Seven people (3% of respondents) said that EBP was "when practitioners are mandated to use certain interventions/programs by a funding source (e.g., managed care)." Fifty-eight people - almost 1/3 of respondents - said that EBP was "using empirically supported treatments (e.g. DBT or MST)." 117 people - nearly two thirds of respondents - said that EBP was "a process that uses the best available research, along with client values and practitioner expertise, to answer a variety of practice questions." So, who is right? Well, according to a 2011 article written by today's guest, Danielle Parrish and her co-author Allen Rubin, EBP is "the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individuals [clients]" (Sackett, Rosenberg, Gray, Haynes, and Richardson, 1996, p. 71) and "the integration of best research evidence with clinical expertise and [client] values" (Sackett, Straus, Richardson, Rosenberg, and Haynes, 2000, p.1). In other words, EBP is a process that uses the best available research, and practitioner expertise and client values, to answer a variety of practice questions. So, why isn't Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or one of the agency-mandated programs considered Evidence-Based Practice? Stay tuned and find out. In today's interview, Danielle and I talk about the difference between the process of evidence-based practice and evidence-based practices, also known as empirically-supported treatments. We talk about why social workers should use the evidence-base practice process. Danielle identified some of the limitations of the EBP process, resources for social workers interested in accessing the evidence-base, and ways that social workers could support each other in being evidence-based practitioners. Today's episode does not cover the history of evidence-based practice. That was covered by Bruce Thyer in a 2009 episode of Living Proof, the podcast series of the University at Buffalo School of Social Work. Oh, and I'm talking to Danielle because she's one of our profession's experts on this subject. Check out her bio: Danielle E. Parrish, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor with the University of Houston, Graduate College of Social Work. Dr. Parrish's research broadly focuses on the development and implementation of evidence-based behavioral health interventions for adolescents and adult females. Dr. Parrish was the PI on a large cross-sectional survey, which assessed the views and implementation of evidence-based practice among a diverse sample of behavioral health practitioners in Texas and validated a short version of the Evidence-Based Practice Process Assessment Scale (EBPPAS-Short Version), which she co-authored with Allen Rubin. She has also developed and evaluated a training model for community practitioners on the EBP process. She's published articles and book chapters on the process of Evidence-Based Practice and made numerous invited and peer reviewed presentations on this model and the integration of EBP into social work education. Today's interview was recorded in Portland at the 2011 Society for Social Work and Research conference. And now, on to Episode 65 of the Social Work Podcast: The Process of Evidence-Based Practice: An interview with Danielle E. Parrish, Ph.D.

Update: Next week I'm posting an episode on Evidence-Based Practice. The interview is really nice and I think you'll really like it. With all episodes I do an intro where I introduce my guest, talk about why this topic is relevant to social workers, and then talk about what is covered in the interview. And so that's all well-and-good. Except that I've struggled with this intro because everyone seems to have a different understanding of what is Evidence-Based Practice. So, this is where you come in. Twice. First thing - I've posted a poll on the Social Work Podcast website, socialworkpodcast.com. Take a minute – literally one minute – to go to the site and select the definition of EBP you most agree with. I'm going to use the final tally in the introduction. The second thing is I want to hear from you. I want to know how you use evidence-based practice in your social work practice. There's a very easy way to do this: call and leave a message on the Social Work Podcast answering machine – 215.948.2456. You can either dial the number directly, or go to make the call for free, go the Social Work Podcast website and click on the "CALL ME" button and Google will connect you to the answering machine for free. When you call, tell me your first name, where you're from, and what you think. If you can help me out with those two things – the poll and the voicemail, I'll be set for next week. Thanks so much for listening to the Social Work Podcast, check back next week for the episode on Evidence-Based Practice, and keep on making a difference wherever you are.

Episode 64: Today's Social Work Podcast is a "behind the scenes" look at the Social Work Podcast. Danielle Parrish, social work faculty at the University of Houston, interviews the founder and host, Jonathan Singer, about how the Social Work Podcast started, how he selects his topics and the people that he interviews and how after the interview the podcast is actually produced and then finally how he uses Twitter, Facebook, and Google Voice [215.948-2456] to connect with listeners. And now on to Episode 64 of the Social Work Podcast: Behind the Scenes at the Social Work Podcast: Interview with Jonathan Singer

Happy New Year to all of the listeners of the Social Work Podcast. There are 100,000 of you from 178 countries. You make up an amazing community. Thanks so much for listening and making the Social Work Podcast one of the professions most visible resources.

Episode 63: Today's Social Work Podcast is a broad overview of current policies and practices associated with adoption in the United States. According to the Evan B. Donaldson Institute, 6 in 10 Americans have had experience with adoption, meaning you, or a family member or close friend was adopted, adopted a child, or put a child up for adoption. Although most Americans have experience with adoption, as you'll hear in today's interview, the world of adoption is incredibly complex. For example, is it ever acceptable to consider the race of a prospective adoptive family when making placement decisions? For example, you're looking to place an African American child. You have three prospective adoptive families - two African American and one White. Assuming all things are equal, could you use race as an exclusionary criterion? What about if the child was White, Latino, or Native American? If you know the answer - congratulations. If not, keep listening. And even if you know the answer, keep listening. My guest, Dr. Ruth McRoy, has been an academician, researcher, practitioner, trainer and lecturer in the field for over 30 years. She is a member of the North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) Board and is a Senior Research Fellow and member of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute Board. In today's conversation, Ruth talks about different kinds of adoptions such as transracial, international, infant placement, and foster care adoption. She talks about the role of the social worker in adoption, from pre-placement to post-placement. She talks about some of the national and international laws that regulate adoption, such as the Multi-Ethnic Placement Act, the Indian Child Welfare Act, and the Hague Convention. We end today's conversation with some resources that you can tap for more information about adoption, including the Evan B. Donaldson Institute, the National Resource Center for Adoption, AdoptUsKids.org, and the North American Counsel on Adoptable Children. One quick word about today's Social Work Podcast: I recorded the interview with my Zoom H2 digital recorder. Ruth and I were sitting in an empty lecture hall at the Oregon Convention Center during the Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education. Empty rooms are something of a commodity at conventions and I've done my best to edit out the sounds of people opening and closing the door looking for their own place to get some privacy. And now, without further ado, on to Episode 63 of the Social Work Podcast: Adoption Policy and Practice in the USA: Interview with Ruth McRoy, Ph.D.

Episode 62: Risk for suicide among gay youth has caught a lot of attention in the American media as of late. There have been a number of youth who have been bullied because they have been gay or perceived to be gay and who have consequently died by suicide. Dan Savage and friends and colleagues and supporters have put together an amazing project called "It Gets Better" (http://www.itgetsbetterproject.com/) focusing on the issue of youth suicide for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, question and queer teens. Now there is good reason for this. According to the U.S. Government's Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suicide, gay and lesbian youth bear an increased risk of suicide, substance abuse, school problems, and isolation because of a "hostile and condemning environment, verbal and physical abuse, rejection and isolation from [peers and family]" (Gibson, 1989). Social worker and pioneer gay and lesbian researcher Caitlin Ryan, found that lesbian, gay, and bisexual young adults who reported higher levels of family rejection during adolescence were 8.4 times more likely to report having attempted suicide, 5.9 times more likely to report high levels of depression, 3.4 times more likely to use illegal drugs, and 3.4 times more likely to report having engaged in unprotected sexual intercourse compared with peers from families that reported no or low levels of family rejection. So, here's the thing. Families who reject their kids are doing their kids a huge disservice. And that's the point of today's podcast. Today I'm talking with Dr. Cynthia Conley about the concerns of heterosexual parents of gay and lesbian youth. Cynthia Conley, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Her research focuses on parental concerns about having gay and lesbian children. Currently, Professor Conley is investigating the types of clinical interventions used with heterosexual parents of gay and lesbian children to develop a best practice model to improve family cohesion during the coming out crisis. Professor Conley has worked with LGBT adolescents and their parents since the late 1990s, focusing on heterosexual parent’s acceptance of their LGBT children. She provides consultation to organizations, educational institutions, and service providers on working with families of LGBT children. She received her B.A. from Purdue University, her MSW from Indiana University, and her Ph.D. from the University of Louisville. So here's the pop quiz for you: When lesbian or gay youth come out to their parents, what concerns are their parents most likely to have? Well, I'm not going to answer - you'll have to listen to the podcast for that. And I hope you like it. So, on to episode 62 of the Social Work Podcast, Concerns of Parents of Gays and Lesbians: An Interview with Dr. Cynthia Conley. To read more about this episode, or the Social Work Podcast, please visit https://www.socialworkpodcast.com.