Social Work in the Public Eye
NASW Arizona Chapter Executive Director Carol Stambaugh was
chosen by the Arizona Society of Association Executives as the Executive of the
Year. It is the highest recognition given by the organization to the chief
staff executive of an association in the state. Those honored with the award
exemplify the very best in association management by continually bringing
credit to the profession and to the entire association community.
Stambaugh was given the award at the society's annual gala
recently. "I was so lucky to have a past-president, my president-elect,
and some committee chairs in attendance at the gala with me," Stambaugh
said. "In addition, the chapter won the Arizona Society of Association
Executives Cutting Edge award for our work with orientation videos and using
social media in governance. It was a beautiful night!"
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| Marjorie Nixon |
Marjorie Nixon was quoted in The Straits Times, Singapore's
national newspaper, for a feature story about addiction.
Nixon is originally from Wisconsin. In 2008, she became
program director of We Care Community Services, a small outpatient addictions
agency in Singapore. The story profiled people whose lives have changed for the
better through addiction recovery efforts. The article pointed out that besides
drugs and alcohol, people can become addicted to food, sex and gambling. Nixon
noted in the feature that the initial months for a recovering addict are
especially difficult.
"It can take up to two years for a patient to experience
emotional, mental, and physical stability after abstaining from his or her drug
of choice," she said. "This might include such symptoms as mood
swings, sleep disturbance and memory problems."
She added that addicts are likely to relapse if they regard
drugs, alcohol or gambling as the problem rather than themselves.
Wendy Maltz of Oregon wrote the lead feature article for the
November/December 2009 issue of Psychotherapy Networker magazine. Maltz said
the article, titled "Out of the Shadows," is a personal and
clinically based overview of how pornography has changed from a seemingly
harmless entertainment to a product that is causing serious mental, sexual and
relationship problems for many. The story points out that access to pornography
through electronic technology such as cable television, computers and mobile
phones has transformed it into something that is available anytime, anywhere
and often for cheap or free of charge.
Maltz cites other experts who have begun calling pornography
addiction the newest and most challenging mental health problem. In her own
studies, she said that she found porn use had many of the same properties as
drug use and it can cause a drug-like effect. Research shows that, like
compulsive gambling and shopping, porn use can lead to a "process
addiction," in which a person becomes addicted to a set of behaviors,
that, in turn, powerfully alter brain chemistry, the article states.
Later, it notes that "all the new information about porn
we are gathering helped explain why people of all ages and from all walks of
life could develop such strong attachments to porn that they craved it
compulsively, couldn't control their use and couldn't stop despite negative
consequences."
Maltz states in the story that the only way to prevent the
spread of porn-related problems is for people to be informed and to get help
early and for society to be alert to the problems. "As mental health
professionals I believe we're most helpful when we resist our tendencies to automatically
condemn or advocate porn," she writes. "Our effectiveness depends on
our ability to join with clients in regularly evaluating porn's impact on their
lives."
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| Jerry Rousseau |
Jerry Rousseau, a clinical professor at the Helen Bader School
of Social Welfare at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, was quoted in a
Wisconsin Public News Service article that was picked up by the Clear Channel
News Network and distributed to hundreds of news talk stations across the
country.
The story was about how the holiday season can be a time of
stress for many people, especially in a poor economy. "That's where the
state's social workers come in. With the economy reeling, social workers in
Wisconsin are preparing for a very busy holiday season," the announcer
exclaimed.
Rousseau said the economic situation would have an impact on
people over the holidays. "It's going to generate even more stress,"
he said. "It's going to generate more frustration. Some people are going
to turn to behaviors that are not necessarily going to be good for them."
Rousseau said social workers across the state help people
overcome some of life's most difficult challenges: poverty, discrimination,
abuse, addiction, physical illness, divorce, unemployment, disability and
mental illness. All can be exacerbated by a bad economy and the holiday season.
While the holidays are hard to get through for many people,
Rousseau warned that the biggest challenges sometimes come later.
"After the holiday period, after Jan. 1, a lot of people
sink into the sense of disappointment and depression that has been building
through the holidays," he said.
It's a double-whammy, he adds: That's also when bills from
holiday spending come due.
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| Frank Campbell |
Frank Campbell was chosen by the International Association for
Suicide Prevention to receive the Norman Farberow award for his international
work on behalf of those bereaved by suicide of a loved one. The award was
presented in Uruguay at the IASP world congress, which is held every two years.
Campbell said he is the first American social worker to be selected for the
honor. Campbell's Active Postvention Model -- most commonly used by the LOSS
(Local Outreach to Survivors of Suicide) Team -- has been featured in three
Discovery Channel documentaries.
The concept involves a team of first responders who go to the
scene of a suicide and then provide support and referral to those bereaved by
the incident. The goal is to shorten the elapsed time between the death and the
survivors getting proper help to cope with the loss.
The active postvention model has shown to have a positive
impact on both the team members and the newly bereaved, Campbell said. Many of
the team members are former benefactors of the program. Campbell said the model
has been replicated in several other countries, including Australia, Singapore,
Northern Ireland and Canada.
Campbell has also been selected to receive the Louis Dublin
award at the upcoming American Association of Suicidology Conference. He is a
past president of the organization.
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| Samira Beckwith |
Samira K. Beckwith, president and CEO of Hope HealthCare
Services headquartered in Fort Myers, Fla., was presented with the Lifetime
Achievement Award by the Stevie Awards for Women in Business.
More than 1,100 entries were submitted internationally for
consideration in 54 award categories. Winners were chosen by a panel of
business professionals worldwide.
The Stevie Awards for Women in Business honor women
executives, entrepreneurs, and the companies they run -- worldwide. Named the
Stevies for the Greek word for "crowned," winners were announced
during a gala event in New York City.
Beckwith was honored for her lifetime achievements and
accomplishments in health care. The presentation noted that as president and
CEO of Hope HealthCare Services, Beckwith is a leader in improving health care
on the local, state and national levels. She has served in this position since
1991 and has more than 30 years of health care and hospice experience. Under
her leadership, Hope's services, programs, staff and volunteers have grown and
now provide care for more than 2,300 people each day, through Hope Hospice and
other comprehensive care programs for people with serious illness in Lee,
Glades, Hendry, Highlands, Hardee, Charlotte and Collier counties in Florida.
Beckwith has led Hope to receive numerous national awards for quality service
and innovation. She is also the 2009 winner of the NASW Foundation's Ruth
Knee/Milton Wittman Lifetime Achievement Award and is an NASW Social Work
Pioneer.
"This is a unique honor for me and for all Hope staff
members and volunteers," Beckwith said in a statement. "It recognizes
our many years of commitment and dedication as we have worked diligently to
meet the healthcare needs of our community. It is a true honor to be recognized
for our ongoing efforts."
From February 2010 NASW News. © 2010 National
Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved. NASW News
articles may be copied for personal use, but proper notice of
copyright and credit to the NASW News must appear on all copies
made. This permission does not apply to reproduction for advertising,
promotion, resale, or other commercial purposes.
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