In honor of National Professional Social Work Month, NASW hosted its 2nd annual Media Awards to recognize media professionals who help raise awareness about social work and social work issues.
More than 1,700 social workers and others voted on nominees, more than double the amount of ballots cast last year.
The winners are:
TV Program/Fictional:
Touch on Fox. In this fantasy/sci-fi series Gugu Mbatha Raw plays social worker Clea Hopkins, a child development specialist who is trying to help an autistic child with a supernatural gift.
Documentary:
My Marriage is Not Threatened by Gay Marriage in NC. National Association of Social Workers member Thomas “Tab” Ballis and Andy Meyers created this short film in 2012 to protest anti-gay marriage legislation in North Carolina.
Feature Film:
The Commitment. In this short film an interracial gay couple goes through the process of adopting an Asian child, and a social worker named Susan (Mary Niederkorn) helps the couple and the birth mother navigate the tricky subjects of race, sexual orientation and outlandish baby names.
TV Program/News:
ESPN’s Outside the Lines profiled aspiring social worker and track star Latipha Cross, who overcame homelessness, sexual abuse and cancer before getting help to go to college to become a social worker. [video no longer online]
TV Program/Reality:
Save My Son on TVOne features social worker and educator Dr. Steve Perry, who does interventions with youth who are heading for trouble.
Magazine and/or Magazine Article:
The Fall 2012 issue of New Social Worker Magazine and the article What I Wish I Had Known: Burnout and Self Care in Our Social Work Profession, by SaraKay Smullens, MSW, LCSW. [article no longer online]
Newspaper Article:
Emma Donnan Social Worker Speaks Kids’ Language, by Robert King of the Indianapolis Star, February 2012. Social worker Ross Boushehry has earned a reputation for helping school kids battling poor grades, drug problems and dysfunctional homes and other issues. [article no longer online]
Column:
Why it’s good to let boys cry – Regular Washington Post columnist/blogger and NASW member Jennifer Kogan, MSW, LCSW, wrote about why it is important to let male children express their emotions.
Best Radio Segment or Program:
Study: Girls and Boys Who Act Like the Opposite Sex at Risk of Abuse – Public News Service interviewed NASW Michigan Executive Director Maxine Thome about the need for these children to be protected and for more public education about gender identity.
Single Topic Blog:
Gender Blog by Darlene Tando, LCSW. Tando’s blog covers issues surrounding gender, including people who are transgender and people who are nonconforming when it comes to gender.
Website:
inSocialWork Podcast Series, University at Buffalo School of Social Work: This biweekly podcast series features conversations with prominent social work professionals, interviews with cutting-edge researchers, and information on emerging trends and best practices in the field of social work.