Publisher’s Thoughts

Dear Reader,
    Hello! I hope you are enjoying your summer, whether you have just graduated, are on break, on vacation, in summer school, or even working and enjoying the longer hours of sunshine. And for our readers in parts of the world where it is not summertime, I hope you are having a wonderful season, as well.
    Each time I prepare a new issue of The New Social Worker, I am more excited than the last. This issue is no different. I love finding great social work writers and sharing their work with you.
    In this issue, John Riolo takes a look at how the current economic downturn might be affecting some social workers’ business practices. What’s ethical and what isn’t?
    Field placement students...do you look forward to writing logs, or do you see it as just another chore? Katie Mailloux and Ron Whitten show through their example just how useful these logs can be.
    There has been discussion in recent years about the pros and cons of online therapy vs. face-to-face. But what about supervision? Can it be done electronically and be effective? Simon Feuerman is back in this issue, taking an up-close look at telephone group supervision. And he likes what he sees.
    Two articles in this issue focus on program evaluation research. This is something that you can use in your social work career.
    War...what is it good for? Gary Bachman reflects, using themes from some popular songs.
    T.J. is in summer school, and Karen is tweeting! Read their columns on pages 14 and 24, respectively.
    Elspeth Slayter looks at substance abuse and intellectual disabilities on page 27, and Ann McLaughlin is back with another international question on page 29.
    In this issue, we are introducing two new initiatives. One is Linda’s New Social Worker Book Club! See page 6. And the other is our new partnership with Phi Alpha National Social Work Honor Society. See page 22.
    Don’t forget, if you are looking for a social work job, or looking to hire a social worker, check out our online job board at http://www.socialworkjobbank.com.
    Until next time—happy reading!

Linda Grobman, ACSW, LSW

Table of Contents

Student Role Model: Kelly Lee
In this issue, Barbara Trainin Blank provides a close-up look at Kelly Lee, a BSW student at Tarleton State University-Central Texas.
by Barbara Trainin Blank
page 3

Ethics: Ethics and Economics
The current downturn in the economy is expected to affect everyone, including mental health therapists. There is no reason to believe that therapists will be any more recession-proof than any other business. It will be all the more important for us to have a solid integration of ethics with sound business principles.
by John A. Riolo
page 4

Field Placement: Social Work Intern Logs: An Effective Learning Exercise for Reflecting on a First Hospice Experience    
Students entering field education are faced with a myriad of ambiguous feelings and preconceptions. One traditional means by which students are expectred to self evaluate and analyze their internship performance is through written logs of their activities. A student shares her log of her first client encounter in a hospice setting.
by Katie J. Mailloux and Ronald B. Whitten
page 8

Seeing is Not Believing: Group Supervision by Telephone
Can telephone supervision be effective? Could it be that the highly-touted non-verbal aspects of face-to-face group supervision might actually distract from the process?
by Simon Y. Feuerman
page 11

An MSW Student’s Life
T.J. goes to summer school, and along the way, begins her quest for balance.
by T.J. Rutherford
page 14

The Evolution of a Social Work Researcher: The Practicum Student, the Professor, the Process, the Product
Research is a critical tool for all social workers. This article discusses, from the perspective of a student and her professor, the transformation from classroom research student to actual researcher during field practicum.
by Melissa B. South and Carolyn Bartick Ericson
page 16

Program Evaluation—Lessons Learned From the Field
Evidence-based research is vitally important in addressing such issues as agency accountability, credibility, and sustainability. So, why do so few organizations do it?
by Vivian R. Bergel and Peggy McFarland
page 18

Reflections on War
Gary Bachman shares reflections on what social workers need to know about war, using themes from popular songs.
by Gary Bachman
page 20

SW 2.0: How Tweet It Is: Social Tweeters
Have you joined the Twitter craze? What’s the big deal? Karen talks to social workers who tweet.
by Karen Zgoda
page 24

Identifying Substance Abuse Among Clients With Intellectual Disabilities: Don’t Rule It Out Before You Rule It Out!
The author gives guidelines for identifying substance abuse in this population.
by Elspeth M. Slayter
page 27

Africa: A Bucket Half Empty or a Bucket Half Full?
Africa is full of people who are deeply committed to improving the lives of ordinary Africans. Many Americans have an inaccurate image of Africa. Do you see Africa’s problems or its hope?
by Ann McLaughlin
page 29

Departments

On Campus    page 22
Books    page 30
Classified Ads    page 32