Publisher's Thoughts & Table of Contents for the Summer 2012 issue.
Publisher’s Thoughts
Dear Reader, This is an exciting time of year, as some social work students have just graduated and others are just starting on their journey toward a BSW or MSW degree. This year, for the second year in a row, we have put together a photo montage of some of the new social workers who are embarking on their new careers with their new degrees in hand. See page 23 for a sampling of these new professionals. I wish I had room to include ALL new social work graduates! You can find a slide show of these and other photos that were submitted at http://www.flickr.com/photos/newsocialworker/sets/72157630388818324/.
I mentioned in the last issue that I have been working on a couple of new book projects. One of these is coming very soon and is entitled Riding the Mutual Aid Bus and Other Adventures in Group Work. (See page 18.) This addition to the Days in the Lives of Social Workers series focuses on a variety of ways in which social workers work with groups. I am co-editing it with Jennifer Clements, Vice President of the International Association for Social Work With Groups. Keep your eyes open for more on this book.
In the meantime, in this issue, we have an article about an exercise one social worker has used in a group for foster parents. Are you working with groups? Maybe Joseph Berry’s experience (page 16) will give you some ideas for working creatively with your own group.
If you haven’t noticed, The New Social Worker is on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn. We also have a Flickr photostream (see above mention of our slide show of new grads). Social media is everywhere, and social workers are a big part of it! In this issue, I profile @SWSCmedia, a new global network of social workers, founded by Claudia Megele. The group holds Twitter chats or “debates” twice a week and has had participants from 20 different countries. Read more about it on page 27.
Additional articles in this issue address FAQs about the NASW Code of Ethics, being a first-time field instructor, social work in Krygystan, social work in an HIV/AIDS clinic, an innovative “social work camp” for high school students in foster care, a social worker’s mission, and more!
Do you have ideas or experiences you would like to share with our readers? Perhaps you would like to write an article or serve as an expert interviewee for a future issue! I am always looking for ideas on social work ethics, field placement, practice specialties, career development, technology, and other topics of interest to new social workers. Let me know if you have an idea!
Until next time—happy reading, and stay COOL this summer! Linda May Grobman, ACSW, LSW
Table of Contents Summer 2012 Features Student Role Model:
Tayloe Compton
Meet Tayloe Compton, a recent BSW graduate from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
by Barbara Trainin Blank
page 3
Ethics: Frequently Asked Questions About the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
The Code of Ethics is a long document that provides guidelines for many complicated situations. The writer answers 30 of the most frequently asked questions about the Code.
by Mike Meacham
page 4
Field Placement: What I Learned From My First Intern
Once you graduate and get some experience, you may want to share your knowledge and skills with students. But don’t forget, you can learn from them, too.
by Tina Landeen Panos
page 8
Future Social Work Majors Learn, Work During UA Summer Camp
High school students in foster care go to “social work camp” at the University of Alabama.
page 9
Social Work on the Silk Road
Christine Tappan shares her experiences in the development of a social work education program in Kyrgyzstan.
by Christine Tappan
page 10
Social Work in an HIV/AIDS Clinic
HIV/AIDS is an exciting field that is constantly changing as medicine evolves. It will challenge social workers to understand complex psychosocial factors, societal stigmatization, and human injustice, and encourage advocacy on mezzo and macro levels. Read about one social worker’s day-to-day work in an HIV/AIDS clinic.
by Joe Vanny Perez, LMSW
page 14
A Foster Child Removal Experience: A Narrative Concerning Entry Into the Foster Care System
Close your eyes and imagine.... It is 2 a.m., and you have been asleep for quite a while now. Startled, you wake up at the sound of a knock on the front door of your house. You see the hall light turn on and see the shadow of your mom and dad’s footsteps walk past your bedroom door. The stairs creak in the familiar way they often do on the fifth and seventh stairs, as you hear your parents walking down them. A social worker describes how he uses a visualization exercise to increase awareness of what it is like for a child to be removed from his or her home.
by Joseph P. Berry, BSW
page 16
A Social Worker’s Mission
I believe, as a social worker, that it is my duty to advocate by any means possible on behalf of a child’s best interests. I handle things not outlined in my job description, offer above-and-beyond support, and try to adhere to my mission of ensuring that all of a child’s needs are met somewhere along the way of them crossing my path.
by Jessica Bradstreet
page 20
Congratulations 2012 Social Work Graduates!
A photo montage of recent social work graduates.
page 23
Tech Topics: @SWSCmedia—Bringing Social Workers
Together Globally
With the rapidly changing technology all around us, it seems that new online social work communities and resources are springing up all the time. One such resource or community is @SWSCmedia. Read about and learn how to participate in the UK-based group’s Twitter debates.
by Linda May Grobman
page 27
Departments
Poetry page 7
On Campus page 22
Reviews page 24
Classified Ads page 28
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