Is It That Time of Year? The New Social Worker's 2015 Top 5 Social Work Articles...and a Bit More

5 Most-Read Articles from THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER Magazine for 2015

by Linda May Grobman, MSW, LSW, ACSW

     As 2015 comes to a close and we look ahead to 2016, I have been wondering what was on social workers' minds over the past year. Maybe a look at The New Social Worker's most popular articles from 2015 will provide some insight into this question.

Articles Published in 2015

     First, let's look at the top five articles of those we published in 2015. They are:

#1

5 Ways To Ace Your Social Work Job Interview, by Valerie Arendt. Getting the interview is one thing, but what do you do once you've gotten that call? This article from the Winter 2015 issue by our Career Columnist provides specific tips for social workers on how to stand out from the other applicants. This was our most-read 2015 article!

#2

The Privilege of Medical Social Work, by Kristy Brosz. This article was published as part of our 2015 Social Work Month Series in March 2015. In it, Kristy says:  The sad looks arrive. Eyebrows are raised. Pity faces stare back at me. Then some variation of the same question comes out in hesitant tones: “Isn’t it sad and difficult to work with death every day?” She answers this question by providing several examples of what makes her job so awesome.

#3

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words: Genograms in Social Work Practice, by Natalie Pope and Jacquelyn Lee. Genograms are a practical tool in social work practice, both in terms of assessment and intervention. Pope and Lee explain how they are used in social work and how to construct one. The comments on our Facebook page indicated that many social workers are using genograms on a regular basis and find them especially useful in getting a full and clear picture during an assessment. Others don't use them at all. And several social work students commented that they had been studying about genograms in their practice classes.

#4

Doing Family Therapy as a New Social Worker: The Do's and Don'ts, by Mercedes Samudio. Working with families can be pretty overwhelming when you are first starting out. This article sheds some light on understanding family dynamics and developing a therapeutic alliance with families without being judgmental.

#5

ReMoved Raises Foster Care Awareness, by Addison Cooper. ReMoved is a popular documentary film by Nathanael and Christina Matanick, following the story of Zoe - a young girl in foster care. Many of our readers had seen this film as part of their child welfare training. This review and commentary on the film became wildly popular on our Facebook page. There is also a second film, which we reviewed later in the year.

Other Top Articles

     The following articles from our archives are the top overall articles for 2015. These were published prior to 2015 and continue to be highly relevant to our readers.

New Online Features/Blogs Started in 2015

     In the fall of 2015, we introduced the Your Social Work Brand column on our website. This twice-monthly column by Kristin Battista-Frazee explores how social workers can use "personal branding" to advance their careers. This terminology may sound somewhat foreign to some social workers. However, it is becoming more and more important to understand how to develop your "brand" to make yourself stand out. 

     In fall of 2015, The New Social Worker Press published Dr. Danna Bodenheimer's book Real World Clinical Social Work: Find Your Voice and Find Your Way, a primer for new clinicians that serves as a sort of "transitional object" to bridge the gap between school and "real-life" practice. In addition, Danna began writing a weekly blog, which is published on THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER's website each Friday.

What's Up for 2016?

     The new year is just around the corner! So, what's up? We are planning an awesome month of celebration during March - Social Work Month! We look forward to connecting with you on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Instagram. We may add more blogs and new goodies on our website. Who knows what else? Follow us and subscribe to stay up to date!

     THANK YOU to all of our many readers. Thank you for reading, and thank you for your thoughtful comments and engagement with us, with our writers, and with each other. THANK YOU, too, to the writers who share their experience and expertise with our readership! Each one of you makes such an important contribution to our profession, both in the daily work you do and in the sharing with others.

     I look forward to seeing many of you around the web, on social media, and face-to-face at social work conferences in the coming year. I look forward to hearing from you and hearing about the innovative work you are doing.

     Best wishes for the best year in 2016!