Practice
Perennial Bloom: An Interview With Dr. Jeanette Takamura, MSW
The arc of Jeanette Takamura’s macro practice illustrates the importance of thinking structurally about social problems. For Takamura, the sakura’s bloom is beautiful, but the real artistry lies in the ongoing work before and after peak bloom.
Photo credit BigStockPhoto Sergey Novikov
Anxiety, Trauma, or Neurodivergence? Why the Differential Often Gets It Wrong
A neurodivergent-affirming lens does not dismiss anxiety or trauma. It contextualizes them. It asks whether the nervous system’s responses make sense given both lived experience and inherent design.
Photo credit BigStockPhoto Yanika
Caretaking Myself
A month’s worth of suggestions to caretake yourself.
Social Work Month 2026: Thank You, Social Workers, for All You Do to Uplift, Defend, and Transform
Social Workers, THANK you for your vital work in challenging times, every day, every month. Please spend Social Work Month with us at The New Social Worker. Find a social worker right now, and say “Thank you!” to that person!
Photo credit BigStockPhoto Maridav
Masking Is Not “High Functioning”—What Social Workers Miss When Clients Appear Put Together
By the time many clients reach us, they are not asking how to function better. They are asking, often quietly: How do I stop disappearing?
Photo credit: BigStockPhoto ssstocker
Preaching in Public, Panicking in Private
It’s about time we started practicing what we preach—maybe not perfectly, but with intention. A little self-care isn’t selfish.
Photo credit: BigStockPhoto/PixelsAway
Beyond “Always” and “Never”: Honoring Client Complexity in Assessment Design
There is a disconnect between clients’ lived experiences and our assessment tools. Absolute response options like “always” and “never” force clients to compress the beautiful complexity of human experience into oversimplified categories.
Photo credit: BigStockPhoto GreenVector
The Intake Is Already an Intervention: Rethinking First Contact Through a Neuroaffirming Lens
The very first questions we ask shape whether a neurodivergent client feels seen, pathologized, or quietly misread before therapy even begins. Intake is already an intervention—let’s make sure it’s a liberating one.
Photo credit: BigStockPhoto Tatyana_Tomsickova
How Social Workers Can Support Parents of Children Who Have Been Sexually Abused
CSA affects not just children but entire family systems. Parents or caregivers often carry unseen wounds. Their ability to process emotions, communicate clearly, and support their children can deeply shape recovery outcomes.
Photo credit BigStockPhoto Machineheadz
Rethinking Permanency for Teenagers and Young Adults
Reunification with biological families is ideal, but in cases in which that is not possible, adoption and guardianship both provide teenagers and young adults with options for stability, provision, and mentorship.
Photo credit BigStockPhoto TashaNatasha
Reimagining Self-Care
Self-preservation serves as a bolder approach in my efforts at honoring my human self in a profession that calls for compassionate giving of ourselves. Finding this balance is crucial and not always easy.
Photo credit BigStockPhoto/designer491
Vocational Rehab Is Social Work: Change Agents Empowering Individuals With Disabilities To Work
Vocational rehabilitation is not a detour from social work. It is a powerful, specialized lane within it. Social workers, are trained to meet people where they are and walk with them toward where they want to go. In VR, we get to do that every day.
Photo credit: BigStockPhoto jefras
Seeing the Footprints of Social Work in the Fight Against Addictions
Every effort to make lives more meaningful, happier, and freer is connected to the value system of social work. In social work, there is no such thing as small or big—every action that empowers is significant.
Photo credit: BigStockPhoto/nexusby
Combating Burnout: Analysis and Strategies for the Well-Being of the Social Work Community
Addressing burnout in the social work community requires a multifaceted approach that bridges individual and systemic change. Only through intentional actions can the profession flourish, ensuring that practitioners are supported and valued.
Photo credit: BigStockPhoto/Ocskay Bence
A New Path for Dementia Care: The Transformative Potential of the CMS GUIDE Model and Its Impact on the Social Work Profession
The GUIDE Model is structured to address the complexities of dementia by promoting integrated care approaches that foster better communication among healthcare providers, caregivers, and families.
Photo credit: BigStockPhoto/digitalista
Self-Determination: The Beauty, the Frustration, and the Necessity of Letting People Shine (or Not)
Self-determination is messy, frustrating, and beautiful. It’s about giving people—including yourself—the freedom to make mistakes, take risks, and ultimately, shine in their own way.
Photo credit: BigStockPhoto/millering
How Childhood Trauma Shapes the Work and Lives of Social Workers
The legacy of childhood trauma is complex, but it is not immutable. As social workers, we have the opportunity to confront and heal our own wounds, breaking the cycles of trauma that have shaped us.
Putting POETRY Into Practice
April is National Poetry Month. What, you might ask, does that have to do with me and my social work practice? Social worker/poet Jane Seskin illustrates how three poems can reveal thoughts and feelings that might have gone unseen and untouched.
The “Benefits” of an Eating Disorder: What Social Workers Need To Know
Why do people hold on to their eating disorders? Understanding the “benefits” of having an eating disorder can help clinicians better understand why their clients are reluctant to get better.
Photo credit: Pixabay/Irasonja
Rest Therapies To Reduce Seasonal Affective Disorder Symptoms
Rest therapies offer a holistic approach to managing Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), enhancing client well-being, promoting self-care, and providing coping strategies.
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